What Being A Unitarian Means To Me  by Babs Wilson.

1. Being accepted for my own individual beliefs and doubts, within a Unitarian framework.

2. Being part of a rich, diverse community.

3. Learning to accept beliefs and views different to my own.  Finding out what they are is the first step!

4. Being open to change - in the movement, in me and in my fellow Unitarians.

5. Enjoying the freedom of knowing I can find spiritual guidance and fulfilment in anything I might encounter or experience.

6. Being rid of any notion of eternal damnation and paralysing, debilitating non-productive guilt.

7. Experiencing God in ways I never felt possible.

8. Belonging and contributing to a community instead of feeling an outsider because I "don't fit the criteria".

9. Being able to willingly answer the question "what religion are you?"  "Unitarian!" instead of "don't know"

10. Finding it all very difficult at times.

You can be forgiven if you find all this too idealistic to be real - the reality for me is that I do find it all very hard at times.  In the past I have found all manner of excuses to avoid commitment generally, and have created for myself "valid" reasons to run away from various situations: - "It will never work"; "It's not right for me"; "I'm just being used" or "I'm not going to be treated like this!"   My expectations have, I suppose, always been too high, inevitably leading to tears and disappointment.  Being a Unitarian is not really any different because, like everyone else, I have brought my baggage with me.  Maybe this really is an opportunity for me to grow up - I may not get another chance! - and also to recognise that if I have gathered any wisdom (not just rubbish) through my experiences, now is the time to use it and exercise some responsibility.

Commitment is just one issue…For me God is the centre, but having had a somewhat painful relationship with God most of my life I still have to remind myself that it's different now - that he really is much kinder than I had believed.   But if I want a healthier spiritual life I have to work at it myself and not be spoon-fed.  I have to consciously form new habits which involve both my heart and my time. Since joining the Unitarian movement I have heard so much that is music to my ears - in addresses from so many services, in prayers, hymns, in music itself, and in conversations.  Spiritually nourishing and healing as all this undoubtedly is, and kept me on a "high" for some time, I know I cannot simply be a sponge.

I hope I can learn to absorb what I need and want, transform my inner life accordingly and freely open myself up to the world with love, courage and maturity.