On becoming a guru
Sometimes our language builds barriers rather than bridges when it comes to relating to those outside our own 'spiritual' circles. I recently heard Shirley tell the following story and asked her to write it up for a Weekly Word:"Why did you choose to come to Switzerland?" my new neighbour asked me.
"To work with a missionary organisation", I replied.
"You're a missionary?" she asked. "Yes," I responded.
"I hate God!" she declared, and quickly changed the subject.
I was used to conversation drying up when I said I was a missionary, so I didn't react.
The second time we met, my neighbour brought up the subject of God again and asked how I could work for someone who allowed terrible things to happen to people. I spoke of His goodness, His loving-kindness and His justice and suggested that perhaps it wasn't God she hated but a misrepresentation of Him by others.
"You're right," she said, "It's catholic priests I hate!"
As our friendship grew my neighbour became more interested in God and bought the "Left Behind" series of books on the internet. I read them as well in order to answer her questions about the end times using scripture to back it up.
Over time she also bought a Bible and started reading it regularly, writing all her questions in a book. Once a week we would get together and look for answers and she got to know God and fell in love with his son Jesus, and committed her life to him.
We did an Alpha course together so that she could get to know the basics of the Christian faith and make friends. During the weekend away I prayed for her to receive the Holy Spirit and sat back and watched her face change as she prayed and received from God.
When she opened her eyes she said , "Thank you for your placing your hands on me and helping me to pray." I had not touched her at all during her prayer yet she said that she felt comforting hands on her shoulders encouraging her. She also said that she saw Jesus take her by the hand into the centre of a river and scoop up water and say to her, '"when you're thirsty, come drink from me, when you're hungry eat for free"; then he took her to a place where he put armour on her and told her it was for the battles in life.
She was amazed when I showed her the passages from Isaiah 55 and Ephesians 6.
On her birthday I turned up late to her party and she introduced me to everyone saying, "This is Shirley; she's my spiritual guru!"
Suddenly I was popular and not short of company all evening .
I was asked for advice on the best way to introduce children to God, on whether God really heals today and also on how to pray.
During the months the years since then she has faced many challenges and one of those was the desire to have a baby. We spent time praying over possible spiritual hindrances and she was released from sins linked to past unhealthy relationships and also from the spiritual influences of New Age healing techniques esp. Reiki.
When she had trained in Reiki she was so good at helping people to tune in to their 'life force energy' that when she laid hands on people they felt a powerful force flow through them. The problem was that once she was finished she could not 'turn off' that force and she said that it followed her around the house like a presence and she would feel oppressed by it. We prayed release from ungodly spirit forces and invited the Holy Spirit into her and her home and she was freed.
Three years ago last week I had the joy of baptising her and her unborn baby together. Four months later she had a beautiful baby daughter and they both are doing well in their journey with Jesus.
Being a spiritual guru is certainly a lot more interesting and rewarding than being a 'missionary', writes Shirley. She is learning to present herself in a way that doesn't put people off but gives them an opportunity to get to know God.
Till next week,
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Previous Weekly Words
| 31 Aug 2009 | On becoming a guru |
| 24 Aug 2009 | Family Truths |
| 17 Aug 2009 | The Pan-European Picnic |
| 10 Aug 2009 | The Hill of Crosses |
| 27 Jul 2009 | Breakfast surprises |
| 20 Jul 2009 | Unintended consequences |
| 13 Jul 2009 | Walking the Ancient Paths |
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