How can I find spiritual awareness?

[losthope]

Originally Posted by freeport:
You wouldn't know if you really lacked strong emotions. Emotions are rarely really detected by people.

Life is beyond strong emotions. The wicked who are dead have "strong emotions", but it is an illusion.

ALSO--emotions are nothing but chemical reactions in the body triggered by thought process in the brain--both of which are of the flesh--thus subject to manipulation by the adversary and the materialistic world around us, and have nothing whatever to do with spiritual issues such as Faith, Love (agape, that is), Hope and, of course, the Fruits of the Spirit such as Faithfulness, Peace, Patience, etc.

Peopl have been telling me for many years that I lack emotions. They obviously do detect it.

I agree that emotions are chemical reactions in the body triggered by thought processes in the brain - although in my case that does not happen due to a brain malfunction. I also agree that in theory emotions ought to be quite separate from the experience of the Holy Spirit. But in practice, emotions do seem to matter, and at least some people who lack emotions do not seem to be able to find any relationship with God. You may or not choose to believe me, but it is true nevertheless.

You also suggested that I should just put my trust in God. All I can say to that is that I have tried it, and done exactly as you suggest, more than once, and it has not helped me to find a relationship with God. There is no point in me continuing down the same wrong paths, just because it happens to have been successful for other people. It was not successful for me, and therefore I am trying to find what is the right path for me.

It is very tempting for Christians to insist that their individual experience of God is the only possible experience of God. But God, if there is a God, must be much more than just one person's individual experience.

I am sure that you have assumed that I am simply being difficult, and rejecting the only way to God. It is not like that. I have walked the path that you suggest, and have not found God. Maybe it was because in some way I was not walking on the right path, or was not walking with the correct attitude, or was not looking thoroughly enough. Maybe it was because I lack the ability to experience anything spiritual (including God). Maybe it was because God does not want me, or does not want me just yet. Only God would know the answer to such questions. I can only speculate. But please, do not make the assumption that what worked for you is what will work for me. I wish it could be as simple as that, but my experience has told me otherwise.

I thank you for your help. But please, do not just keep insisting that I go once again along the path that leads nowhere. If I do that, I am simply being distracted from finding whatever is, for me, the way to find God.

 

[Lukaris]

We walk our paths in faith according to what the Lord commands according to our capacity to follow Him. Some of us varying handicaps that are mental or physical while we must believe that God will care for those who are so handicapped that they cannot help it. Some are better off and have more gifts of the Holy Spirit to minister and a few even can obtain the power to heal but is according to how God wills. It is often stated that we each have our crosses to bear but Christ bore the cross for us all to lead us from a fallen world. Often spiritual awareness interacts with much tragedy in this fallen world as the example of Mother Theresa indicates (although there are some who arrogantly question her salvation as she imitated our Lord to her capacity & even came to the point of "....My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?'" (Mark 15:34 etc.) as our Lord even anguished Himself). We must be faithful, careful, & always thankful.