This happens when you talk about someone with two separate friends and later that person calls you. Or you keep hearing, reading about, and watching some random event all day only to have someone mention it later.
You know what i'm saying?
For example: On friday in conversations with my wife, my ma, my sister, and a collegue here at the seminary, the theme of "common courtesy" came up--all in different conversations in different contexts. Later that night, i held the door for someone who mentioned that door holding should be a courtesy that more common.
Seriously. I notice these things all the time! Have i lost you? does this happen to you or am i crazy?
I can only guess that this is one way that God speaks to us... I always say that there's no such thing as coincidence. Sally coined the term "God-incidence" and i like that. Where did i learn this?
My cousin, Puppet Nuts, has a sense of humor that latches on an obscure phrase or theme and runs with it. He fits it into bizarre yet appropriate situations.
My Gma picked up on this as well. She'd notice these themes and relate things back to a friend's story, past experience, scripture passage, or celebrity (my Gma's touchstones).
My Ma really drove this point home when she made a Jungian out of me. I used to have really vivid and sometimes horrifying dreams and sometimes still do. Not night terros as I'd remember them the next day. My mom said to pay attention to these dreams and watch for them when you're awake. Deja Vu plays a big part in this as well... but i'd find that the Dream Themes would make an appearence throughout the day.
Am i alone here? Is it possible that this is a medium for God? Our native american brothers and sisters made a big deal out of dreams... so did the Persians and other Near East peoples who influenced the Jews... but today we Christians have lost this.. or have largely ignored it... or just don't talk about it in polite company. Do y'all even pay attention to this stuff?
If you do, I'd love to hear about it. IF not, try it for a week and let me know what small epiphanies you find.
7 comments:
"If you do, I'd love to hear about it. IF not, try it for a week and let me know what small epiphanies you find." (Luke)
I believe in God-incidences as well - those similar things that get you moving in a direction (or testing your very ideas about something).
It's like saying 'I will never so such and such' and then within the next few days you are challenged on your very words. Then you realize - 'I should not have said never - because I didn't actually mean that'. Now I am careful with my words - even to the point of making generalizations.
Maybe that is a God epiphany? I am not sure personally. To me, God speaks through life and people - and the way things happen and how that tests you.
For example, I watches Ushzipin the other day (a Jewish film - dubbed and all) - about a couple that is tested on their hospitality when two ex-convicts come and stay with them (during Purim). They make this a test for themselves and come close to failing it...but do well in the end.
That's how life actually is - written words don't mean a thing until you actually have the chance to 'try them out'. This is my idea of what 'faith is all about'...like Abraham who had to go and follow God - point being - his faith moved from place to place. Our faith should do the same - and that only happens as the teahcings we think we believe are put to the 'test'.
I do care about what i believe so I make sure to adjust what I really believe with the actual teachings - as I live them (experience). Maybe this is my personal interaction with God - I am not sure.
For example, right now I am in the midst of buying a house and i am not sure if I will be approved for financing...but I did all I could ot make it possible. I asked God about it - to take care of the rest - that I trust God in this matter. I went through some serious faith crisis in the past week - but I realized - I love God because of it and what measure my faith means to my life. I think I took advantage of that for some time. I thank God for the 'chin check'.
Faith is part of life - that's my opinion - and not just something on a piece of paper.
thanks SocietyVS! i totally get what you're saying esp. "'I will never so such and such' and then within the next few days you are challenged on your very words."
i still get slammed on that.. so that has made me a little more mindful of my words. plus the bible has a thing about not swearing oaths.. gotta find the passages for those...
if you need a condo in germantown md, let me know, i'll hook ya up!
i do believe that the world is sand. you can believe in "paper creeds" to a point... but those beliefs must fit the context. try to live boxesless... boxes help mirror so ppl can adjust and find themselves.. but ultimately we fit in NO box completely as there are always exceptions. some respond to this by cutting off those limbs that stick outside the box.. or lying.. or making concessions.. or doing what you and i have done and realizing that there is no box. the box is constructed by us for us to keep us safe from the CHAOS of the natural world. those of us to see order in the natural world are less in need of boxes.
going boxless is much harder way of doing it... some ppl NEED the boxes.. like in the matrix. we SHOULD pull everyone out, but some will violently fight to stay in the dream world. i think that once exposed to critical thinking most ppl will find it impossible to turn off their minds. some can, but most won't or won't be able to and will deliberately mess with the results... in other words: humans are freaking weird. :-)
rawk!
Hey Luke
Heres another S word you might like. Serendipity............Happy conincidence :)
Have it with a Canadian Beer.
hahaha!
i do like that S word.. esp. played by selma hayek in dogma.
Re: "Is it possible that this is a medium for God?"
Most of the UCC's roots are in the Reformed faith. Of course this is a medium for God. All media God's media. Read your Institutes!
"Read your Institutes!"
settle down Bevis, just wondering. thank you for reaching into my denomination and shed'n light on the "All Media is God's". I totally believe that but other denominations don't think that.. so i was hope'n to see what others think.
I really enjoy finding out more about the doctrine of my own denom. i'm still rather new here, just finishing my first year of seminary. i'm looking forward to my polity class and getting into that more.
Strange coincidence ("or as I like to call them God-incidences") today. When we walked at the mall, Will played with toys in the family lounge (as usual). He talked on the phone & then handed it to me to talk to my mom. I said, "Hi, Mom. How's it going in heaven? Good. Talk to you later."
Just now at Sarah's house I was waiting for Max's bus. I was looking at an old Nancy Drew book that was Mom's book. There was a piece of paper inside that said, "Valuable book. Do NOT DESTROY. B.I.M."
Leave it to Mom to send a message today.
A God-incidence for sure.
Post a Comment