I WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD IN RELIGIOUS SCHOOL WHEN THE TEACHER WAS TALKING ABOUT GOD.
IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT I WAS NOT SURE IF I BELIEVED IN GOD.
THEN I PONDERED TO MY SELF;
IF THERE IS A GOD I SHOULD PROBABLY DO WHAT HE WANTS ME TO DO,
AND IF THERE IS NOT A GOD IT DOES NOT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE WHAT I DO.
THIS REVELATION IS EXTREMELY PROFOUND AND IMPORTANT.
IF THERE IS NO GOD AND WE ARE MERELY ACCIDENTS OF CHANCE EVENTS IN THE UNIVERSE OUR ACTIONS HAVE NO MEANING.
CONVERSELY,
IF THERE IS A GOD THE WONDERS AND MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE,
OUR EXISTENCE,
AND OUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD ARE EVERYTHING.
IT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MEANINGFUL EXISTENCE AND A MEANINGLESS EXISTENCE.
THE CHOICE TO BEHAVE AS IF GOD EXISTS IS WHAT SET ME ON THE PATH OF TRYING TO DO GOD'S WILL.
INTERESTINGLY, IT TURNS OUT THAT, TO DO GOD'S WILL I HAD TO KNOW WHAT GOD'S WILL WAS.
IT WAS THIS SEARCH FOR WHAT IS GOD’S WILL,
THAT LED ME TO THE FORMATION OF MY PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
HOWEVER, IT WAS NOT QUITE THIS SIMPLE.
AT A YOUNG AGE IT SEEMS LIKE JUST THE DESIRE TO DO GOD’S WILL LED ME TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
IT SEEMS LIKE THIS WAS THE CASE BECAUSE BEING YOUNG THE ISSUES IN MY LIFE WERE NOT VERY COMPLICATED AND DID NOT REQUIRE ANY DEEP THINKING.
ALL I HAD TO DO WAS TO BE CONSCIOUS OF BEING NICE TO PEOPLE.
I REMEMBER DEVELOPING A STRATEGY THAT INVOLVED IMAGINING THAT GOD WAS LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER WHEN I WANTED TO HELP INSURE I WAS DOING THE RIGHT THING.
I LIKENED THIS TO BEING CAUGHT IN THE COOKIE JAR.
I WAS LESS LIKELY TO TAKE A COOKIE OUT OF THE JAR WHEN I WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO, IF MY MOTHER WAS WATCHING, THAN I WAS IF SHE WAS NOT WATCHING.
SIMILARLY, IT WAS EASIER TO IMAGINE WHAT GOD WANTED ME TO DO, AND TO DO IT --
RESISTING TEMPTATION TO DO OTHERWISE --
WHEN I IMAGINED GOD WAS WATCHING ME.
MY TEENAGE YEARS WERE MORE OF A STRUGGLE.
I FELT AN URGENCY TO KNOW IF GOD WAS REAL.
IT SEEMED LIKE THE EXISTENCE OF GOD WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT KNOWLEDGE IN THE UNIVERSE.
IT SEEMED LIKE THE EXISTENCE GOD GAVE EVERYTHING MEANING, AND CONVERSELY IF THERE WAS NOT A GOD NOTHING HAD ANY MEANING.
IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT IF THERE WAS A GOD SURELY GOD HAD TO HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE HIS EXISTENCE KNOWN TO ME.
SO IF HE DID EXIST WHY DID HE NOT MAKE HIS EXISTENCE KNOWN TO ME?
IT TOOK MANY YEARS OF SOUL SEARCHING TO FIND THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION.
I FINALLY LEARNED THAT THE REASON IS BECAUSE OF THE CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE OF FREE WILL.
IF GOD USED HIS POWER TO MAKE HIS EXISTENCE OBVIOUS TO PEOPLE THERE WOULD BE NO FREE WILL INVOLVED IN THE BELIEF IN GOD.
IT IS ONLY THROUGH THE FREE CHOICE TO BELIEVE OR NOT,
THAT PEOPLE MAY TRULY DEVELOP A MEANINGFUL PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
INTRINSIC TO THIS JOURNEY OF USING FREE WILL TO FIND THIS PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP ON OUR OWN, IS THE REQUIREMENT TO BE A TRUTH SEEKER .
IF YOU ARE NOT A SLAVE TO THE TRUTH,
YOU WILL BE DECEIVED AND BE UNABLE TO SEE THE TRUTH OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD.
“THIS ABOVE ALL:
TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE.” (Shakespear, Hamlet)
A MOMENTOUS DEVELOPMENT IN THE EVOLUTION OF MY JOURNEY WAS WHEN I WAS AN ADULT.
I FOUND THAT WHEN I FACED A PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT MORAL DELIMA AND ASKED GOD FOR GUIDANCE I WOULD START TO GET CONCRETE ANSWERS.
THESE ANSWERS WOULD TYPICALLY COME IN A FEW MINUTES TO A FEW DAYS.
THEY WOULD BE COMMUNICATED TO ME USING THAT LITTLE VOICE WE HAVE IN OUR HEAD.
THESE ANSWERS WOULD BE SO PROFOUND AND CLEAR AND SIMPLE AND COMPELLING THAT IT SEEMED OBVIOUS THAT THEY WERE BEYOND MY ABILITY TO HAVE CREATED THEM MYSELF, AND THEY SEEMED TO BE GODLIKE IN THEIR WISDOM AND FORCE.
WHY DO I NEED TO FIND GOD? WHY DO I NEED A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?
WHY AM I HERE?
WHAT IS MY PURPOSE?
WHY WAS I CREATED.
THESE ARE QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE PONDER AND SPEND A GREAT DEAL OF TIME AND ENERGY TRYING TO ANSWER.
THE SIMPLE TRUTH IS THAT, YOU WERE CREATED TO SERVE GOD.
HOW DO YOU KNOW HOW TO SERVE GOD AND WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DO?
YOU STRENGTHEN YOUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
WITHOUT KNOWING WHY YOU WERE CREATED AND WHAT YOUR PURPOSE IS,
AND WITHOUT KNOWING HOW TO FULFILL YOU’RE PURPOSE,
MANY PEOPLE FEEL CONFUSED, RUDDERLESS AND USELESS.
KNOWING YOUR PURPOSE AND HOW TO FULFILL IT THROUGH YOUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD GIVES YOU THE GREATER SENSE OF PEACE,
HARMONY, AND SATISFACTION THAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.
GOD IS REAL FOR PEOPLE WHO BEHAVE THE WAY THEY WOULD BEHAVE IF THEY BELIEVED GOD WAS REAL.
SO, TO START YOU YOU ON YOUR PATH TO FINDING GOD ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS START BEHAVING THE WAY YOU WOULD BEHAVE IF YOU BELIEVED GOD WAS REAL.
THIS IS EASY TO DO BECAUSE GOD MADE US IN HIS IMAGE.
HE GAVE US THE ABILITY TO IMAGINE WHAT GOD IS LIKE AND HOW HE WANTS US TO SERVE HIM.
USE YOUR GOD GIVEN IMAGINATION TO IMAGINE YOU HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND IT WILL BE REAL FOR YOU.
IMAGINE HOW GOD WANTS YOU TO BEHAVE, BEHAVE THAT WAY, AND YOU WILL HAVE BEGUN YOUR JOURNEY TO FINDING GOD;
AND THE MORE YOU EXERCISE THIS ABILITY THE STRONGER IT WILL GET.
YOU WILL BE LIVING YOUR LIFE THE WAY GOD INTENDED YOU TO.
YOU WILL BE FULFILLING THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH YOU WERE CREATED.
This fulfillment comes with the feelings of joy, excitement, and satisfaction that you are meant to feel.
ANNONYMOUS
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