Demonstrating God
Carol Anne Perini , RScP
“Until we have God, we have nothing; but the very moment we have God, we have all there is in this world. There is no such thing as God and.”
– Joel S. Goldsmith; Practicing the Presence
At this very moment we at Seal Beach Center for Spiritual Living are in the midst of the “middle.” We have had two ministers resign, our pastoral care minister resign, our music director resign, and our youth director resign. We are left adrift, so to say, with our community scrambling to take care of itself. As we do so, many people are worried but honestly, the thing I hear most often is, “We’re going to be okay.” People believe we are going to be okay and I honestly believe that we are already better than okay. We are thriving.
The bell that rings the loudest for me is this: We have God in, as, through, and around our Jewel by the Sea. When I walk into the sanctuary I feel the weight of the presence of those who have come before. I feel the strength, the love, the beauty, the honesty, the tears, the hearts that have filled this building year after year after year. I trust and believe that we are surviving, that we will continue to survive, that we will grow stronger and greater with each passing day, week, month, year.
I think this way because we have God. Not God and…as Goldsmith says. We have God. In God lives everything. In God lives Prosperity, Peace, Love, Freedom, Divine Right Order. We are all that God is so we have everything in this world.
Going through passages can be frightening, for some more so than others. Going through change can be scary, worrisome and can cause people to feel in disarray. They cry out with questions like: “Where is my stability? Where is my strength?” Goldsmith says, “In attaining God, we attain all that God is, that is, God appearing in all forms.” If God is all there is appearing in all forms, is not God in the middle passage, too? Is not God the middle passage? Goldsmith says, “We shall have all the forms necessary to our own unfoldment.”
So keeping in mind that God is all there is, I sit joyfully in the middle passage. I don’t know what comes next but I trust that every form is necessary. Every form leads me, each of us, to our greater Good. Every form is God, expressing Itself in Its beauty.
Blessings to each of you as we travel this road together.
Namaste’ y’all.
Carol Anne Perini
Carol Anne Perini, RScP
Carol Anne Perini is an ongoing student of the practice of Forgiveness. Her ministry is dedicated to clearing away the past hurts and fears in her own life so that she can live a truly authentic life which she shares with others. Carol Anne began her journey in SOM philosophy in 2006, becoming a practitioner in 2012, and committing to the SBCSL community in June of 2017. Her background in nursing, family group facilitation, and home health case-management brings a wealth of nurturing support to those around her. Additionally, her extensive background in the arts gives her a broadminded approach to spirituality and the challenges of being human. Carol Anne brings a deep faith, love, wisdom, and a peaceful presence to all that she does.