For me, the issue, I tend to keep in the dark, is my belief that eventually, all will be reconciled to God. I read years ago in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, NOT inputting their sins unto them. If God does not input our sins to us, and God has reconciled us to Himself, how can anyone be lost forever? Why would God give infinite punishment for a finite crime? Why would someone be lost for being born in the wrong religion or country? There are few people I can discuss this with. My change in belief started with the belief in eternal security. I lost my position as an elder and had to leave a church for believing in the security of the believer. What would they do to me, if they knew that I believe in the restitution of all things? The church I now attend is more inclusive so I might be okay, but I still watch what I share.
I know the feeling about watching carefully what one says. I live with that tension too. On one hand, Jesus said, “Don’t cast your pearls before swine.” On another hand, he says, “Let your light shine.” It is a challenging place. Hang in there my friend. Thanks Dennis for writing.
Picture a strong wall – on one side of the wall are things of the spirit – on the other side of the wall is human nature. I’ve been living on the human nature side of that wall. But now, there’s a hole in the wall, a pin prick of a hole. For the first time in 50 years, I’m less afraid of death, sin, the devil . . . .I’m beginning to connect of few dots that never quite lined up before. I don’t feel strong enough in what, I feel to be the truth, to live an “authentic” life. My fear is that folks like me, whose wall is just starting to crack, will feel they have failed because they still question, fear, and don’t have the peace you often describe – I so long for that peace. All I have right now is a little light coming through, and enough faith in God to know I must keep searching.
Follow your heart. It will never misdirect you. That inner feeling you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing…following what you’re supposed to be following is a trustworthy feeling. Do not ignore it.
I’m awake; maybe for the first time ever. I’m reading your blogs, reading posts from other readers, thrilled that you quoted Rumi, but most importantly, liberated and encouraged. I’m a mid-thirties, mom of 2 toddlers, and survivor of a recent domestic assault. I love The Lord, accept people as they are, and never quite understood why it’s strange to support other religions and individuals pursuing a more meaningful spiritual life; no matter what God/higher power is being observed. After all, is it very “Christainly” to cast judgement? Didn’t Jesus accept people as they were? As I read your blogs, I feel truly accepted in my quest for spiritual peace and quietness. Life is beautiful. Sometimes we just have to keep looking through the tears. Thank you for such exciting literature. I’m stoked! Btw…. Really great stuff for parents particularly with young children. Meditation is great for calm parenting!
Allison, glad you found my blog. I’m always curious about such things – how did you? Nonetheless, I am glad you did. Subscribe to my newsletter, if you’d like and friend me on Facebook and follow on Twitter @DrSteveMcSwain. Now that I’ve gotten all that out of the way, I am glad you are pursuing your spiritual path as you feel directed. That IS what you must do. Just give attention to the spiritual/transcendent/mystical or, what I call, the DNA of your soul and it will guide you where you need to go. Blessings on the journey.
Hi Dr. Mcswain, (this is an edit but sorry for the long winded post but if you do not read just know I wanted to say Thanks! ) I had thought about not leaving a comment and just reflect on the moment but I felt compelled to say Thank You. I had been discontent about my own acceptance of Christianity because I was sadly becoming aware that I was being inauthentic. I have always wanted to have a sincere relationship with God and I believe I have always since a child following my own interests (no one forced me to go to church). I am a fairly rational person since I do not believe there really are perfectly rational people that exist. Some more than others. I had become so discontent with my own beliefs that I started to search for better arguments to refute Fundamentalist Christians. This is due to the arrogance, hypocrisy, and sometimes dishonest actions that I was seeing. Sadly, I started to make judgments myself against both side mostly siding with the non-believers. I am a firm believer in the scientific method but somehow I still believed. So this determination had become so automatic that It was undermining my own beliefs. I saw contradictions in everything. Then I thought, what have I become? It is the actions that I disagree with and maybe a projection of my own shortcomings as well. It had become so frustrating and confusing because my original wish was to have an authentic relationship with the Holy Spirit of God. The issue was if I accepted the faith I was being inauthentic because I did not really believe out of faith but more fear and found the history to be questionable as I started to see. However, if I chose to be an atheist or even agnostic (which is really close) I was also being inauthentic because although I had took the leaps out of fear, I also have had personal experiences and accept my natural desire to Know God. I think both sides want certainty in life so they take a stance which is understandable. I was stuck and so I decided to take a step back. I learned that to better understand a personal problem, you should become a 3rd person from a distant. Doing so allowed me to see that I did not want to be like either side of this debate. It seemed mostly more about the debaters as individuals and how they fit into their model of the world than about the topic and I was doing that as well. It made me ask the question, so what is my next step nowhere? Then I had an intuition that maybe what I need to do is identify what it is that I truly believe and what it is that I want out of all of this. It goes back to wanting the really Know God and to be as sincere as possible. In order to do so, I should try and abandon any preconceived notions or beliefs I had about God or any religion’s explanation as well as the person desire to refute it from the other side just because I wanted to be right. It was kind of scary so I did a search and found your article. So in order to do so, I thought what I should do is go beyond religion. The next step maybe. That is how I found your article with that search term. I wanted to ask God what he is like and instead of me imposing preconceived notions, to try and listen. In reading your article it felt like the questions were addressed and all that were important at that moment. You covered areas that I was thinking about right before the search. Coincidence? Maybe and maybe not. I will see where this takes me and logically, I think it is in my head but in my heart which you covered, I felt like I asked for help and the matrix:) adjusted to coincide. Maybe it is consciousness intersecting through intention and searching. Thanks for making your thoughts public because It really helped me honestly. I am not sure how long but I am trying to clear negativity so that I can experience God truly. Blessings and Regards, Andy
Andy, thanks for you candid, open words. No accident, I do not suppose, that our paths have crossed. Whatever it is that causes our lives to intersect with others, even if just purely random (which I doubt) it IS what it is and all in this universe, though imperfect on one level, is quite perfectly unfolding on another. You are operating most in flow with the universe by not waging an internal war with anything, either fundamentalists (whether they be fundamentalist religious people who are, on one side, scared and arrogantly attach their little egos to a religious and rigid belief system as a means of overcoming their insecurities OR fundamentalist rationalists, as in atheist Richard Dawkins, who is equally scared and so has attached himself to a materialistic and rigid belief system in an effort to overcome his own insecurities, etc, etc). Neither approach will get you anywhere except stuck in a rigid system of belief that, in the end, won’t hold water. If those two ways of being were the only available ways of living, then of course the only course that would make sense would be the way of rationalism and scientific awareness. But it is not the only way. The path to spiritual awareness is by practicing detachment (Buddhist word) but in Christianity, the same concept is found in Jesus’ insistence that following him means, “denying yourself” or, as he put it so beautifully in the passage in Matthew 6, “Do not worry about your life…seek first the Kingdom of God – which is God consciousness – and everything will be added unto you.” Be that “3rd Person” as you described it. In the Trinity, it is the 3rd person of the Trinity…the Holy Spirit…whom Jesus said, “I will send him…the Comforter…the parakletos…who will be with you…” this is God awareness in you. It takes no effort to know God. Every thought of God IS God. Anytime you make an effort to know God, that’s you attempting to take over what grace has provided already. Just practice this: whenever you have a thought of God, say, “Thanks,” knowing that thought IS God. Make this your practice…see what happens. Now, I have an offer. If you are willing and interested in reading more about knowing God, I would be happy to send you a complimentary copy of The Enoch Factor: The Sacred Art of Knowing God. Privately email me at [email protected] and send me a mailing address and I’ll send you a complimentary copy. It will guide you into a deeper walk with the Divine. This is your next step. Perhaps. You will know whether it is. Trust your heart. Your heart, unlike your head, is always right. The perfect Guide. The Holy Spirit in you. Blessings on your journey. It is JUST beginning.
