This month, many faiths celebrate important holy days.
Muslims are in the midst of Ramadan – a time of purifying souls through worship, prayer, and fasting. Christians are in the midst of Lent – a time of personal reflection leading into Holy Week which leads to the day that Jesus died and the day he was resurrected.
In the Jewish faith, Passover is observed, commemorating the Israelite’s liberation from slavery in Egypt. It is a time of reflection for those of the faith.
I find it fascinating that all three of these faiths take time in this part of the year to reflect on their faith, and the meaning of that faith in their lives. I would think that this is a great process for every human being to participate in, whether they are a member of a religious faith or not.
What would our world look like if we spent less time focusing on our religious differences and spent more time reflecting on the similar main tenets of these religions – and the similar main tenets of life in general?
What if we all took the time, regardless of faith (or lack thereof) to reflect on what our personal core values are? What if we all took time to reflect on those values, and try to apply them to our lives and the way we treat people?
What are the core values of your faith? When I look at most religions (and at life in general) I think some of the core values could include love, peace, forgiveness, compassion, mercy, hope and grace.
This month let’s take time to consider the most important core values in our lives. Are the values on your list of equal importance to you?
Are some more valuable to you than others? Let’s consider how we can put our most important core values into practice in our lives and how we treat each other and how we treat ourselves.
I wish that all of us could take some time this month and make this an important personal spiritual time of our lives.
