Author Archives: Yvonne Ator

Faith (Part 3) – Keeping the Faith when Others Believe Differently

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“The great lesson is that the sacred is in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one’s daily life, in one’s neighbors, friends, and family, in one’s backyard.” – Abraham Maslow

I attract different kinds of people.

This is my path. And it is reciprocal. I am attracted to a wide variety of people. Because I have lived in three different continents and moved around most of my life, I have always been with people who looked, believed or lived differently from me.

I love it.

I loved learning about different religions in elementary school and college. My first friends were two Indian girls. I studied Islam and indigeneous african religions in primary school. Then studied Hinduism, Buddhism and other world religions in college.  During medical school, I was really into yoga, visiting ashrams, learning about Yogananda and other gurus.

But I am a Christian and Christianity is where I feel most connected to God. So through all my explorations, I kept returning to it. It is home for me.

I have friends who are atheists, agnostics, Buddhists, Muslims, Mennonites, Jewish, fundamentalists, seekers, new age, mystics and evangelicals.    In the media, Christians are portrayed as right-wing bigots who hate everyone and watch Fox TV.

Being more on the left side of things on many issues can be very challenging as a Christian. On the Christian Front, you are considered not Christian enough and to the non-believers you are considered a bigot.

So what’s a woman of faith to do?

For some reason, I have been gifted with the ability to relate to people of diverse backgrounds, religions, lifestyles and thought. I enjoy being around people who are different from me.

But sometimes, I find myself having to explain why I believe what I do, facing heat and derision from both sides.

I am learning that every person crosses my path for a reason. And every encounter is sacred, whether blissful or painful, because I can inject gratitude and presence into that encounter.

For the longest time, I struggled with rejection and shame when attacked for my beliefs.  I would cower and hide when made to feel I wasn’t Christian enough. Or I would pretend not to be a Christian among those who believed differently.

Here’s the thing – Faith without action is useless. You can tout your faith all you want but your actions have to back up your faith. You actions reflect what you truly believe.

So now, I focus on the most important thing – Love. I choose to love. I choose to affirm others, regardless of belief systems. It is not up to me to judge others. It is up to me to love.

As a Jesus Devotee (well, some call me a Jesus nerd), I am called to follow, to live the life I have been called to. My favorite thing about Jesus is that He loved people on the fringe… the unpopular, the outcast, the foreigner, the lonely, the prostitute, the tax collector… He loved and accepted people as they were. And they were transformed by their experiences with Him.

This is the Jesus I love. The One who cares about widows, orphans, the poor… The One who gets to the heart of the matter instead of beating around the bush. The Master Physician  who healed the sick and raised the dead…  The One mistaken for a drunk and a glutton…

So, yes, I risk being outcast on both sides for my faith… the fundamentalist conservatives who see no place for eclectic, alternative, progressive yet passionate Christians like me or the non-Christians who view me with suspicion and expect me to be bigoted.

I choose Love. I choose gratitude. I remember my ideals (values),  consider each personal encounter a sacred gift, look for God in each one and even see how I can be of service. In some cases I learn the lesson, dust my shoulder and move on. In others, I end up with life-changing and sometimes life-long relationships.

In light of recent protests over police brutality in Ferguson and Staten Island, I intend to practice the same. I admit it has been frustrating and heartbreaking. But I will not give in to hate, cynicism and destruction.

Still I choose love. I choose gratitude. I look for God – yes, even in this, remember my ideals and look for ways I can be of service.

When all else fails, I will remember that it is not up to me to convince others of what I believe. I will do my best and leave the rest.

Here’s to keeping the faith!

Cultivating Faith:

1. What do you do when faced with attacks on your faith?

2. How do you treat others who believe differently from you?

3. In what ways can you choose love and gratitude in conflict?

4. What do you think about the encounters you have with others? Do you consider them sacred?

5. In what ways can you choose to be of service to those who believe differently?

6. How has the recent political climate affected how you express your faith?

7. In what ways can you be supportive of others in keeping the faith?

Our relationships, every single one can be sacred, if we remember to look for the light in them. Expressing love and gratitude, looking for the Divine, aligning with your ideals and looking for ways to serve will help you keep the faith. Carry on! See you next time!

Yvonne Whitelaw writes for Yvonnewhitelaw.com where she blogs about her quest to grow into her ideals in her “Live Your Ideals Project”. By sharing her lessons along the way (every Monday and Thursday), she hopes to serve and inspire a tribe of wholehearted warriors like you, to “live your ideals, live your calling and change the world.”

Gratitude – Creating sacred moments and shortcuts to joy

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“Giving thanks for one thousand things is ultimately an invitation to slow time down with weight of full attention. In this space of time and sphere, I am attentive, aware, accepting the whole of the moment, weighing it down with me all here.” – Ann Voskamp

Gratitude.

I have consistently kept a gratitude journal for a few years now. Every night, I list 15 – 20 things I am grateful for, as a thank you letter to God.

I first learned about gratitude from Oprah – if you know anything about me, you know that she has been a tremendous influence on my life. Gratitude was a gift to me. I learned from Oprah and later, Brene Brown, that Gratitude is a shortcut to joy.

By choosing to focus on the things we are grateful for, we change our mental and emotional states and access joy.

I have noticed the dramatic increases in my joy since I began a gratitude practice.

A few years ago, I read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. She talks about giving thanks as being fully present in time, looking for God in the moment…

By giving thanks, finding God in the moment, that moment is consecrated… made sacred… Giving thanks consecrates time…

So, complaining, being cynical and ungrateful desecrates time.

Think about it.

How do you feel in a complain-y mood? It feels like a downward spiral, suddenly you find more and more things wrong… Soon, you feel downright rotten and heavy… Some people feel much better after complaining but they are transferring the negative energy to another…

It is okay to express concern about things, to share about personal challenges… but to constantly complain about something you can’t change or are unwilling to change is another matter…

Choose gratitude – the quickest way to feel joy and transform your mood, a beautiful way to consecrate the experiences and relationships of your life.

Slow down.

Make every moment sacred. Look for something to be grateful for in everything – the encounters, the conflict, the mundane… You can find joy in them. You can find God in them. That is the true meaning of Gratitude.

So what am I grateful for? I am grateful for you! Thank you for your companionship on this quest to live my ideals. Thank you.

What are you grateful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yvonne Whitelaw writes for Yvonnewhitelaw.com where she blogs about her quest to grow into her ideals in her “Live Your Ideals Project”. By sharing her lessons along the way (every Monday and Thursday), she hopes to serve and inspire a tribe of wholehearted warriors like you, to “live your ideals, live your calling and change the world.”