A young man of faith (around 30) is having trouble reconciling his belief in God with the timing of the deaths of two close family members.

The “Why” turns into doubt.

The doubt grows stronger, the faith grows weaker. The one you feed….

An atheist whose blog I read was asking the question of those that claim to “be spiritual”, “How do you define spiritual?”

I read some of the comments, a few from those who seem to have an understanding of things spiritual, many more from those who refute the few who made attempts to come up with a definition.

My first thought on reading the blog was, “Why do you spend so much energy talking about something that you consider total fantasy?”

We have covered this sort of question before, regarding proof of the existence of God.

My answer is always pretty much the same. It doesn’t matter what I tell you , if, ultimately, you don’t want to find Him. You can tell me that the Bible is a man-made compilation, that every act, teaching, miracle, birth, death, and resurrection attributed to Jesus has been claimed about countless others professed to be gods, that stories have been exaggerated and turn to mythological fables, and on and on and on.

But there is something that I can claim.

I used to be one way, unable to even imagine the things of God, the spiritual truths that come from Him, the Life that He has made me for. Unable to see, hear, or experience the depth of life that comes from Him, I lived a self satisfied life of seeking what I could find to satisfy my longings.

Until it didn’t satisfy.

Actually, it never did.

I used to be one way…and now I am completely different.

Same human, different spirit.

It was building over a long span of time.

But I changed in a moment.

I guess you could say that I became a “spiritual person” in that moment. The world that surrounded me, that I had been oblivious to, began to reveal itself.

A tiny seed of faith was placed in me, planted by The Sower, and it began to grow; tiny little roots, tiny little sprouts, tiny little leaves.

The fruit from this tiny plant was sweeter than anything I had ever “tasted” in the life before the seed was planted.

So, to my atheist friend I would say that spirituality is the ability to discern the effects of the invisible world around me. If you say there is no world of the spirit, then I guess I would say that you are not spiritual.

To my young friend who is engulfed in doubt, I would say, Feed the seed that was planted in you, water it, help it to grow. Seek advice from those who have survived trials, losses, pains, and troubles, and have grown stronger.

If you have received the Life from the Giver of Life, turn your eyes back to the Giver.

If you do not have the Son of God, you do not have Life.

Receive the Son.

Thoughts Wendy and I had about “The Chosen”

Imagine the disciples were a lot like we are, struggling through life, facing hardships, broken dreams, disappointments, failings of those who fail to.meet our expectations, failures of ourselves to be who we hoped we would be.

We are fighting our way through a life that is, at best, tolerable, at worst, cruel and unfair.

One step forward, seven steps back.

One day, some guy comes along, looks at me, and says, “Come. Follow me.”

You had just watched him speak a few words to someone’s hopeless situation, and watch as a life completely changes before your eyes.

He looks at you, speaks those challenging words, and you leave what you know and follow him.

There are others, a few, that have also responded to the challenge to follow, all coming from different backgrounds, responding to the new life they are entering much as they have responded to trials before.

But, now, they are following a man who, when facing a trial, a challenge, a disappointment, somehow rises to a different plain in his response.

The circumstances don’t control him. He doesn’t react…he responds.

He seems to understand “the why” behind the trial.

And he gently instructs, with a knowing encouraging nudge, pushing you toward a different response in a way that makes you want to be there.

You think, “How am I supposed to do that?”

He looks at you as if he hears your thoughts and whispers, ” You can do this.”

You struggle, you trip, you fall.

He reaches out a hand to help you back to your feet. “You’ll get there. Just follow me.”

You reach a point where you tell people, “Come and see.”

You can sense that he is changing you from within, and you want to be more like him.

“COME AND SEE!”