We all speak a different spiritual language

I read this this morning..

For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.
He who believes on Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God…

I do not know why but what stood out as I read that was the word, ‘condemn’; that I suffer no condemnation now that I am with Christ. As I meditated on it, it struck even deeper that God really doesn’t condemn – NOT ONE BIT, not when I am with Him at least.

I had been a victim of condemnation… and to know that I need not suffer a bit of it is to say the least, a revelation.

And then I go on to read this from the book I’m currently on..

“Spirituality is not ‘one-size-fits-all’. There is a wonderful variety of ways to relate to God that are equally compelling…

• The Pathway of Tradition
These people love God through rituals, sacraments, and symbols. Their life of faith is marked by disciplines and structure. They may read daily from a devotional text or have a routine time of kneeling in prayer. Others may view their pathway to God as legalistic, but traditionalists define their faith largely by their conduct.

• The Pathway of Vision
These people love God by dreaming a great dream. They have their mind set on the future and are focused on what they can be. They are energized by a mission that allows them to be part of something big, something that will result in bringing others to a deeper relationship with God. They feel closest to God when they are a part of something big on his behalf.

• The Pathway of Intellectual Thought
These people seek God with their minds. They study to better know and understand ideas and models that bring them – and perhaps the people they teach – closer to God. They love the world of ideas and concepts. Faith, for them, is something to be analysed and understood as much as experienced. They feel closest to God when they are reading a stimulating book that brings them fresh understanding of something related to God or the spiritual life.

…

Les’ Spiritual Style: I am an intellectual. I don’t know if it’s in my blood – I share this style with some family members – or if my years of academic training set me on this path. Whatever the reason, I feel closest to God when I am learning a new truth. If I can wrap my mind around a truth, I come alive in my relationship with God..


As I read that, I was deeply consoled to know that all these time I did not have to feel I was being legalistic nor carnal-minded! I now know..

When I kneel to pray,
- I was not being legalistic.
When I pray to God at a set time everyday,
- I was not being ritualistic.
When I get most excited about God speaking to me,
- It was not because I suffer from a lack of faith.
Even when my blog largely contains only of what God spoke to me,
- It was not because my spiritual walk is single-dimensional.

That’s why God said He doesn’t condemn! Not even if you think otherwise..

We all feel close to God in our own ways, we all connect to Him in our own SPECIAL way – one where we can call our own.

And God...
“You are my special God.
You make me feel so special.”