Reconnecting with Spirit

I'm a couple of days behind on my posts. I've already attended the church that I'm going to write about this week but have yet to do the research portion so I'll get back to the project tomorrow. But for today, I just want to write about joy. I felt the need to get online to share my enthusiasm. I am so filled with the Spirit of God today that I want to share it! I am so fortunate that I have His unwavering Love. Oh thank you, God! As I write this, tears fill my eyes and Love overwhelms me.

In the past few days (which explains my lack of posts) I've felt "luke warm" about God. I've felt unconnected. It happens to me sometimes. Life gets in the way and somehow God seems to have vanished. I realize that it is me who has distanced myself since God is always present, but the emptiness exists regardless. Usually, I must come to a place of sorrow or misery before I throw in the towel and return to God and ask that he reinsert himself into my life. But this time, I was only "alone" for a couple of days. Thankfully, because of this blog, I am responsible for writing about God weekly and attending church so it makes it much more difficult to ignore him!

Last night, before going to bed, I clasped my hands and asked God to gently move me back closer to where He was. I prayed, "God, how can you expect me to give people hope by sharing your message of Love if I go through periods where I don't feel your presence? How does that make me a worthy subject for to witness on your behalf? God, I don't even need to know why I fall away from you. I just need to know that when I ask, you'll bring me back...quickly and for my sake, gently."

And today, well, as you can see, my prayers were answered. I feel so connected. So IN LOVE with the Spirit. In this post, I want to thank God for the joy he continues to bring my way. I'd also like to remind myself of a couple of tips and tricks that can bring me back to Spirit when I feel that I've drifted away. So, here they go...

1. When I pray on the floor, on my hands and knees with my hands clasped..tightly. Eyes shut.

2. When I pray with my hands up toward the sky. This one is totally knew for me but WOW it has done wonders. One day, I was talking to my brother Jon about my sister's pregnancy and her having to go on bed rest. I asked him to pray for her. He said, "well, Jess. Why don't we pray now?" My immediate reaction was to say, "Nah, that's weird to pray on the phone." but instead, the Spirit pushed me to say yes. So we prayed for my sister, her husband, and for her unborn babies. My brother led the prayer and said, "Lord, we put our hands up toward you, and God, we give this situation to you because it's bigger than ourselves and our capabilities. We trust in you, God." And when Jon spoke, my hand just instantly raised with my palm facing upwards and I felt so overwhelmed by the Spirit of God. Since then, I have prayed on several occasions with my palms facing toward heaven and I feel like it somehow opens me up to God even further.

3. Giving of myself. When I start giving to people whether it be money, my time, my ear, or even my food, I feel Love and in turn, I feel God. It feels really good for me to give and to care for people. I do it I guess for selfish reasons in a way because the more Love I give, the more Love I feel from God. It's almost instantaneous that when I give something of myself that I feel the presence of the Spirit in my heart.

4. Going to church. Before this project, I'd been to church about twice in the past year. Returning has done wonders for me. I'm hungry for it by Wednesday and when I walk outside after a good service, I've got a noticeable pip in my step.

5. Being healthy. I don't know why, but when I'm buzzing after a run or light on my feet because I've eaten lots of veggies...I feel like I'm more in tune with Spirit.

6. Being aware. I think this is a major benefit of meditation. When I'm on the look out for God, I see Him much more clearly. Being aware of who I meet, what they say, and the "themes" in my life make me much more susceptible to God. Recognizing "God winks" makes them much more prevalent. I guess that's what faith is all about.

7. Being gracious. When I'm able to see my many blessings and recognize them for what they are, I feel that God shows Himself that much more. When I thank God sincerely for my small victories and blessings, He creates new opportunities for me and when He does, I see Him at work in my life.

8. Being in a state of Love. What I mean by that is loving people, animals, the earth, whatever just loving something up! For me, it's romantic love as well as brotherly love. When I'm loving someone, like really loving them with the kind of love God wants us to have, it's impossible NOT to feel God. Because that Love IS GOD.

9. Reading about God. Whether it's the Bible, or a prayer book, or a book about theology, meditation, or Love etc. I get inquisitive about "what God is" which makes me search, and therefore find God. Asking questions about God and spirituality brings me to a place of joy.

These have been incredibly valuable for bringing me back to a place of Spirit when I feel lost. And that's all I have for today.

I hope if you're reading....whomever you are...that you spend some time with God today thanking Him for what He's done in your life. I hope you exemplify the Spirit of Love. I have already thanked him for YOU. You, are one of my many blessings. Thank you for caring enough to read these words. Peace and Chicken Grease.