What do I believe in? The truth is, I’m not sure. I grew up going to church every once in a while, but was never baptized or christened. I’ve visited countless churches across the world, and was even married in one, but I can’t say with certainty what I believe because I feel like I have more to learn. What I do know is that I have felt spiritual connections in the past, so I know something is there, I just don’t know what.

What I definitely believe in is the idea of a soul. I know that one day my body will no longer operate, but I can’t understand how I can just be “done”. I have this soul, spirit, whatever, inside of me that is perceiving everything and thinking and feeling. That isn’t just my brain. I have free will. The thing I don’t know is what will happen to my soul once my life ends. I know what I want to believe, but I can’t quite get fully behind it.

Whenever I am overwhelmed or scared of something, it is usually because I am lacking information. So, like any good researcher, I have been working on learning more about what beliefs are out there. I’ve started reading the Bible, but I have to admit it isn’t an easy listen. Since seeking more resources, I’ve come across someone who has shared some thoughts that speak to me. His name is Rob Bell and I first heard about him from the Rich Roll Podcast. He is featured on the episode discussing spirituality, and I valued how he tries to make sense of the stories in the Bible. He describes Jesus as I believe him to be, and not how he has been misconstrued by so many recently. The central theme is love.

I also read his book, Love Wins, and I was really intrigued about how he mentions trying to create a heaven on Earth. He describes God’s unconditional love in a way that I feel like I can actually get now by connecting the love I have for Edwin. In the end, the messages I pulled away from him is that there is not some gate saying only those who believe in the Bible are allowed in and that it is important to live a life of service; to improve this world we live in now to be more prepared for the next world.

I’m also starting a book by Rainn Wilson (yes, that is Dwight from The Office). It is called, Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution. I’m excited to listen to it and reflect on its message in a later post.

Exploring my beliefs is something I look forward to doing and sharing on this blog. Studies consistently show that believing in something greater than ourselves increases our happiness and helps us connect with a community. Although I feel like my beliefs will constantly be evolving, I’m hoping to be able to share with others what I confidently believe in and to live a life that reflects my faith.