The Living Document 2
January 29, 2025
The Living Document Part 2
A document is a communication which has a specific purpose. Its purpose is to make statements about a particular body of knowledge. It is official. For example, an insurance policy, last will and testament, governmental document, or any legal document communicates something important and carries some sort of weight or implies a type of agreement or covenant. Books, scrolls, films, videos, and recordings can be considered types of documents. Documents usually connote some action. They can uphold, announce, or sometimes infer specific consequences
In many respects, each human being is also a document. We communicate according to a specific history and experience. Our intentions are related to our purpose. What we say carries weight; it has a level of power, and in lots of instances, we have covenants, binding and loose, spoken and non-spoken, between ourselves and others. Even those not in the covenant or personally affected by our truths are affected by what we say and do.
When we read an official document, we learn its purpose and what it can and cannot do. We have heard of “the spirit” of a document, which is its underlying intention. We, too, have an emanating spirit which is always telling others who we are. Just think of all the people you know who communicate with you without saying a word. There is a person I once knew who is very spiritual, but they communicated a very serious and even “better than thou” attitude. The absence of joy and unconditional love was glaring, and regardless of how truthful their teachings were, the overriding conveyance to me was one of judgment. This is what I interpreted them say to me as a living document: “I am wise and advanced … you need to prove to me that you have something worthwhile to communicate. If you don’t, you are irrelevant to me.” And these sentiments were not communicated in word, only by the aura of their presence. On the other hand, I once knew a person who was in a position of authority but they broke the policy of their institution in order to help someone in distress. Their living document said to me: “I am in authority, but I answer to a higher authority than policy.” Their living document impacted my life dramatically in a most positive and inspirational way.
Each of us has our own take on life, level of consciousness, and purpose. Everyone expresses those essential things in their unique way. So, when we get to know or meet anyone, it’s as if we are “reading” a living document. Some documents can be understood on face value, but others must be read in depth.
The best experts in our life experience are ourselves. A good living document has a sense of responsibility that its truth is not built on misperceptions. What we have learned and believe is our truth, even if it changes tomorrow. Living documents are operating on what they think is fact. Therefore, when we encounter another living document, we must inherently respect it, even if we disagree. We can learn from all living documents because no two have the same experience, knowledge base, intention, or purpose. But all are tethered to the Divine.
Spiritual practice: When people read the document of your life, what do they learn? Give some time to consider speaking with several others about how they experience the living document that goes by your name.
Self-inquiry: what are some reasons why your life is a serious and living document?
Dear God,
I pray that the spirit of my living document is of giving and receiving love. Amen
