There are many images and names for God that help us keep expanding our notion of who the Divine is and how the Divine operates and communicates: Bread of Life, Living Water, Rock of Ages, My Hiding Place, Alpha and Omega, Light of the World, The Word, just to name so very few. Yet, we can’t seem to keep ourselves from consistently putting God in a box or limiting God to our own pet names, experiences, and so, the parameters of our personal belief system. As humans, with so many things, it seems we want to “go large”, think expansive, yet, it’s like we are only willing or able to do it well with fast food meals, desserts or vacation plans.

For my own help and growth with this, I’ve taken to chameleons and kaleidoscopes. Have

you “google imaged” these things lately? The chameleon’s ability to change into endless colors in endless environments seems to make it able to communicate or be in relationship in endless spaces and places. Yes, some of this function seems to be camouflage, yet in various species it is also reactions to temperature, other conditions and social signaling of a variety of kinds. The bottom line remain, chameleons seem to have an innate way of appreciating, communicating, being able to be with everyone and everything. There is just a very basic way the chameleon helps me, at least, to remember God is not just my color, not just in a static form or way of being that simply relates to me, and so invites me into a much more expansive and authentic spiritual understanding and position to appreciate a larger nature of God than I could ever know and way of being of God than could ever be just for me. In turn then, I begin to expand my appreciation and respect for others in their unique relationship with God which includes their way of communicating with God and responding to the Divine.

Turning kaleidoscopes helps me as a spiritual practice and holy act because it is the same tube, yet with each turn offering various endless patterns of color, design and beauty to be seen. If we can recognize God’s ability to look and see through a divine eye, each of us and all of us together with unique beauty and patterns, isn’t the potential there also for us to have a greater appreciation, of course, for one another. Isn’t the possibility present for us to “get it” better that certainly God needs to and can communicate with each of us uniquely, and so we must recognize God’s endless color, depth and beauty to be able to do that.

If only we could recognize that it makes sense we need to and would, put and understand God in our own terms, yet they could never be the only terms for God. That the Divine needs to and must – because of the very nature of the sacred – be available for, call to and communicate with all her offspring. Because the messages needed, the places of development are different for each of us as offspring. Then, perhaps, through chameleons and kaleidoscopes and whatever else might help, we could meet one another with more curiosity, wonder and anticipation for greater understanding and goodness rather than with such limiting suspicion, fear and need to be better or right than currently exists too many places. Maybe I’ll start buying up and sharing chameleons and kaleidoscopes and passing them out toward that end. 

With you on the journey,
Erin