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Wisdom Sayings
I used to be surprised when God seemed near to me,
Now I am surprised when I do not sense God near me.
*Brian K. Wilcox, OneLife Ministries, United Methodist
You ... realize that all the things that truly matter ... arise from beyond the mind. You begin to awaken.
*Eckhart Tolle. The Power of Now.
Why do you go to the forest in search of God?
He lives in all and is yet ever distinct;
He abides with you, too,
As a fragrance dwells in a flower,
And reflection in a mirror;
So does God dwell inside everything;
Seek Him, therefore, in your heart.
*Guru Granth Sahib Adi Granth, Sikhism
Wisdom Story
A four year old spilled cola on the rug. He wanted to clean up the mess. So, his mother told him that the mop was just outside the back door. Quickly, he ran to the door. He realized that it was dark outside. Suddenly scared, he told his mother what the problem was. She assured him by telling the boy that Jesus is everywhere, even in dark places, and that he would always protect him. This put a smile on his face. Relieved, he opened the door just enough to poke his head outside and called out, "Jesus, if you're out there, could you pass me the mop?"
Comments
To say that God is everywhere, as every Christian would likely affirm, as well as persons of all theistic faiths, is not the same as realizing the presence of Presence. I often use immediacy to refer to the felt-sense of the Presence.
Now, I set forth two questions. What is the immediacy of Presence? What is the felt-sense?
Imagine the feel of a breeze upon the skin of your face. When the breeze blows upon your face, this needs no corroborating evidence, for the felt-sense of air movement complements the receptivity of your skin to touch. No lecture can give you the sensation. No one can preach the sensation into you. No theory of skin and breeze can give you a felt-sense of breeze upon your face. The nature of breeze and the nature of skin complement each other, producing the sensation of the presence of breeze.
The spiritual sense of the Presence of God is a sure experience of anyone who is prepared for such receptivity. The felt-sense of the Presence is not the Presence but the sensitivity of the heart of a person to the Presence.
The felt-sense of Presence, then, is a feeling. However, felt-sense of Presence is not simply a feeling on the level of the physical senses or merely emotional feeling, which is based on brain states. The energy-frequency of feeling of Presence is more subtle and refined than what we mean usually by feeling. Differences in energy-frequency can be compared to thickness or weight ~ compare the difference in feeling-content between anger and peace, for example.
This is what we mean by spiritual awakening. We mean awakening of the sense of receptivity to God, the felt-sense of the mysterious and ineffable Presence, beyond the body-mind state.
To experience a felt-sense of Presence, or to compliment the nature of that Presence so as to sense the immediacy of God, we develop the capability of receptivity. All spiritual practice, all true virtue, entails a process of awakening the dormant and created potentials of subtle sensation of the Presence of God. And these innate potentials are portals into increasing realization of the Presence of Christ. Likewise, these portals are before and beyond the capacities of the body-mind awareness. This means that the felt-sense can register in mind and body, but the felt-sense arises from a deeper God-endowed capacity to compliment the Divine, a complimentary with God that arises from the level of the spirit.
Most religious persons are located, as most other persons, totally in the body-mind capacities. Sure, they may have brief and surprising experiences of the Presence. However, these are exceptions. The person who matures, through spiritual devotion, the innate capacities prior to and beyond the body-mind, begins to enjoy the joys of a felt-sense of Presence as a consistent and natural, even spontaneous, experience of his or her everyday living.
Yes, God is everywhere. But that is merely words. To affirm the Presence of God is only the beginning. We are created with already developed capacities called physical senses; to develop the more subtle, spiritual senses requires firm, consistent devotion and practice ~ what the historic church has called acesis ~ without which we will remain theorizing children of religious faith and not grown up spiritual adults in Christ. God being present does not rely on my experience of that Presence; however, my truly knowing God is present relies on my receptivity to that Presence.
Suggested Reflection
What are you doing to increase your receptivity to the Presence of the Divine in your life? Explain.
Is there one spiritual practice that seems most helpful in opening your heart to experience the Presence of God? Explain your response.
Brian is available to respond to requests pertaining to seeking a Spiritual Director, his speaking, doing classes, workshops, or retreats for churches or other spiritual groups.
For submission of replies, see below:
*Brian K. Wilcox lives with his wife, Rocio, and their two dogs, St. Francis and Bandit Ty, in Clearwater and Punta Gorda, Florida. He is a United Methodist pastor and vowed member of Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in Georgia. His passion is living a contemplative life and inspiring others to experience a deeper relationship with Christ through contemplative prayer and living.
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