Rev. Kamatara Johnson

Reverencing the Horrible Beauty that is Life

Reverencing the Horrible Beauty that is Life
Rev. Kamatara Johnson

Rev. Kamatara Johnson

Recognizing that there is only One Source, One Heart, One Mind expressing here, I know that every aspect of life is an expression of that One. The good, the bad, the ugly, the indifferent, the magnificent, the lovely, the horrific…all the qualities are part of that expression of the Divine, not just some. And so I take this moment to “learn to reverence the horrible beauty that is life,” as Ram Dass says.  I allow life to be all of it, such as it is. 

When I see the horror in the news, around the world and around the block, I remember that this too is part of the Divine, the struggle of human beings to recognize their divinity and the One Love at the Source of it all. I reverence the cycles of evolution in which we find ourselves: the stunning kindness and generosity that follows tragedy, the way a community comes together around a loss, and the love that flows forth in empathy for another’s suffering. We are the place where the healing balm of Love shows up in times of grief. 

I give thanks for all the ways that the Divine shows up, even those I would never choose. I surrender my heart to expand into love every time it is needed, which is every moment of every day with every person. This is how I learn to reverence this human experience and still stay connected with the Divinity that is ever-present. This is how I balance my ledger of all the qualities of life that seem to contradict each other. I’m grateful for the capacity to live in the horrible beauty and continue to foster the beauty.

Knowing that the One Love is my source of strength and grace through it all, I release this prayer, living into it one loving moment at a time.