Sometimes observing the doings of animals can teach us about ourselves. Pet parrots are known to repeat those things their owners least want to hear, such as cursing. This is because these very words have come out of the owners’ own mouths with such a force of negativity that they become impressed upon the parrots’ memory. The parrots in a sense are a mirror for their owners. Yet some owners are so unaware of what they say they wonder how the parrots learned to curse. The parrots know not what the words mean yet they are sensitive to, and impressed by the distress the words convey. It is by our thoughts, words and deeds that we all affect the world around us. It is how we make an impression on the minds of people and parrots.
Lord Yeshua in response to people’s worry over the complicated dietary rules of his place and time said, “Don’t you see, whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and the out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and make a man unclean.” (Mathew 15:17-18) Yeshua also stressed doing the inner work of cleaning one’s mind in the statement, “First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” (Matthew 23:26)
The vow I chose to take as an interfaith minister was, “For the wellbeing of myself, for the wellbeing of all others, for the love of God I vow to clean, to clean and to clean”. This may seem cryptic or puzzling to some. It is certainly not a lofty goal. I felt like Yeshua that cleaning my mind was crucial for all the reasons mentioned. I wanted a vow that I knew I actually could do, so I chose a simple yet important thing, in fact I knew all other goals would follow from this one. In any journey you have to start where you are.
© 2011 Laura West
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