The Sins of the Father

Earlier this week the song, “I Won’t Grow Up” from the musical Peter Pan, began running through my head. In the play, Peter Pan leads a group of boys in singing the song. Here is an excerpt.

I won’t grow up.
I don’t want to go to school
Just to learn to be a parrot
And recite a silly rule.

Never gonna be a man,
I won't!
Like to see somebody try
And make me.
Anyone who wants to try
And make me turn into a man,
Catch me if you can.
I won't grow up.
Not a penny will I pinch.
I will never grow a mustache,
Or a fraction of an inch.
'Cause growing up is awfuller
Than all the awful things that ever were.

(Listen to the entire song here)

At times, I can relate to Peter and the sentiments expressed in the song. It seems as though growing up carries with it much more responsibility than I sometimes care to take on.

I was reminded of this song as I reflected upon a meeting. I was having a conversation about a situation that could prove to be quite important in the life of our spiritual community. As I was listening to the others speak, I became aware that I was feeling nervous. I recognized that I was telling myself that I did not know how to respond to what was being shared. In that moment, I was thinking of myself as a ten-year-old boy rather than a fifty-six-year-old man. Something inside me was screaming “I won’t grow up. I don’t want to be the leader.”

Having the awareness of my thoughts and feelings brought me back to the moment. I remembered that I am the senior minister and spiritual leader of this ministry and that I do, in fact, have some skills that will help me respond to this or any situation.

Unlike Peter, I recognize the importance of growing up. I am not advocating giving up child-like joy and innocence. Rather, I am suggesting that we embrace growing up into spiritually mature adults who embody our spiritual awakening through our thoughts, words, and actions.

I have said this again and again, and I will say it again here: I love living in the question. Living in the question opens up new and wondrous possibilities.

The question I am choosing to live in now is –

What does growing up spiritually look like?

With this post I am beginning a series in which I will share some of my insights.

     You no longer allow yourself to be defined or limited by your past beliefs or conditioning.

This Sunday, June 18, is Father’s Day. I don’t give a great deal of attention to the day any longer. My father died in 2003, so the days of sending cards and calling him have passed. However, knowing that Father’s Day is approaching, I have thought of my dad more the past few days. And, considering my current questioning, have contemplated growing up spiritually in light of my relationship with him.

The Bible tells us that the sins of the father are visited upon the children (Exodus 20:5). I don’t believe that means that the children will be punished for the transgressions of theirs fathers. From a Unity perspective, ’sin’ means to “miss the mark.” Also, in The Revealing Word, Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore says that ‘sin’ is “wrong thinking” or “error thought.” ‘Sin’ refers to any thought of separation and the resulting actions.

‘Sin’ begins with a belief that we are separate from God, thus separate from our higher selves, and separate from each other. When our actions are stimulated from a core belief in separation, they are often damaging, not only to ourselves, but also to others and the world around us.

‘Sin’ is born of misinterpretation or misunderstanding of truth. When fathers incorrectly assume that their beliefs are truth and teach their misperceptions to their children the “sins of the father are visited upon the children.” If those beliefs remain unexamined, they continue to be passed from generation to generation and are promulgated throughout a culture.

When we are awakened to our spiritual truth and know our oneness in God and our unity with humanity and all creation, it is incumbent upon us to make conscious and correct the “sins of the father.” Otherwise, they may continue active in our subconscious and play out in our lives.

Charles Fillmore said that self-awareness is a prelude to Christ consciousness. It is imperative that we invite self-awareness and observe our thoughts and actions that may be based upon “sin.”

As we become aware of our unconscious “sin,” it may be tempting to punish ourselves with our judgments and condemnation. That is not helpful. It is important for us to extend love to ourselves in the midst of this self-discovery. Only love has the power to heal.

Once we are aware, we can make conscious choices. We can use our spiritual practice of denial and no longer give power to those thoughts. We can then begin to affirm the truth that we know. As we reprogram our minds, our thoughts and actions come into alignment with truth. In this way, we bring a renewed consciousness to bear and begin to redefine and transform the culture. The “sins of the father” no longer have power in our lives.

We need not be defined or limited in any way by the beliefs or conditioning of our past. As spiritually mature adults, we have the power to become conscious of all that we have taken on and continue to allow to limit us. Once conscious of them, we can explore them and determine for ourselves what is true. We can release what no longer serves us and welcome what will as we continue growing up spiritually.

Join us this Sunday at 10:00 for our service as we observe and honor Father’s Day and explore further what growing up spiritually looks like in our lives.

I would love to hear how this article landed with you, and what growing up spiritually looks like for you. Please share your insights with me in the comments below.