I often wondered as I had "dark night experiences" why those trials had come upon my path. With enough of these experiences, I have observed a constant: we always learn something when we're going through these trying and "seemingly" hard times.
I use the word "seemingly" because I believe we should see the blessing in these trials. First, it is only when life knocks us over that we truly turn to God as our only hope and salvation. When our health fails...when we're down to our last dollars...when we are in trouble with the law...when our husbands or wives leave us...or have some other type of "separation," be it emotional or physical...these are the ONLY times some people remember God!
Once many people live through the experiences, though, they go right back to doing things as they were before they remembered God's name. All the promises they made to Spirit during those times of crisis are quickly forgotten, just as soon as the crisis is over. Until the next time...
Dark night experiences are quite different though. Those are the experiences where we deliberately are taking a closer walk with God. We are following guidance of our Spirit, but despite our best efforts, we still experience trials and tribulations, sometimes on a daily basis...for a period of time. I mean months...I mean years.
What are those experiences all about?
Like the shorter trials and tribulations, I still believe these dark night experiences have come into our lives to bless us and ultimately to lead us into "wholeness."
For me, I have learned all my important lessons in life through my dark night experiences. Hard as they might be and might have been, I would not have traded them for anything in the world.
For one thing, I learned about people and their humanity!
For another, that's when I found my path to wholeness!
In life, you cannot trade anything for EXPERIENCE! Wisdom is priceless!
Being outgoing, I always accepted people i.e. friends at face value. However, it is only as I went through deep experiences did I witness the "souls" of people, many of whom I called friends.
I've lost or left behind many of those folks. I count that a blessing. For had it not been for the dark night experiences, I would have been lulled into a belief that I could have called them "friends."
On still a deeper level, though, those dark experiences have truly taught me that God is God and always will be my source of HOPE AND GLORY!!! Without knowing and FEELING God's presence and his GRACE AND MERCY ...sometimes day to day...in my life, I would not have survived.
There is no companionship I desire as greatly as I do God's companionship.
There is no man's presence, no woman's presence, no child's presence, no "thing's" presence, I desire greater than God's presence.
I truly have seen the impotence of our humanity going through my dark night experiences. I truly have seen the shallowness... and depth...of all my friendships as I've sought God's comfort and presence.
I feel blessed...because I know...I do not walk alone! God always is there whether we seek him or not. He does not impose his presence upon us and truly communicates with our Spirit once we seek him in Spirit.
So, today, I challenge all of you to look deeper into your connection with God!
Don't give lipservice to a relationship with him. But day by day, truly examine your connection with him i.e. your Spirit. Look closely as to whether you're seeking his presence because you're scared of "being punished," or if you truly hunger for his companionship, as you would a man or woman you love, a job that you desire, dollars in the bank, healing of a chronic condition.
I challenge you today...to connect to your ...Spirit!
Namaste',
Che'
4 comments:
Nice Blog on hard times, Che. You are so right ... God is God, and the Bible says he is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. It also says in James 1:2-4 ... to "Consider it all joy when we encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Che, your own experiences bear this out and the passage supports the messsage of your blog.
Even more, if Christ suffered, why shouldn't we? He tells us that in his Gospels. He says student is not greater than the Master. If that is true, it should be our joy privilege to suffer for His sake.
Finally, another reason we should consider it all joy is that what we learn from our experiences, we can use to comfort others who are currently experiencing what we already have. The experience of our hardships can be a significant blessing to others.
Your Connecticut Buddy,
Jim Smith
I don't usually comment on comments to my blog...but I've been tempted.
Jim: You're SO-O- right...and you are one of those friends, who through the test of "time" has proven to be priceless! Since meeting you at IBM, NY, so many, many years ago, you've stood by me through thick and thin even when you may not have understood my choices. Michelle McIntyre, another priceless friend I also met at IBM several years ago, Alain Dangerfield, another priceless IBM colleague, have also been a source of continuting comfort and support to me during my dark night experience! Now that I think of it...it must be in the IBM water we drank: there's also Colleen Brathwaite, an ex-IBMer too!
Namaste'
Che'
I don't usually comment on comments to my blog...but I've been tempted.
Jim: You're SO-O- right...and you are one of those friends, who through the test of "time" have proven to be priceless! Since meeting you at IBM, NY, so many, many years ago, you've stood by me through thick and thin even when you may not have understood my choices. Michelle McIntyre, another priceless friend I also met at IBM several years ago, Alain Dangerfield, another priceless IBM colleague, have also been a source of continuting comfort and support to me during my dark night experience! Now that I think of it...it must be in the IBM water we drank: there's also Colleen Brathwaite, an ex-IBMer too!
Namaste'
Che'
Che ... another good blog re: The Challenge of Being Silent.The Psalm you used at the end is not only a Biblical song as the world Psalm is translated from the Hebrew, but the words of scripture were actually turned into a very moving song by a christian songwriter. The words go ... "Be Still and Know ... that I am GOD. Repeated three times with very moving musical notes. Three-part harmony, no instruments, purely beautiful acappela voices.
Post a Comment