Embracing Mystery: Beyond Labels in Spiritual Connection
In this blog post I will share why I move beyond labels and use “Mystery” as a name for God instead.
In my quest for spiritual understanding, I have often found myself lost in a labyrinth of paths, each promising a connection to the Divine.
And I began to wonder: what if the value of this connection lies in the journey itself?
The Diverse Paths of Faith
As we age, our spiritual journeys often take unexpected turns. From traditional religious upbringings to explorations of alternative faiths, many of us find ourselves on a winding path of discovery. Some embark on pilgrimages, others find solace in ancient practices like Druidism, while many connect through service to others or personal spiritual practices.
My own journey has been no less varied:
– Traditional Christianity in my youth – Church every Sunday, active in youth fellowship and choir and Vacation Bible School in the summer.
– Periods of spiritual dormancy – as a new bride with a new job in a new community, life seemed to be too busy and interesting not to kick back and relax on Sundays.
– A brief encounter with an end-times focused community who lived together on a large farm to prepare a place for others when that fateful moment would arrive. ( 50 years ago!)
– Exploration of spirit-filled and evangelical churches that were the only ones available in the rural area where I lived. Their gift to me was to jumpstart my thinking about what I really believed. I didn’t always agree with their interpretations and practices, but I was nourished by their love and sincerety.
– Return to mainline Christianity, followed by seminary studies was the logical path for exploring the questions that life had raised. Once I graduated I was called to serve local congregations as their pastor which limited my time for study and writing.
– Contemplative would probably be the best word for the path I am on today. I retired early from ministry because of health problems, and the gift to me was the time and freedom I had to explore my faith at a much deeper level.
I began attending retreats and found ways to nourish my contemplative side. It was at this point in my life that I realized the importance of soul care, and that has been my ministry until today, mostly through writing, prayer, and conversation.
As you can see, I have traveled many paths, never straying from the reality of a Divine presence in my life.
The Paradox of Belief
Throughout these experiences, I grappled with two seemingly contradictory principles common in Christianity:
1. “God loves everyone”
2. “There is only one path to God”
The tension between these ideas led me to question the God of my youth, education, and various faith iterations. Yet, paradoxically, I still felt (and feel) a Divine presence guiding, teaching, and loving me every satep of the way!
In a conversation I had recently, a friend (who is a non-practicing Catholic) expressed her frustration with an acquaintance who insisted that she needed to be “born again” if she wanted to go to heaven.
That was the path he knew and there is nothing wrong with it, but it doesn’t fit the “God loves everyone” principle of faith very well.
The problem of labels
I believe the biggest problem we encounter with religion begins with the labels we use.
I eschew labels in general. Labels are for boxes, and once we label anything it is confined to the contents of the box. You would never expect to open a box of oatmeal and find dogfood.
When we use labels for people, especially gender labels like male or female we are then unable to fit people who, from birth, are ‘different’…ie, hermaphrodites who are born with both male and female genetalia, for example.
Or the less clear issue of transsexuality or sexual pr eference. It feels out of control, so everyone gets a box with a label , and we are warned never to mix the contents of separate boxes.
We have the same problem when we try to name God. All names for the Divine have a ‘label’ characteristic about them When we see God as ‘father’ then we have to account for the mothering of Love, and so arises a theology of Mary as mother.
When we use ‘He’ to reference God, it is impossible to separate that pronoun from our personal experiences of ‘he,’ both positive and negative.
The only word that isn’t quite as loaded that I sometimes will use instead of “God” is ‘Love”, but even that can be problematical for many people who can’t get past the many experiences for which we use the word love.
It is hard to ‘see’ love without personifying it, so as humans we project ourselves and our problems as we try to understand the Divine.
The Limitations of Anthropomorphism
Our tendency to anthropomorphize God—to give human characteristics to the Divine—is a double-edged sword. While it can make God more relatable, it also risks limiting our understanding.
We see this in artistic depictions of religious figures, which often reflect the artist’s cultural background rather than historical accuracy.
A Mexican painting of Jesus will have dark skin and black hair and an artist from the middle east may paint a picture of Jesus with olive skin and curly hair.
I grew up with a white Jesus who had red hair. Theologically I love this. But not because I can picture Jesus looking like me. I like it because it challenges some long-standing beliefs about diversity. (Another whole topic to write about.)
The danger lies in taking this projection a step further, assuming that God shares OUR beliefs, values, and prejudices, instead of calling us to reach into our hearts for our unifying likeness to the Divine.
This type of thinking has been at the root of many conflicts throughout history.
Whether we use terms like “Father,” “Love,” or gendered pronouns, we inevitably project our own experiences and biases onto our concept of the Divine.
God as Mystery
Instead of twisting my brain in every direction to justify why labels for God (He, she, father, etc) are OK, I have chosen instead to use “Mystery” when I refer to the Divine.
The only thing I know for certain is that God is unknowable! Mystery!
It is Mystery to me how a flower bursts from a seed, how a person continues to live with stage 4 cancer, how a baby calls forth love from the crustiest of old men.
Love is Mystery.
Healing is Mystery.
The sun rising every morning is Mystery.
I find using Mystery instead of any other name for God opens my heart to something I can never understand. And it gets God out of theological boxes that I do not wish to carry…nor defend.
Conclusion: The Power of Mystery
In choosing “Mystery” as a name for the Divine, I acknowledge the limits of my understanding while remaining open to continued growth and discovery.
This approach allows me to hold space for diverse spiritual experiences and fosters a sense of wonder and curiosity about the universe and my place in it.
And when I consider a path to the Divine, Mystery accommodates both my need for connection and my capacity for endless discovery.
Perhaps there is only one path to God after all. A path of Mystery!
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