Something

[Mark Dohle]

Something​

Do you seek Me? Do you often seek Me? How can you find Me if you don’t hunt for Me? Don’t you look for what you need most? And since without Me you can do nothing, what do you need more than God? As for Me, I love to act for you and through you.Bossis, Gabrielle. He and I (p. 223). Pauline Books and Media. Kindle Edition.

There are many reasons that people do not believe in any kind of deity. Some of the reasons I readily understand, others, well, I don’t, and let them go. Many small children have a profound sense of ‘something’ that they are attracted to. It is not a rational process, but what one feels is deeply intuitive and not something thought out in a logical rational manner. That comes later if hopefully the mind is engaged in a deeper study seeking understanding.

Wisdom, I believe, is a gift we all have, but as we grow, and at a very young age it can be buried beneath the problems that come with simply being alive. For instance, I did not like being young. Not sure why, but when speaking with others this is not that uncommon.

I do remember that the thought of infinite space scared me, along with depth that seemed to not have a bottom. I feared being swallowed up. Yes, it was a fear of death for sure.

In the midst of all of this, this ‘something’ that only grew as I aged started to shape the way I looked at the world. Life did not make sense without it, sense life even at a young age seemed absurd to me. Now I did not think along those lines, it was just a deeply seated feeling, not part of some sort of thought process. Yet seeing that there was an everydayness about life that seemed a waste of time, bothered me, yet I knew was necessary. Never could really juggle that, but it was part of my inculcated understanding of life.

I often wondered what held everything together, just how anything exists at all. When I was around seven or eight as I was walking across a field, suddenly between one step and another I realized that I was self-aware. Now I know that seems silly, yet for me, it was a shock. I stopped, astounded that I could think about myself, but how was that possible? Another absurdity for my young mind. I remember running to my mom and telling her that I was ‘aware’ of myself'. She said, “Yes dear, please set the table for supper”. I still am amazed that I can think, feel, and have a rich inner life. I still think ‘how’.

In the midst of all of this the ‘something’ became more real to me, something that I was rooted in and from that my existence was made possible. Yes, my childish mind, had childish thoughts.

In my teens, I guess because of the angst that many go through at that time of life, I sought something deeper to grasp besides the silliness of my day-to-day life. It was in prayer that I learned of my connection to the Infinite, which I experienced as personal and loving. Of course, being Catholic had something to do with that. I could give some sort of a name to this ‘something’ that over the years became more real, but at the same time just out of my reach in understanding.

This connection saved me from a lot of suffering. The Infinite touched me deeper than alcohol ever did, and I just knew to stay away from drugs. I liked my mind just the way it was.

The process of growing in faith is a slow one, at least for me. The many philosophical problems that keep many from any kind of faith in the Infinite never bothered me. So, it is today. I have doubts, yet I am pursued. I fail, but I am lifted up. I experience this ‘something’ as merciful and worthy of trust. Though growth has to be made by many hard choices, trust is one of them.

I do believe that the phenomena of the NDE can give a glimpse into this ‘something’ but not totally. As the field of NDE studies matures it becomes for many something that helps make sense of our world.

In the past what we consider paranormal experiences were just a normal part of life, pointing to this ‘something’. There is a new book out about NDEs that is written by a Christian writer by the name of John Burke which seeks to make sense of ‘God’ through these experiences. I believe that this book is important because even though it is focused on the reality of Jesus Christ in the NDE it also shows how these phenomena point to how this ‘something’ is personal, loving, and has been experienced throughout history.

The Name of the book is: "Imagine the God of Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God’s Revelation, and the Love You’ve Always Wanted".

It is well written and broad in its scope in seeking to show people how the NDE does point to a God who is personal, loving, and concerned for all his children. These experiences are common, and as our medical expertise becomes more sophisticated the number will only increase.

I do believe that humans are seekers by nature. It is only when we stop becoming seekers that the problem arises where religions turn on each other. I believe that Jesus Christ is a revelation of the Father’s love for all of his children. I also believe that we do have free-will, though it takes time to grow in freedom. This life is about growing to the point when we will freely choose God’s love and allow it to transform our inner as well as our outer lives.

Adults should never undervalue the inner experiences of children or their intuitive wisdom. By listening to them they will be encouraged not to bury their innate wisdom as well as their connection with the ‘something’ that will only deepen the revelation of who it is.

It is true that ‘God’ is beyond all concepts, but yet, God, I believe revealed its reality through Jesus Christ in ways that we could understand, and over time develop our understanding of what that means. I do believe that we are still at the beginning of understanding the deep mystery of who we are, who God is. Perhaps we are still a young faith, or even we are still a young immature species. -BrMD

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