As usual, I have been enjoying Rev. Kitty’s latest message series. I have sometimes struggled with how to explain Unity beliefs to others; her recent messages have given me a lot of great ideas! I particularly enjoyed the message on the nature of humanity. Oftentimes we can forget just how amazing humans truly are. Thomas Edison once said, “If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.” Rev. Kitty explained that Unity calls itself a “positive” path for spiritual living, in part, because we see ourselves as containing sparks of divinity within us; in other words, as truly being made in God’s image.
This reminded me of a wonderful story that author Alan Cohen told about the Golden Buddha in Thailand. The Golden Buddha was a beautiful, gilded statue centuries ago, but as a war approached, the local leaders feared that it would be destroyed, so they came up with an ingenious solution – they plastered over it! The war ended, and the statue survived, but its original golden nature was forgotten, and it remained covered for nearly 200 years! As it was being moved in 1955 some of the plaster chipped away revealing the gold underneath. The rest of the plaster was carefully removed, and the true nature of the statue was restored.
Isn’t that true for us humans as well? We may appear to be “only” skin and bones, but we have golden natures within, capable of amazing things. I love that Unity sees us as we truly are – divine expressions of God.
Leilah Siegel, Board of Trustees
