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why do people turn to God in their weakest moments? just to throw this out there for thought....
Maybe God couldnt get to them when they thought they had it all together, maybe Jesus was knocking on their hearts door and they couldnt hear it, maybe just maybe everything does happen for a reason and maybe that is what it took for God to get their attention..what do you think?
why do people turn to God in their weakest moments? just to throw this out there for thought....
Maybe God couldnt get to them when they thought they had it all together, maybe Jesus was knocking on their hearts door and they couldnt hear it, maybe just maybe everything does happen for a reason and maybe that is what it took for God to get their attention..what do you think?
June thinks that it is very interesting that you posted what she was thinking but afraid to write in her previous post...Because my thought process was this:
Isn't it interesting that it is usually those moments of "weakness" that make people seek something outside of themselves...What about those moments when they experience the grandeur and beauty of life? Why only the depths of weakness or despair? Can't it be said that the exact same process is at work when beholding a moment of sheer beauty and the magnitude thereof?
In what context do we experience awe? From whence does that arise?
Perhaps it comes down to what individuals pay attention to; what context(s) they are open to as regards the questions that arise as they pertain to those things that take human beings outside themselves...
(That was a horribly worded last sentence, but June is at an utter lack of articulation today!)
possibly its sometimes a stubborn will (in me anyways-lol) we try and do it all by ourselves and only sometimes when we cant do it on our own anymore do we ask for help.
case in point, yesterday my daughter was trying to ride her bike, that I just took the training wheels off of last fall, and she was determined that she didnt need ANY of my help, no matter how many times she fell over in the dark and skinned her knee. Finally after she was frustrated and tired and was almost ready to give up, I asked her again..do you want me to help you ? she fell over one more time and then ask.."will you please help me?"
possibly its sometimes a stubborn will (in me anyways-lol) we try and do it all by ourselves and only sometimes when we cant do it on our own anymore do we ask for help.
case in point, yesterday my daughter was trying to ride her bike, that I just took the training wheels off of last fall, and she was determined that she didnt need ANY of my help, no matter how many times she fell over in the dark and skinned her knee. Finally after she was frustrated and tired and was almost ready to give up, I asked her again..do you want me to help you ? she fell over one more time and then ask.."will you please help me?"
I've been guilty of turning to religion in hard times. I think its normal for people to do so. What is bad is when the person turning to christianity is not turning to Gods holy word.
There are many different forms of trickery that pulpit pimps use to get people to go to their church or to support their ministry. What I would recommend is for them to search the scriptures when going through difficulties. And there and only there will they find true comfort through establishing an obedient faith.
Many people never really experience the power of God even though they claim to know Him until they reach a point so low that there is no one to turn to, no hope, no future..Kinda of like addicts reaching rock bottom, before they can rebuild their life, except I am talking rock bottom in order to feel the love and power of God..On the other extreme, I think there are some moments that are so joyous that there is absolutely nothing you can compare it with except as a tiny peep into what the joy of spending eternity in the place that Jesus went to prepare for us that we have not the mindset to even imagine..I have experienced both extremes above encounters with my God, and both gave me more faith
ya that is all great but if you aren't really Christian to begin with, how would you know that even existed?
Faith. You know what? You are talking about my mother when you speak these things. For many years, I talked to her about the Lord.
But how do I know this happened? I didn't see it happen...
She speaks of the Resurection.
It is because of faith that we believe.
Do you have faith that your car will start in the morning? That your microwave will work? Yes? So then you believe it to be true, right?
I have faith in the Lord and all of his works. Therefore, I believe them to be true.
My mother grew sicker and sicker from cancer. I spoke with her about the Lord. You know, she believed before... as a very young person.
Her life and its happeneings turned her away, just like mine could have.
I could be an angry person. I could be bitter, in the things that have happened in my life to me. I am not. There have been times in my life when I put Him to the side. I never should have done that.
Do you know what? Those times were my weakest. My lowest points. If only I had let Him in... maybe it would not have been so bad.
But then, when it got to the point that I could not take another thing... there He was. He knew. He knew I could not take a bit more. He will not give us more than we can handle in our lives. Me at my weakest.
It was at my weakest point... how can I do this, I ask, out loud. What will I do?
At that point, I was allowing Him back in, and at that very minute.... my life started to change for the better.
Oh sure, life is hard, but did anyone ever say it was going to be easy?
And you know what? Those people in the church you speak of? They welcomed me with open arms. They did all they could to help me. They knew I was at my weakest, but they accepted me as though I was at my greatest.. either way, I was accepted with love.
So, it is not that way.
And did my mother accept the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior? I think she did, one day I will know for sure...
I guess you were talking about me, as well. Its when I get to thinking and typing that all these things just flow out. That I realize things that were there, just not infront of me. Thank you artsyguy, for helping me this morning become closer with my Lord.
Weakness and fear. Death or illness can be terrifying and all human beings are weak. There is no shame in it. It is just natural. Fear and desperation are an extremely potent mix and desperate people do desperate things.
In our culture they will turn to Christianity because it is still a huge part of our Judeo-Christian upbringing and culture and one which sub-consciously hangs around our psyche the most. I suspect Indian people might turn to Hindu Gods, Inuits to animist spirits etc...
Religion's purpose is to reassure and give comfort , to explain the darkness and make humans feel as though there is more to life than just our existence on earth.
In times of terror and trauma, some people turn to the nearest thing which offers a hope that pain and sorrow have a happy ending.
I would not take any death-bed conversion as anything other than a very tangible proof of our weakness. Fear is something which has led us since the dawn of time and it still guides our lives in many ways.
Logic, common sense and reason evaporate quickly when one is faced with imminent painful death or other traumatic events. Our very beings are guided by emotions and in certain circumstances , those over-ride our ability to think clearly and we revert to our animal instinct to protect ourselves in anyway we possibly can.
In a way it's just a basic survival instinct.
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