When I was fourteen or fifteen, I went to a big city church
with some of my family on occasion. Now, I had been raised in a small country
Methodist church where everyone knew everyone, the kids played tag on the lawn
after service, and little old ladies sat contentedly in congregation adjusting
their Sunday hats ever so slightly as we gently sang “Bringing in the Sheaves.”
In no way was I prepared for what I would experience at a big city
non-denominational church.
People seemed to be filled with the Holy Spirit
beyond my youthful comprehension. At one point, many began freely speaking in
tongues as they swayed and fell about the nave, an act I had not ever witnessed
in our quiet country church. I remember feeling fearful and as if I were
suffocating until I finally jumped up and raced from the church into the out of
doors where I waited for my family until the service adjourned. I am fairly
certain it was a good while before I again attended any church.
If you cannot stand up to something,
then you fear it,
and if
you fear it, there is a good chance
it is exactly what you need.
One thing I have learned in my older age is that when I fear
facing something, it is possibly something I need or a change I fear to make.
As a young teen, I did not want to be confronted with anything as altering as
the Holy Spirit and certainly not in public. My concerns were of friends,
having a good time, boys, and music. Now, at the time, and even to this day, I
have no clue as to the authenticity of the behavior of those within that
church; whether or not it was real or merely a show of proposed believers. What
I do know is that it caused me fear; fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear
of perhaps even God, and I ran and I stayed away. I feared the idea of being
filled with the Spirit.
Today, I am a very different person; I ask to be filled
with the Spirit each day in hopes that I will fulfill all that is spiritually
possible within me to fulfill as I strive to allow myself to channel and to
share the gifts bestowed upon me for my Divine purpose.
We have all had frightening or even bad religious
experiences and the Spirit comes to each of us in different ways at different times. Whether or
not we understand the experience at the time is an indicator as to where we are
at spiritually and to whether we need to face up to our own inner Spirit and
its guidance. Our own reaction can actually be the clue to what we need to see
or do or face because if it shows us fear, then it is showing where we are
lacking in strength. I was lacking in spiritual strength though I did not know
it at the time, and my misinterpretation of such things contributed to, and
allowed, me to completely avoid the matter altogether. I later found my way to
the spiritual opening which the Spirit set forth but it was not without heartache,
loss and tragedy, as is the case many times, for it can take a severe loss or hit
to jar us into awakening.
The point here is that there may be many opportunities along
the path, be they even disguised in fear, where the Spirit beckons. Sometimes
we see them and sometimes we do not. Either way, it is part of our growth and
evolution and we all need know the Spirit does not give up on us and there is
always an opening waiting. When you recognize this opening and feel guided,
then it is time to step through. At fourteen I was not ready and it was to take
many years of preparation before I would concede. And it’s not about going back
to that big church, it is about finding the Spirit within; all we ever need is
always with us, wherever we are, whatever we do, whatever we are going through.
 |
| It takes courage to follow the path of light |
We all grow and evolve. Sometimes in life we go through
phases where we are unsure, then all at once we may have an epiphany of
understanding and our road has suddenly curved. It takes courage to follow the
path of light and in many cases others do not understand the need to make
changes. People want to see us as they “think” they know us, keep us in a box,
because when we grow and change, it can cause them to feel threatened because
they are not ready for growth or change; they are comfortable in their zone and
due to fear, they do not want anything to change. That’s OK, but we have to be
who we are, if it is time for us to grow, then it is time for us to grow, and
we must be strong enough to let it happen and brave enough to follow the
currant. We cannot keep the Spirit in a box. Spirit is God and God has an
agenda and if you feel that you have been put on a course of spiritual
evolution by the Spirit within, then it is time to make the change. It is time
to follow your course.
It’s pretty simple; we are the miracle, we only need allow
ourselves to perform it. Do not hold back. “Quench not the Spirit.” 1
Thessalonians 5:19, this means to not put out the fire of the Spirit.
When we are shown that it is time to move forward and we open up
and start allowing ourselves to allow the miracles, we know beyond all things
that we are then receiving of the Spirit within. We know that we are truly guided and ready to
be the best that we can be and to perform the Godly miracles that we were put
here to share. We know that indeed the Holy Spirit is manifest within us and
works through us when once we make the changes and allow it to shine through
and to lead the way. Fear no longer holds us back, we have faced it and either
it has shown us what we need, or we have defeated it as an illusion. Either way,
we are stronger, more confident and in touch with the spiritual guidance
within and ready to take the next steps on the path to spiritual enlightenment and to a happier, healthier and abundant life.
Let angels guide thy path.
Get your journey on! Your soul-journey.
Cheryl Yale-Bruedigam, CYI-250
Empowering YOU for a happier,soul-filled life
Empowering YOU for a happier,soul-filled life
Books, videos, inspiration, divine guidance.
About Cheryl Yale-Bruedigam
Cheryl Yale-Bruedigam, the angels’ author, has been writing spiritually for thirty years. With undergraduate studies in English and women's studies, she devoted over a decade of research and writing to women’s studies and women's spirituality. For the past five years, she has been diligently working in Angelology, as well as publishing a series of books on angelic guidance as well as "The New Age of Christ."
Bruedigam is a certified yoga and meditation instructor. She lives in New Mexico with her husband.
Order her books or find at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and ITunes
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