Renewed Faith

[Ayla]

I’ve recently had a hard time with my faith in God. There for a while I even doubted his existence. I thought if he was there he must be a mean little boy with a magnifying glass. I’m still not 100% sure what my views on “religionâ€Â� are…but I’ve made my peace with God. He’s up there; He’s the great I AM…everything the bible says he is. I haven’t found God through the doors of the church though, I’ve found him in the beauty that surrounds me each day.

When I went home to West Virginia for a visit I went up to Cabwaylingo State Forest for a day and just drove around. There is just something about going back to your roots that awakens your spirit. At least for me. I was on Tick Ridge and there is this place that is the start of a hiking trail that my 4-H camp used to hike every year…As I was driving by the overwhelming beauty of it made me stop my car and get out. I stood there with the sun warming the top of my head staring at this cleft of space between two hills. The creek was flowing over ancient rocks through the woodland shade and the dappled sunlight and this overwhelming peace came over me and I knew that for me to have ever doubted His existence was absurd. How could I possible stand there and look at that scene and deny Him?

Now anytime things are getting rough I close my eyes and picture this scene and I can feel that peace again along with the warm sun and cool breeze and I know that God is with me and things will ultimately be okay.

Where do you feel closest to God?

[Weiser]

Interesting read. I agree there are some very beautiful places on this earth, but on the other hand, there are some pretty desolate and ugly areas.

My entire family is religeous (well pretty much all of them) except my dad and I. I don't deny the existance of god, but at the same time how can you know there is one? Call me agnostic if you will, but some book isn't proof enough for me.

[Duke]

This should be on the front page Ayla, it's very well written. I can't do it because I'd like you to get credit for the article so if you can hit "Submit News" and copy/paste your story there, I'll do the rest and you'll get credit.

I don't know if I've ever felt peace with God or with any aspect of my life in general. I've felt good and as many positive emotions as possible but I can't say I know what peace feels like. I think the closest I ever feel to a peaceful soul is when I'm with my child.

[Ayla]

I have struggled with these same questions Meiser. I have no proof there is a God. That's why my thread was titled renewed FAITH. I'm slowly rebuilding my faith in God and his very existance.

Even in desolate and "ugly" areas there is beauty to be found. There is evil in this world that causes that ugliness. I don't doubt that for a moment. Sometimes that evil wins the battle but God must ultimately win the war.

These are questions you must look into yourself to find awnsers to. I still have plenty of questions myself. I don't understand why God seems to have been so uninvolved in today's world. It was a first step for me to just acknowledge the fact that I believe in Him.

[Ayla]

Thank you Duke.

[Duke]

No problem at all. I'll post it tomorrow afternoon because I'm posting news about tomorrows Lifesupporters.com chat party and I don't want your news to end up article 2. I'd much rather leave it top dead center for a week or so if possible.

Thank you for submitting it.

[Duke]

It's on the main page Ayla, would you like a direct link to this topic as well from the main page?

Thanks again for submitting the story.

[Star]

I too don't think the bible is proof that God exists. That book has been translated and rewritten way too many times for me to believe its every word. having said that, i do however believe there is a God. There have been a few times in my life where I have pushed him aside because i was very angry with him (for years) wondering why he would allow so much pain in my life but always find out his reasons in the end.

I'm not a church goer nor a religion believer. I was brought up a catholic and have brought up my kids catholic but never truly believed in the religion. in fact, i don't believe in any religion. to me, religion is not God. to me, religion are man made rules and rituals that i don't care to participate in. I feel the same about church. it's all so superficial. people are going through the motions of the service. it's all fake and phony. I'd rather be at home and say a prayer then sit in a church for an hour listening to the same prayers over and over again. It all (religion and church) seems too cult like to me.

I think that all we need to do is believe in God and we're going to be okay in the end.

[Luba]

Originally Posted by Star

I think that all we need to do is believe in God and we're going to be okay in the end.

I do, too, believe that, Star! God has been a very real part of my life since I was a lonely child. I talk to Him every day and thank Him for my life and my blessings! Since I've started living my life with daily gratitude, I see beauty and miracles, big and small, all over the place. Even right now, with my beautiful kitty sitting on my lap purring and giving me her love, is such a beautiful miracle!! I believe when accepting God into your life, it becomes more beautiful, more alive, more vibrant, more loving, more peaceful!

I have never known how to live without God, and I never want to try...even through the difficult times, I knew He was there giving me strength, hope, love and encouragement to keep on going...

[Duke]

It's been linked from the main page but only registered members can comment although guests can view the contents. I've had to take away all guest privaledges due to a couple of "no-gooders" spamming pr0n related links.

Back to the topic.

I've had trouble with the whole God concept. I like to think there's some all powerful being that guides us in the day to day but I wonder how perfect that person/persons judgement can be, after all to err is human. I don't believe Gods/God can be any different in this regard. I've heard time and time again the phrase "God has a plan" whenever something goes horribly wrong and there's little to no explanation. Sure, maybe God has a plan, but who actually knows if it's a good plan?

The bible means nothing to me, for all we know it could be the very first version of the Enquirer ever published.

I want to believe in the existance of God and I keep threatening that I'm going to drag Dwoing to church one day. The problem I have is that I want to believe in God it's just God (or bad timing/luck) makes it virtually impossible for me to believe. I also don't understand how a God can allow famine, rape, abuse, murder and other crimes against humanity let alone mother nature. Were we not created in his image, if so, why are many people so rudamentally bad?

[Star]

I realized that God has a plan after krystal's father died. I didn't think much about god until then.


at first i was extremely angry at god and even wondered if there was a god at all. i thought, what kind of god takes a daddy away from 3 young kids (he has 2 kids from a prior marriage)? then as time went on, i realized that he did have a plan. this plan was for me and krystal. God had a better plan for me and krystal with gerry. I can honestly say that my life wouldn't have been as good if krystal's dad would've stayed alive. it would've been pure hell to say the least. If I left (and i did a couple times before his death and planned on doing it again right before he died), he would hound me down and make my life hell. I seen him do it with his x-wife not to mention that he told me he would if i ever left him. although he never laid a hand on me (but did beat his x-wife), he led a double life. one that i had no clue about whihc put krystal and i in extreme danger.

so, after a couple years after his death, i realized that God does let bad things happen for a reason. there's always something better waiting up ahead. sometimes the road to get there is hard to travel but it's always peace at the end of it.

God's plan for us was a better, safer and happier life.

I have however questioned what possibly could be the reason for god allowing krystal to do the things she's doing since the age of 13. i have come to realize that this lesson isn't for me. although i suffer myself through it. the lesson to be learned is for krystal. he's got a plan for her and we must all ride that long road with her until she reaches the end of it. i know the end will be a good end. because god always had a good end in his plans.

[Adonaicole]

I don't deny the existance of god, but at the same time how can you know there is one?

I know. One time, I was driving too fast on a windy mountain road at the edge of a cliff. The guard rail was only 8 feet away when I went into a slide headed straight for the guard rail and the cliff. I got a sick feeling in my stomach as I tapped the brakes because I knew it was too little, too late. I said a little prayer, "OK God, if you're done with me, this is it". Right before I slammed into the guard rail, the car accelerated (my foot was on the brake) out of the slide with such a force, that it slammed me against the back of the seat and I had to struggle to regain control. I went back a week later and there were skid marks for 50 feet from the acceleration. If you have faith in God, miracles happen. Not every day but often enough to remind you, who is really in charge. This is not the only time, I was saved from certain death by a miracle.

[Weiser]

See something like that (should have died but didn't) happened to me too, I just chalked it up to luck.

My highschool grad party was out at my friends camp on Lake Superior. It had three levels, built on cliff sides. Sauna and beach was on the lake, moving up was one cottage with a deck and above that was the third cottage looking down on everything. Top to bottom was about 60 ft. Top cottage to middle cottage was atleast 15 ft.

Anyways, we're all pretty drunk and there are no lights on outside on the deck outside the top cabin where I am. I should also note that the camp was still under construction and there were spaces missing from the railings on the top deck where stairs were going to be built.

I walked out from the top cabin onto the deck where I had a clear view of the campfire and everyone down there. I looked around and it being pitch black out up on the deck, I saw an opening where stairs were (supposed to be). Keep in mind I am pretty drunk. I start walking and feel this floating sensation, then I realize that there wasn't any stairs where I just stepped and I am falling headfirst into the tree stumps, rocks and dirt.

I thought atleast I was going to die having fun. Crash. I land headfirst on my right hand breaking my wrist (but I didn't know, thought I sprained it for like a month) and my head. I fell 15 or more feet, landing on my HEAD and all that happend was a broken wrist. I chalk it up to luck. I landed on the soft dirt surrounded by large rocks and tree stumps.

When I say surrounded, I mean literally inches away. I am a lucky guy. A very lucky guy to be honest.

I should have died 3 times now.

Or the other time when I was in a SEVERE car accident where my face literally broke the steering wheel after the car slammed into a hydro pole and then continued to roll 3 times. Yeah...that was fun. Not. Thankfully I had a very skilled doctor who put my face back together quite nicely. As you can tell from the pictures I posted of myself, I look like nothing ever happened to me. But you know, looking into the ambulance side mirror and not being able to tell if you have an eye or not is rather creepy.

Or the time I beat the living snot out of some guy who tried to mug me when I was living in Banff, Alberta. I don't know if he had a gun, I don't know if he had a knife, I don't even know what he looks like. All I know is that I lost it on him and all I had on me was less that $5. Ok, so that's not the same as the others, but what if he had a gun? Maybe I got to him before he could use it? I don't know, but I do know that it was stupid of me to do what I did.

Then there were my drug days. I won't even get into that, suffice it to say, I shouldn't be here.

Again, lucky. Holy hell I wrote another novel.

[Ayla]

The typical "christian" response would be to tell you you're truly blessed by the Lord. And that may well be the case...but maybe it is just plain old dumb luck.

I don't personally believe in pre-destination. I don't think that God has a plan for us all. Occasionally I think he may have something in store for an individual and because of that he may go out of his way to watch over that particular person. Not to say He doesn't care about us all. He does. It's just MHO that He doesn't sit down and plan stuff out for each of our lives.

I think that's why He's given us Free Will. I feel that we make our own destiny; we choose the path we go down and we choose if and when we are forgiven for our mistakes.