Creating through love, unity and intrinsic light

From the time I was a little girl, I always knew that outside the realm of the work I would eventually do, that inherently I must answer the clamorous messages to live a life in servitude.

To quiet these subconscious validations, I recently, and with no resistance, accepted the calling to attend seminary this autumn to begin my journey as an ordained interfaith minister. At the time I shared this pronouncement with those in my closest circle, the confirmation that I made the right decision came through the smiles, hugs and gentle responses of “It’s about time.” Yes, my friends saw this conduit for me before I was ready to accept it as so. Therefore, now it is.

Religiosity and spirituality in the lives of LGBT individuals has remained a hot topic for eons. Those who do not understand this lifestyle may consistently preach from inscriptions that they may feel are foreign to us. However, the phraseologies in these literary recordings are most times the innate stems that hold our committed relationships together.

Whether we believe that there exists a higher power or not, there are times that we all reach for an enlightened source to brighten our dark days and to comfort those lonely nights. At the fundamental being of who we are despite chosen behavioral patterns, the bottom line is that we all seek love.

The recent fight in Colorado to obtain basic legalities to marry; to create loving family environs, was a battle we unfortunately lost. Nevertheless, I’m echoing this as the source which has begun the path that will allow us to love each other bigger, brighter, harder and wider; so wide that as a community we become more inclusive to strengthen our communal bonds. As we continue to dig through the many muddles of prevention of our basic human rights, I assert that it is equally as important that we remain steadfast in the building of a strong community.

Those who are not for us are always looking in to get a glimpse of who we are and what we do to construct deviations that may possibly rattle our psyches. Therefore, the importance of unity is even more prevalent in these modern day times.

My lineage emanates from that of being a native woman of Belize, Central America. With this as my heritage, I was raised in a strict, religious household. And, as I continue to transcribe with the hopes that I will not reach my designated word limit, I am cognizant that I am not the only one who experienced this form of obedient rearing. The natural tendencies of my family brought me to live a faithful life. However, it was the nurturing of the ‘melting pot’ community I resided in that ascribed me to be in the place that I am today. Although I am not asking for an analogous representation of my nurtured upbringing, as I continue toward my spiritual journey, it is my hope to experience the same form diversifications within our community. Conversely, to see this come to fruition, it is imperative that we pull from our core selves to include different perspectives through genuine interaction with others who are not imbedded within our groupthinks. Likewise, it is equally as important that individualism is upheld to better understand why we fight, and continue to fight for our freedoms.

We are all the same. We feel the same, cry the same (some louder than others of course), and seek the same things in life; to simply be met right where we are with honor, grace and respect. Through a spiritual, enlightened and manifested unpretentious existence of authenticity, I discern that this is indeed conceivable.

When the civil union bill is presented in the next session, let us view this event as an opportunity to build on our love for each other and to proudly shine our lights. Until then, it is my belief that the most important thing to consistently do in our daily lives is to strive for complete understanding and the genuine acceptance of who we all are as our intrinsic selves. 

Max Oliver is currently working on her Ph.D. in I/O Psychology. Her work and research focuses on diversification in the workplace specific to gender and sexual orientation discriminations. She is also the co-owner of MCOliverPR LLC. Reach Max by email at mcoliver5280@gmail.com.