Godlink #3: God in you

When I started going to church, I really thought my life was okay. How wrong I was. The more I learned about sin, grace and Jesus, the more I started feeling this uncomfortable stirring in my gut that maybe I wasn't "okay". Initially it was a gut feeling- kinda like the way you feel when you're hungry. Then it became a "small voice" the one people always talk about.

So as I learned about the value of silence and solitude,  I learned to give this "little voice" some space to express itself. The amazing thing about this little voice inside me was that, if given the chance, it didn't speak in words to me, but in entire conversations- all within the space of a second. If I allowed the little voice some space, it would instantly convey feelings, meaning and insight into whatever I was thinking about. That, I learned very quickly, was the voice of God, right inside me! 

And it had a name: The Holy Spirit: and it has GIFTS. I still had no idea what to call it- my soul, my spirit, or the Spirit, but knew it was there, alive and ready to communicate with me if I gave it space. It was really hard to discern at first- between the narcissistic voice of my heart, the all-too-logical voice of my head, the tug of the fleshly voice, and a dozen other distracting voices emanating from the private universe inside me. Sometimes I would miss it, drown it, or dismiss it. But more often, as I practice listening for the voice of God inside me, I would recognize it.

Often times, the voice would not leave me alone- it would be so strongly convicting that I would get physical manifestations of it like sweaty palms, elevated heart rate, or a restlessness akin to what the nicotine withdrawal felt like in my smoking days. By just opening myself up, God would honor my efforts and really turn up the volume on the voice :)

Connecting to that piece of God inside you takes practice. It doesn't happen overnight. But God does honor your intention and effort. Give it a try. Regularly. Find a quiet place and TELL God you're opening yourself up to His communication. Then wait. And listen.