Some of the ideas expressed in this article are repeats from earlier but apply here as well. The more you study advanced spiritual concepts, the more you will see how it all comes down to a few basic principles.

While attending a church-sponsored memorial service for an AA friend who passed, I was reminded how my spiritual beliefs differ immensely from others in the community. The church denomination isn’t relevant, but it’s not my first choice for a worship place.

For the most part, the service crept into my heart with warm fuzzy memories of my friend. Then, the religious doctrine started, and I had to turn the other cheek while switching channels in my thoughts. I knew there may be a hidden lesson I didn’t see at first. Some in attendance were flailing their arms while a man in the back kept yelling, “Praise Jesus.” He scared the carp out of me when he screamed the first time. I found it hard not to judge initially, but I was successful over time. The lesson was that this church and how the parishioners praised God was their choice and none of my business. Many enjoyed what I first called antics while enjoying every minute of it. Those loving the service and I were at the same service and heard the same sermon but had entirely different views on the spiritual meaning.

It was gratifying and enlightening to be able to accept them at face value and their ways. I took a deep breath and realized this wasn’t designed by me, and I would be leaving soon anyway. The service was about memorializing my friend, and this was the church she was a member of. It was then that I stopped judging.

Although some of the preachings weren’t my cup of tea, I did come away with a better understanding of God as I see Him. My spiritual concepts have many similarities and differences compared to organized religion. The Pastor spoke about our separation from God as sinners. He made it sound like heaven is a real place above the clouds, and we will go there if we do certain things the way they do it. Jesus explained it when his disciples asked him, “Where is heaven?” He replied, “The kingdom of heaven lies within.” So if God is in heaven, He’s inside every one of us, even if we don’t believe. He’s there waiting for us to talk with Him. I think each of us is a spiritual being living a human experience, not vice versa. We are all spirits; each Spirit is within, where God is. My friend was with me in Spirit while she lived. Now that she’s no longer on earth, her Spirit is in heaven with God, which is within me. I guess this means nothing has changed spiritually. Her body has left, but she remains present in Spirit.

Another area I’ve come to understand is why we are here? Of course, this is only my concept; you can believe whatever you like. We are spirits placed here to learn lessons through service. The book of lessons has many pages. The Course in Miracles says, “Life is a series of lessons. We don’t get to choose the experience, but we do get to choose how we react to it.” I must learn all the lessons to become one with God. My Spirit may be in heaven with Him, but we are not entirely one as yet. We’re not separate just not one. Each lifetime there are lessons to learn. Once this Life’s mission is complete, and it may be when I’m 20 or 100, I will return to the source where I’ll be assigned new lessons and return to do it again. As I look at others, I do not know their lessons. It doesn’t matter to me. What’s important is that I know what’s on my path and learn every bit of what I am here to learn.

This makes more sense than the idea that we come here once, die, and live in heaven for eternity. Eternity is a long time, and one’s Life is so short. If one pass is all we get, what’s the real purpose of living this Life? I like my idea better.