I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon... I am the sound in ether and the ability in man.
I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the light in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.
I am the original seed of all existence, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of all powerful men.
I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire.
I am the Self, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle, and the end of all beings.
I am ever detached, seated as though neutral.
I am the source of everything; from Me the entire creation flows.
I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.
[BHAGAVAD-GITA (The Bhadtivedanta Book Trust, Los Angeles 1968,1972) 7: 8-11, 9:9, 10:8 and 20, 15:15.]
I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world.
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture.
I am the resurrection, I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
[John 6:48, 8:12, 10:9, 11:25, 14:6.]
I am he who was within me. Never have I suffered in any way, nor have I been distressed. I am the first-born son who was begotten. I am the beloved. I am the righteous one.
I am in the process of becoming.
I am the honored one and the scorned one. I am the silence that is incomprehensible. I am the one before whom you have been ashamed. I am strength and I am fear. I am war and peace. I am the one who has been hated everywhere. I am the one whom they call Life. I am the one whom they call Law. I am the one whom you have hidden from. I am sinless. I am the one who alone exists.
[THE NAG HAMMADI LIBRARY IN ENGLISH, James M. Robinson, General Editor. [HarperSanFrancisco1978] The (First and Second) Apocalypse of James; On the Origin of the World; The Thunder, Perfect Mind.]
I am where My servant thinks of Me. Every servant has an image of Me; whatever image my servant forms of Me, there I will be.
I am the servant of My servant’s image of Me. Be careful then, My servants, and purify, attune, and expand your thoughts about Me, for they are My House.
[Andrew Harvey, LIGHT UPON LIGHT, inspirations from RUMI, (North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California 1996) pg. 131, extract from The Truth Is within You]
I am the Way-Guide, the Supreme Mind, the thoughts of Atum the One-God. I am with you––always and everywhere.
[Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy, THE HERMETICA The Lost Wisdom of the Pharaohs. (Judy Piatkus, London 1998) pg. 37 The Initiation of Hermes]
To the sinful and vicious, I may appear to be evil.
But to the good––beneficent am I.
[Mizra Khan, ANSARI]
A lamp am I to you that perceive me. A mirror am I to you that know me.
[Apocryphal Acts of John]
I AM THAT I AM
[EXOD. 3:14]
***
Erin Elizabeth Kelly-Moen
Over the years I have come to know Him better and that knowledge, an understanding of who He is and how much He loves me, eradicated my doubts and simulatenously quieted my passionate need to prove him to others.
I don't know if this makes sense, but it is what it is. I love seeking hearts--those who quest after truth. Sometimes, maybe our Faith grows to the point that we no longer need to prove, especially to ourselves, that God exists and He is good. If this is simplistic, that's okay with me because I have never claimed, nor do I claim, to be a scholar.
Thank you for putting your thoughts out there and caring about others as you do.