Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Hearing Holiness

How foolish we are in believing that only those who attend church are spoken to by The Spirit. Every time a voice whispers to us that we are to help someone, even at great cost to ourselves, that is the voice of The Spirit of Holiness that endows our animal natures with the fullness of our humanity. Nobody else can hear the exact same message that is being whispered into my ear.

It is helpful to keep our minds open to correction, as was Abraham. What if he had closed his ears to the correction that he was not to offer blood sacrifice to his god by killing his son, but was to offer his own live flesh and blood and that of his son in service to his god? We may never have moved on to understanding that it is our lives that we must offer, not merely the deaths of someone or something special to us.

Often I get to quaking and shaking when I feel that I'm being sent on a mission for which I don't feel prepared. It's like the old hymn, "Every time I feel The Spirit moving in me, I'm afraid." Somehow, when what I hear is right, I'm given strength and knowledge that I had no idea I possessed. Other times, when I'm gearing up for action, something or someone will put roadblocks in my way, or lift the burden off my shoulders.

This happened when a dear friend was diagnosed with cancer. Her children, whom I had always felt were part mine, and I had little contact as they became adults. Several months before my friends surgery, her older daughter began a correspondence with me that reminded us how much we meant to each other.

My friend, who was quite convinced she would not survive, was in total peace with her impending death. She asked me to be available after her surgery so that her family could continue their busy lives uninterrupted. I was more than happy to agree. Her children then began to turn to me for adult information regarding their mother's condition. I remained open to their Spirits which were leading them to support each other, their steadfast father, and their mother's Spirit. I, against their parents wishes, encouraged them to do what their Spirits told them to do.

It was so beautiful seeing them all together, all at peace with the parts they were playing in dealing with their precious mother's impending death, even though it left me feeling very lonesome because I was not in the inner circle once they came together. I now realize that I was sent into the situation to broker their trust in their whispered voices of The Spirit. Some are meant to serve, not by action, but by listening. I may never be considered a Christian or a hero, but I like to believe I can be a good sister and friend.