"What is this chick talking about? Is this some sort of left wing hippie crap?"
That is what I would have said about a blog title like this not too long ago. But here I am...filled with ideas that I want to pour out...and that's the only title that fits. I feel like I am being reinvented from the inside out, challenging old assumptions and discovering just who it is I'm supposed to be.
So why Jesus, yoga and peace?
Jesus
I became a Christian when I was 17. It was a life-changing event. However, in some ways I feel like I traded one set of laws for another. In recent months, I have been reaching out, really trying to feel Jesus in my life with no preconceived notions…coming to him as a child. A Christian is one who follows Christ...not one who follows other Christians. I'd rather be a Jesus junkie than a church-going pew warmer.
Mahatma Ghandi is quoted as saying, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Sometimes someone from the outside has to look in to tell you the truth. It is my goal to take a worldview as close to Jesus as possible, not what someone else thinks I ought to because I’m a Christian. I believe many of the auto-assumptions we are expected to adopt when we become a Christian are fundamentally flawed.
Yoga
An ancient practice, yoga combines physical discipline with the spiritual world. In many ways, I feel much the same way during a yoga session as when I’m lifting up praise and worship to Jesus. It takes me to a place of peace inside, and tones my body on the outside. It soothes the spirit, nourishes the soul, and strengthens the body – both organs and muscles. Although I’ve only been doing yoga for a short time (as of this writing, only about six months or so) I feel it has really become a part of me and is shaping my world view.
Peace
The world is in turmoil. People are at war with each other, with themselves, with their environment. Hate and unrest are everywhere we look. But we cannot correct this imbalance with more violence, war, hate or provocation. Just because others may be practicing wickedness or harboring resentment does not mean that we need to do the same. So many people who cannot forgive (either themselves or others) are suffering on the inside. My peace focus is to promote inner peace, outer peace, and equilibrium (peace with our surroundings).
