The soul moves like the sea – rising, falling, restless and calm. A meditation on faith, feeling, and the grace of returning to Christ again and again.
Bless you for this perfectly timed message! I had been feeling so guilty for the never failing temporality of my feeling of connection to God. You’ve reminded me that that despair is simply my ego talking. Of course my faith is fallible which is why our God is not
I found this message to be such a timely reminder...thank you. Too often I live according to my feelings and in doing so think God has moved when it has really been me. Personally I find that listening to a sermon, a nurturing christian podcast or even a worship song helps me to remember that God's heart of love hasn't changed.
For the last week, I have wrestled through Willards writings on feelings as I prepared to lead a group. It is a gift to read your post and note your thoughts on how feelings rise and fall and to not put too much confidence in them. So true. After reading Willard and attempting to simplify the topic, I would personally say: Ditch the feelings and search for the underlying conditions. Your words are a salve...the steady choosing, the quiet turning...again and again. When the world gets too loud, I go off in the woods or near a lake and listen to and identify birds. And he is there. Also, I hope to be a more frequent visitor here. It is a place where I can reflect, grow and receive. Christ is here. Why do I let the world and the demands crowd out quiet, beautiful places like this. Thank you Jonathan.
This particular section on feelings was received with resistance by one group, but was received well by the second group. I sensed individuals reacting out of struggles? blinded by their past injuries. What surprised me most was how much feelings and emotions drive us and how feelings are sustained by ideas and images. And we are blind to what is occurring because we cannot view ourselves from the outside. We all need a Francis de Sales in our lives. This was a very valuable “wrestling.” Thanks for asking.
Thanks for sharing how the small group time went. It sounds like a rich space, even if it came with some resistance. I imagine feelings are hard to talk about because they range all over the place ... and can be pretty volatile. I’m grateful you’re leaning into it and using Willard as a guide.
Wouldn’t it be something if we all had a Francis de Sales in our lives!
What carries me through personally is being outside amongst nature and experiencing the nearness of God through His creation. It serves not only as a wonderful reminder to me of Him but also replenishes my spirit with wonder, beauty, joy and peace. 🌿
I love that, Tara. Nature is a reliable way for me to feel close to God too. George MacDonald believed that every aspect of the physical world and of human experience is an expression of spiritual reality and takes its form to express some spiritual truth.
That means a lot, Jane—thanks for sharing. I think many of us quietly carry that same guilt, as if the ebb and flow of connection says something about our faithfulness, when really it just reveals our humanity.
Like you said, God’s love is steadier than we are.
Bless you for this perfectly timed message! I had been feeling so guilty for the never failing temporality of my feeling of connection to God. You’ve reminded me that that despair is simply my ego talking. Of course my faith is fallible which is why our God is not
I found this message to be such a timely reminder...thank you. Too often I live according to my feelings and in doing so think God has moved when it has really been me. Personally I find that listening to a sermon, a nurturing christian podcast or even a worship song helps me to remember that God's heart of love hasn't changed.
So true! I’ve found that even a quite walk around my neighborhood puts me in touch with grace.
For the last week, I have wrestled through Willards writings on feelings as I prepared to lead a group. It is a gift to read your post and note your thoughts on how feelings rise and fall and to not put too much confidence in them. So true. After reading Willard and attempting to simplify the topic, I would personally say: Ditch the feelings and search for the underlying conditions. Your words are a salve...the steady choosing, the quiet turning...again and again. When the world gets too loud, I go off in the woods or near a lake and listen to and identify birds. And he is there. Also, I hope to be a more frequent visitor here. It is a place where I can reflect, grow and receive. Christ is here. Why do I let the world and the demands crowd out quiet, beautiful places like this. Thank you Jonathan.
Thanks for reading Celeste! It’s fun to hear about you wrestling with Willards words. How did it go leading the group?
This particular section on feelings was received with resistance by one group, but was received well by the second group. I sensed individuals reacting out of struggles? blinded by their past injuries. What surprised me most was how much feelings and emotions drive us and how feelings are sustained by ideas and images. And we are blind to what is occurring because we cannot view ourselves from the outside. We all need a Francis de Sales in our lives. This was a very valuable “wrestling.” Thanks for asking.
Thanks for sharing how the small group time went. It sounds like a rich space, even if it came with some resistance. I imagine feelings are hard to talk about because they range all over the place ... and can be pretty volatile. I’m grateful you’re leaning into it and using Willard as a guide.
Wouldn’t it be something if we all had a Francis de Sales in our lives!
What carries me through personally is being outside amongst nature and experiencing the nearness of God through His creation. It serves not only as a wonderful reminder to me of Him but also replenishes my spirit with wonder, beauty, joy and peace. 🌿
I love that, Tara. Nature is a reliable way for me to feel close to God too. George MacDonald believed that every aspect of the physical world and of human experience is an expression of spiritual reality and takes its form to express some spiritual truth.
That means a lot, Jane—thanks for sharing. I think many of us quietly carry that same guilt, as if the ebb and flow of connection says something about our faithfulness, when really it just reveals our humanity.
Like you said, God’s love is steadier than we are.