How do you know when your life is actually touched by God or you are just having a run of really good luck?
We had this discussion in the middle of Ancient Philosophy Class last weekend. My professor began by saying that he had personally never experienced what he could call a miracle, meaning an occurrence that had no earthy explanation and therefore must be attributed to the intervention of God or angels or some other "higher power".
He then said that he wasn't looking down on those who felt that they attributed every ounce of good fortune that came their way as God's intervention in their lives. But, he went on to posit, if they attributed the good fortune to God, then didn't they have to also ascribe the bad fortune to God as well? If these people only felt that God intervened only to give them good outcome, what was that saying about God and how God moved in their lives.
I am of a mind, (because of the Jesuit influence I suppose) that God is in all moments -- good, bad and indifferent -- in my life. My task is to discern what God is trying to teach me in those moments because I am aware of the movement. I am supposed to be aware of the movement in all things, and I am striving to that goal but I am far from that as yet. I do know that when my day doesn't quite go as I had planned I try to take stock as quickly as possible and see if I can discern what I am supposed to be learning in the moment and repair whatever damage there is.
I am also grateful for the good and the bad both because they are all moments of growth. Don't get me wrong, I am not yet so evolved that I can praise God for the bad fortune that I am living through, but I can, in hindsight, when I can clearly see what I was learning in the bad times be grateful that I did learn.
I can also be grateful that I was not left alone in the spiritual sense because I am never alone when I am aware that God is in all thing.
I also experience God in the sense of my Christian community because they share those times with me, both good and bad. When I am rejoicing they rejoice with me, when I am in pain or suffering they are there to grant aide in physical and spiritual ways.
I suppose my professor wouldn't see the movement of my Christian community as an action of God per se, but in my eyes, what else could it be? I think the Jesuit training has really opened me up to a deeper understanding of how God acts and moves.
What do you think? How do you experience God in your life? Would you like to move from a God who is far away and indifferent to a God who is in all things? I can help you find your way.
Pax
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