Life & Family | Virtue´s Clues

How God remains free to use human experiences as a springboard to deeper experiences

by Fr Nathan Miller LC | Source: www.FormationToolbox.com

On your way up the mountain, it feels so good to be away after a long day of work—e-Mails, phone calls, family—with each sweaty step you release more stress. The orange-blue sunset, which opens to your view, is one of the most beautiful ever seen. As you reach the top, your climbing companion beams a conquering smile, and hands you a freshly opened drink.

   “Aaahhh,” you breathe out deeply, “Wow, what an experience!”

   In the last article we sawthat God can rain on you directly without human means; here we’ll see how he remains free to use human experiences as a springboard to deeper experiences.

   Thousands of details every day lift you up or bog you down. To know if God is speaking to you through these experiences you need to ask two questions: “Does this concern my life of faith?” and “Has this affected my pursuit of God’s will.”

   Feelings are human, yet God (sometimes) uses them to speak to you in a way that goes beyond the mere human.

   The hiking examples speak of positive human experiences. But to know if God is speaking, there needs to be more.

   For example, apply question one: If, when you saw that sunset, you suddenly were drawn to reflect how awesome God is, since he can create something so beautiful, then you would be experiencing a spiritual consolation which concerns your life of faith. Something beautiful from the run-of-the-mill is used by God to draw you beyond the ordinary, towards him.

   Now apply question two: This is when God’s experience goes even further and touches your pursuit of his will in your life. It’s as if the experience turns and touches you directly. Like, when the colorful sunset, which reminded you that God is awesome, brings you to suddenly realize that you should not worry so much about that pending job offer. It’s all in God’s hands anyway. And this thought is accompanied by a feeling a deep peace. You feel like a child in the arms of his daddy.

   And remember, God is so powerful that he doesn’t need a mountain or sunset. So be attentive, he might just have a few things he’s been trying to tell you.

To read more about this:

Experience of God / PART 1: RAIN

Experience of God / PART 3: DOWNHILL RUSH Vs. HOT CHOCOLATE

Fr. Nathan is editor of www.formationtoolbox.com

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