Did you know that God is never mentioned in The Lord of the Rings? I realized this after I finished reading the book for the first time when I was in seminary. Yet the story is imbued with a sense of βotherββ¦ spiritβ¦ wonderβ¦ order... good and evil. Right? It reminded me of something I learned from Eugene Petersonβ¦ in the whole story of David in the Bibleβ¦ there are no miracles. Yet the story is full of this βOthernessββ¦ a mysterious order even in the midst of human evil... including David's. I shared this story years ago, but Iβll share it again because Iβve been thinking about it a lot lately. Years ago I helped my son Josh set up a booth for his life-coaching business at a Wellness Expo held in a huge stadium. It was one of the weirdest events Iβve ever attended. We were surrounded by everything βspiritualβ and related under the sun. Massage therapists. Reiki practitioners. Crystals. Incense. Counselors. Coaches. Magic wands. Fortune tellers. Astrologers. Essential oils. Aroma therapy. Horse whisperers. Mind readers. Magicians. Every imaginable diet. Tapping. Acupuncture. Throat singing. Every religion. You name it, it was there! So, for an entire weekend, I was hanging around these people. Weβd get coffee for each other, go out for lunch breaks, and just talk. After it was all over, a group of us who had become friends went out to a restaurant. We ended up talking for a few hours. It was fascinating to hang out with these incredible people full of their own style of wisdom and compassion. They were kind, fun, and full of life. No matter the wonderful and even weird diversity of beliefs we all had, we were one around that table. A microcosmic picture of how I think the world can be if weβd accept it. This all confirmed my belief that at a deep and fundamental level we are all one, connected, and undivided. Itβs only our thoughts and beliefs that seem to separate us. But they donβt. Our thoughts and beliefs are like waves and ripples on the surface of a river that is undisturbed the deeper you go. And itβs true: The deeper you go within your diverse self, the more unity in diversity you detect in the world, and the more compassion you possess. |