ENCOUNTERING GODsomething just because it was part of my cultural
or family belief system. I purposed to ‘wipe the
slate clean’ and start from a pure and unbiased
beginning point. Socrates said, “The unexamined
life is not worth living.”3/*
I resolved that beliefs left unexamined might
not be worth much either. Intending to explore
various religions of the world with an open mind,
I embarked on a quest for the “True Light.” Even
though I recognized I was studying the theories,
opinions and supposed ‘revelations’ of others, my
primary goal was to experience God for myself.
I had faith that something somewhere would
prove to be my connecting link with ultimate
reality. Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s words well
describe my inner stance at that time:
Earth’s crammed with heaven;
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.^4
Blackberries held no interest for me any longer.
I was willing to ‘take off my shoes’ and look at
things differently. I was definitely searching for my
‘burning bush.’ All of this was definitely progress