Discovering the Grace of God

[guillaumeb]

From the article:

I grew very much to know who God was. Although my therapist was Christian and I was Muslim, what he taught me was more than the Catholic Church, Sufism, and the mosque combined. I have been taught to forgive those who had hurt me, and to forgive myself. It was my lack of mercy, not living Godlike, that clouded my life.
It was through Grace, that I gained enlightenment. It was not because I repeated God’s name a 100 times. It was through jihad (inner struggle). I truly struggled to be with Him

To read more:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/mostlymuslim/2018/01/discovering-grace-god/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Muslim&utm_content=49


An interesting story of one person's struggle to find God.

[Permanut]

1. Showing mercy..

is not synonymous with "living Godlike".

[guillaumeb]

2. She did say it was her lack of mercy that was responsible.

She did not equate the 2 things, but on the subject of mercy:

“Limitless is your Lord in His mercy…” Qur'an 6:147

[trotsky]

3. "one person's struggle to find God"

Assuming that there is a god to find, of course.

[guillaumeb]

4. So you liked the article?

[yallerdawg]

5. Existential crisis particularly common after the horrors of the 20th Century.

The path to real faith remains fairly consistent across every religion:

Time and time again in my life, I felt a great conflict in faith. It began to happen when I was young. I watched how people prayed all their lives for salvation and peace of mind. Many times, they went through great suffering due to mental or physical illness. Their faith did not help them in the end. Some lives ended horribly. A savior could not help them. Some suffered through poverty and war. Where was God? At that time, I did not realize that I could be an answer to a prayer, that God could work through me, that individuals could do His work.

All my life, I struggled to know God. I could hear God calling me my whole life, but I was too afraid to commit to him, and much too disconnected. I was running around from one thing to another, frantically trying to find meaning in my life. After I collapsed many times from this frantic pace, I realized I felt empty and alone, although I had others around me.

It was through Grace, that I gained enlightenment. It was not because I repeated God’s name a 100 times. It was through jihad (inner struggle). I truly struggled to be with Him. It happened in the month of February, beneath a blooming plum tree and witnessing Venus, the morning star in the cool crisp air. I felt I had blossomed with that plum tree. Everything became luminous. I felt a connection to everything. Everything around me became so poignant and beautiful. The depression and veil never returned again. I could feel myself taking baby steps to the Real God — the Real God that I never knew.

I had watched and read the news numbly, concerned about my own life. Now, every news item hit me, and also hurt my soul. I felt horror, empathy and compassion at the same time. I actually cared for the well-being of other people in my life, and I no longer needed people in my life to validate my existence. All these sensations bombarded me. They were new to me, as I navigated myself out of darkness into the light. At the same time, it hurt me so much. I had been given Grace by God for the jihad that I had struggled with my whole life. I never truly loved myself, so how could I love others?

I realized that I had a purpose on this Earth. I no longer feel depression or grief, nor do I need a guide or someone to lead me. God exists and is waiting inside of all of us. All we have to do is heed His call, and know that He has mercy for us and that He loves us more than any mother could love us. All we have to do is appreciate the beauty around us, and the beauty within ourselves and in others.

[guillaumeb]

6. True. In the face of mass extermination it is easy to become depressed.

Faith is one way to cope.