"The Experience of a Lifetime"
The third resource of faith in the quadrilateral for United Methodists is what John Wesley called "experience". Generally, he like to think of this experience as the spiritual side of faith and he assumed it could and would come at any point in life.
God comes to us in so many ways and so many times and often when we are not prepared to receive it. The experience of the holy is present to us.
Some of us have had formative religious experiences that can be referred to as conversion. There may have been a time when there was a vision or a voice or something that intercepted our usual or dismal lives and forced us to take another look and turn our lives around (repent).
Some of us have never had that kind of event in our lives but we do know the exhilaration of wonder and the imposition of joy that comes to us in days and times. The wonder of the stars at night or the joy of the birth of a baby can fuel our lives with unforgettable experience that can last a lifetime.
What experiences have you had that have changed your view of things? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your ideas click on the box below.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Charles Schuster
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What a joyous occasion, delayed at Chicago O’Hare with a wedding rehearsal to get to in Colorado. Not what I would have imagined as the setting of a "re-realization" of the constant presence of God.
Sitting in the back of the plane, right next to the bathroom to boot, I was stressed to the point of no return. Anger at myself for thinking I could meet my work obligations and get across the country in time for the wedding which I was a bridesmaid in. Angry at the airline, well because, it's easy to to!
I prayed at that point for God to help calm me, I didn’t care if I made the wedding, I just needed to relax!
After the plane door was closed, a gentlemen (I couldn’t tell you his name if my life depended on it) walked back the aisle, interrupted my iPod session and asked if he could sit with me. Me, as a “professional” traveler politely nodded and proceeded to ignore him.
Catching my eye, I took out my iPod and began the obligatory casual conversation. I’m not sure of the transition, but he said he was sitting in first class and wanted to move back here. Okay, I’m thinking….by the bathroom? Serious? He asked if I was a Christian and I replied yes, surprised at his ease of discussing this with me. He told me that after the door was closed, he felt such a strong movement in his heart to come and sit in the back of the plane.
For 2 hours, we conversed. Wouldn’t you know it, landing in Denver I was a completely different person. I didn’t realize it at the time, but God brought that man to sit with me and bring a much needed sense of calm to me and bringing me back to "center".
Looking back, I see this as a particular point where I recognized God’s intervention in my life. Pretty cool, huh?
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