Mark Dohle
Well-Known Member
"When we have nothing left but God, we discover that God is enough.
A few years ago I saw a picture online of a man standing on a dock looking down at the water and the caption said "when we have nothing left but God, we discover that God is enough." In my own life I have found that statement and the things you said here to be quite true. It seems to me as if we have to get to that point, as God waits patiently for us
.... and we journey to the very edge and that is where God reveals Himself to us. I suppose this is because we must experience absence before we can know what it is to be filled. A moving read here...one that resonates with me personally having been through many, many a dark night myself. Blessings!--Marcus Aurelius a blogger on UM.
++++++++++
For many people, faith is an enigma to them. They want proof of God before they will even consider having a relationship with the reality of the Infinite being personal, loving, and there, for them. Of course, it can be asked, and is, how it would be possible to prove that God exists. A person who does not believe in God does live in a Godless Universe. Just as a man or woman who does not believe that love is possible, or trust, will live in a world loveless and untrustworthy. On the internet, there are stories, which are shared by ex-atheists, who found out that God does exist when they found themselves at the end of the dock, looking into the dark waters of oblivion. Then, they begin to see life a little differently…. proof (?), well, yes, for them. It is very hard to take seriously the experiences of those who have a different world view. Unless it happens to us.
As a Christian, I would say that most of the time, the inner life, one that is based on seeking union, is usually not filled with wonders, but a day-by-day seeking another way, the way that Jesus taught. To love oneself is not easy by any means. The inner life leads to a deepening vision of what lies beneath. To love all aspects of oneself, which at least for me, takes a true death to my reactions, which can be ugly. As I age, my trust in the Lord deepens, because I have had experiences, unexpected, but given to me, when most needed. They are always unexpected, sudden, and can be life-changing. Not as dramatic as an NDE for instance, yet for a second, a door opens up, and I experience something beyond thought.
I have spoken to many people, those who suffer greatly, yet keep the faith. They are not armchair philosophers, but those who live from the reality of their faith in God, no matter their religion. They have made the hard choice, after much disappointment and suffering, to continue, to trust, in God. if God is for us, who can be against us? Yet, that is not proof, I have to accept it as a grace or not. I am free, we all are on a certain level.
It is hard to see the suffering in the world, and there are no comforting words in dealing with it. Yet, when looking at the life of Christ, he suffered deeply. One reason he suffered is that he did not shut down, he could not, his nature being Infinite Love. Love, even human love, and parental love, if truly loving cannot protect itself from the cruelty of their children. There is a limit of course. However, with God, there is no limit. God bears all pain and suffers all loss, and yet he does not turn away. We turn away, freely, though only God knows when that happens. -BrMD
