Most religious and spiritual doctrines teach that God created the universe. Have you ever stopped to consider what impact this has upon you as an individual, to your relationships and the quality of your life? If you grew up as I did, you probably never really gave the concept a second thought; it doesn’t seem to come up too frequently in day-to-day conversation. However, I’ve recently had occasion to reflect a great deal upon the topic and you might find these thoughts about it stimulating. But first, a little psychology.
It is fair to say that loneliness and a lack of sense of belonging is at the root of many types of mental illness both large and small. Much of the anxiety and/or depression, experienced acutely or chronically by “normal” fully functioning people like you and me, can be so attributed. Consider how useful and constructive it would be to be able to effectively address these loneliness issues without reference to other people.
Now, to begin with, as God created the universe, He created everything in it; including me. While that makes me no more special than billions of other people on earth, He did create me and not somebody else; I am his creation. And he is my creator. This concept prompted in me a sense of kinship with God that I’d never felt before. No matter that billions of other people on this planet have it, and countless other beings wherever they may be in the universe have it, I have it and that is something significant.
And what about all those other billions of people? If God created them and He created me, doesn’t that make us all cousins or something? St. Paul called them brothers and sisters in Christ, I’m calling them cousins; still family right? So there is even more kinship that I didn’t realize I had before.
And what about the other things that occupy this planet with us, animals, rocks, trees, fish, oceans, soil, bacteria, mosquitoes? Are they not cousins too? Not sentient perhaps but still others of God’s creation, and, as such, deserving of some respect and consideration. Not to mention all the stars and planets (and whatever else there may be) we see in the sky? Are we not related to them in some distant, unfathomable fashion?
All of this unfolded for me over a series of weeks. During this brief time I’ve begun to transition from being one infinitesimal speck on a planet that is itself an infinitesimal speck to somebody who is not only connected to the creator of the universe but to everything contained within it! But wait, there’s more!
When you bake a cake, there’s something of yourself in that cake; you assembled all the ingredients, put them together and baked it. When you build a birdhouse, there’s something of you in that birdhouse; you assembled all the pieces and fixed them together to form a birdhouse. Doesn’t it stand to reason that when God created each of us, that something of Him, some shining golden kernel, remains within us, His stamp if you will. There is always something of the creator that becomes part of his creation. So now I’m thinking There’s a speck of God in me! And in everybody and everything else, for that matter.
It also stands to reason that if God created the universe and everything in it, He must have a good reason, a plan. Now, I don’t know what that plan is, but I do have a some ideas. First of all, it must be for the greater good. Given the creator of the universe as the source, could there be any other outcome? Secondly, whatever His plan is, we’re all a part of it. Why would He have created us otherwise? In a general sense, our part is to love, care for, protect and cherish every other of His creations. Beyond that I cannot say, other than to speculate that to the extent we execute the general part of the plan we’ll come to learn more about the specific parts.
Coming full circle we arrive back at the question of loneliness and feeling connected. Most of us avoid loneliness by forming relationships with other people and this is well and good. There remains however the problem of becoming overdependent on others in order to avoid feeling lonely. We need to experience their presence and goodwill all the time or risk falling into anxiety or depression. It is frequently problematic to rely on other people in this way. Relationships are good and necessary, but to the extent that we rely on them to avoid feeling something inside ourselves, we are courting trouble. Better if we felt a secure sense of relationship and connection within ourselves, one not dependent on another person. As much as they may love us, another person may not always be available when we need them. Wholeheartedly adopting the belief in a loving God having created you and all that you see around you can help provide this inner sense of relationship and belonging. No one and nothing can take it away from you.
Should something within you resonate with what I’ve said here, I urge you to consider working with it, to make it more a part of your conscious self. Five minutes a day is all you need. Find a place where you can sit quietly and undisturbed. Consciously relax your muscles, particularly around your eyes, jaw, neck, shoulders, buttocks and feet. Clear your mind of thoughts; when you find yourself thinking of something, just gently let it go and begin anew. (No self-recriminations allowed!) Then gently introduce a thought, such as God loves me just as I am or God created me or God has a part for me to play in His plan, and see how it goes. Don’t allow the natural resistance you may feel, I don’t have the time, This is just dumb, etc. deter you.
Add a request for God’s help in promoting your daily practice of accepting His love to your prayer routine. You may be surprised what may come of it.