Holy and Whole – June 06, 1999
Sometimes the words we use to describe the good and beautiful things of life make them seem too difficult to achieve. But when we examine the words more closely, something like holiness is not so far out of reach. The dictionary says holy means “belonging to, derived from, or associated with a divine power.” In other words, we don’t have to be perfect in order to be holy. We need only to associate ourselves with the divine.
Based on this, it is easy to see how the words holy and whole are related. Alone, we are incomplete. But when we associate ourselves with a divine power, we are complete. We are made whole.
That thought can be very comforting as we pass through the sorrows and trials of life. Alone, the sting of a loved one’s death may hurt more than we are able to bear. Alone, the failure to obtain long-sought goals may depress us so that we can no longer function. Alone, the news of a terminal illness may be more frightening and painful. Alone, even just reading or hearing about the atrocities that occur in the world may be overwhelming.
But we need not be alone. Even if we have never associated ourselves with a divine power, there are many in the world who have. These people are usually ready and willing to share their peace and “holiness” with others if we let them.
A woman, upon learning she had cancer, shut herself away from friends and family and cursed the divine power she had once believed in. But as medical treatments began, she found she needed others to physically help her. As they drove her to appointments and cared for her in other ways, their love became apparent and her heart began to soften. She found that, although her own connection with a divine power had been severed, she could draw on the connections of those around her. Their love, their faith, their “holiness” sustained her until at last, despite the inevitability of her situation, she one day found herself praying and being comforted. Physically nothing had changed. Her body was still deteriorating. But spiritually she was whole again and at peace.
No matter what our situation, we can also find and associate ourselves with divine powers and become more holy.
Program #3642