How The Bible Actually Works

Continued from yesterday…

When you step back and observe the Bible from a broader view, what stands out above all is that over a period of two millennia, the Jewish writers’ perception of God progressed—not always in a straight line—toward a more equitable and less tribal world.

That simple fact is perhaps a clue to how the Bible actually works. What I mean is that the message of the Bible is that it’s okay to reimagine God as the world changes. The Bible helps us understand that we should not get stuck in traditions that divide and separate, but rather follow the trajectory of history toward a more inclusive world.

From that perspective, the mysteries, plots, characters, struggles, and victories of the Bible are there to reflect upon, question, prod, and guide us toward a more unifying and compassionate Christ-centric consciousness. In fact, reading it any other way is actually unhealthy for the world we live in.

This may get me a lot of not-so-friendly emails, but I’m suggesting that when we look to the Bible for a set of thoughts (beliefs) that we consider the absolute truth rather than as a pathway to finding wisdom about love and oneness, we end up trapped under the spell of the ego, which desperately seeks approval and acceptance by the rightness of its religion.

Which brings me back to the importance of trees in the Bible. It seems to me that understanding the symbolism of trees can turn the Bible from an old and outdated set of books into mystical, majestic, and metaphorical literature written to open our hearts to the deepest parts within us. In fact, the two trees are central to understanding how humanity imagines God.

So how about we delve into the story of trees at the outset of Genesis beginning tomorrow to find out what a mystical narrative may communicate and unmask about the nature of the ego and the ways we experience reality…

To be continued tomorrow…

Adapted from Section 2 of Awakening To I Am Love by David Youngren