Thirty-seven: Holy

However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do if you do not act upon them? ~Buddha

She said that the church is full of hypocrites. I didn't argue. She ranted about closed minds and judgmental people. I didn't disagree. She was shocked. I asked her why. 

I've seen it first hand, I said. People go to worship on Sunday, and as soon as their feet hit the parking lot, their obligation to their religion "met," they go on with their lives as it pleases them, not as it pleases God. For many, God isn't even an afterthought. 

But, I say to her, there are others. Others who walk out of church and into the world led by the Holy Spirit, not societal pressures. Who live their lives in the Water and the Word, to the best of their abilities. Who let their lights shine wherever they go, reflecting to the world God's love for all of us.

And there are those who fumble their way toward the Light -who are still learning and growing in understanding of what it is to be a child of God. And the hypocrites, the judgmental, who can only be helped by hearing the Word proclaimed. 

Yes, the church is full of all sorts of people. It is not our place to judge who should be there, who is worthy - but it is our place to pray for all in God's family, that they embrace the holy not just in words or rote actions, but in every aspect of living. 

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Forty Days In Thought, Word, and Deed