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| I AM Here |
Now I know it can and does happen. It's a subtle seduction, more often the result of many smaller choices than of one specific choice.
Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it."
1 Corinthians 16:13 says, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong."
These verses make clear the necessity of guarding our hearts and standing firm. They should give us cause to realize that it's entirely possible to block the flow of the Spirit in our lives, simply by neglecting to guard our hearts. Of course He never leaves us, but our ability to sense His presence is diminished. When this happened to me, I felt lost and alone; so opposite from found and together with Him.
As difficult as it was, my dark passage was a significant spiritual process. I regret I didn't handle it by trusting. I didn't guard my heart or stand firm in my faith. I began making choices that I would never otherwise make, choices that only deepened the shadows. Everything seemed bleak, dark and cold. Where was the Holy Spirit?
He was there all the time, waiting for me to come into the revelation I needed to have. I now realize the necessity of "the dark passage." I have come through, and I see now that my faith needed strengthening. I know too, that as much as I trust my heavenly Father, I need to take the responsibility of guarding my heart and standing firm in my faith.
It took Mary and Joseph one day to discover Jesus wasn't with them, but it took three days to find him. It didn't take long for me to discover the perceived absence of the Spirit in my life, but the journey to restoration has taken time. It was a hard lesson, and a long one. Six years, but I'm grateful.
Thanks for sharing your experience. You're not alone.Even great Christians like Henri Nouwen, Mother Theresa have gone through such period called Winter of the Soul.
ReplyDeleteThese dark times are part of the human experience. Even then , He never leaves us or forsakes us.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Precious moments and Tracy. Now that I'm on the other side of the "Winter of the Soul," I've learned of others and found great encouragement. I've especially enjoyed Mother Theresa's "Come Be My Light," the story of her heart for God and dedication to people, even in trials such as mine. God is ALWAYS faithful!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this insider view of your own dark passage. Like you, like many, I've had a similar dark passage in recent times.
ReplyDeleteI was encouraged by Peter's reminder in 1 Ptr 5:9 these times are not unique to us alone, but that our brothers and sisters in the Lord all experience these times.
Thankfully, it's as Tracy already mentioned, through the thick and thin of it all, He's promised never to leave us.
I appreciate your openness of heart in sharing this with us.
It's always so refreshing to see somebody's open heart and thoughts, and to realize that we are all human, we all fail, and yet God forgives us and helps us back up again. If only we could be more honest with each other, like you have been here, I believe we would feel a bond with each other that would help us press on.
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