{"id":66,"date":"2012-02-15T17:18:00","date_gmt":"2012-02-15T23:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2012\/02\/15\/spirit-lost-spirit-found\/"},"modified":"2014-11-25T10:23:31","modified_gmt":"2014-11-25T16:23:31","slug":"spirit-lost-spirit-found","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2012\/02\/15\/spirit-lost-spirit-found\/","title":{"rendered":"Spirit lost & Spirit found"},"content":{"rendered":"
Although things have been going well over all for me something seemed to be missing.  I felt as if the Spirit was not around me or at least I could not see it.  To be honest, I have never felt as if I was a very spiritual person. I have wanted to be but it just never seemed to happen.  Today I had my first every meeting with a spiritual director.  I had not a clue what I was walking into and just had no clue where it was going to start and end.  In fact, I did not know how to prepare, what to say, how to act and the list goes on.  I was over-thinking it all.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n
I had a meeting with the Pastor\/Instructor of me Spirituality class from last year.  While she was preparing to get ready to conduct the session, I said a prayer; “Lord, I ask that you please prepare me to receive the <\/div>\n
Spirit.  I ask that you empty me completely so that I may be filled with Your Spirit.  I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ.”<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Now to be honest, I was expecting something or maybe even hoping for something of a mystical experience.  Somehow I was suppose to or maybe I would have a vision of the Spirit descending down upon us and this sense of euphoria would take over us.  Well that never happened.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
What did happen is that through the director’s guidance, she learned about me and probed at me with questions that would allow me to reflect upon the Spirit. As I spoke about my conversion story and then how the move to Wartburg took place, I began to see more clearly how the Spirit has been alive in my daily life.  Yes, daily life.  Something interesting was said that has really hit home to me.  Here I am looking to be filled with the Spirit, to have this mystical experience and I am in such a rush to get there.  Now, not all “my fault” but a product of life in general here in U.S.A.  Rush rush rush, get there, get it done, make it happen, do it now, make it soon …..oh my gosh.  Now picture this, and this is what I was told to picture….You have two people walking together and eventually someone is in front of the other and then there is a distance between….who says, “Hey, wait up?”…………………………………………….Yes, the person behind in the walk……………It is Jesus saying, “slow down would ya?”<\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n
Read  Ecclesiastes 3:1\u201313<\/a><\/div>\n
Read  Psalm 4:1-3<\/a><\/div>\n
Read  Isaiah 8:17<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Sometimes we need to slow down to see the Spirit at work.  It can be difficult to do this but it needs to be intentional not accidental.  As I go about my studies I find it can be very easy to study God, study the Spirit, study Jesus, study those who studied the Triune God, while all the long not being in the moment, not allowing myself to see God coming down to be with me, to be part of my life, to walk beside me and carry me when things are rough.  It is not a race to a finish, it is a journey with the Holy Spirit until Jesus returns to take us to God.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although things have been going well over all for me something seemed to be missing.  I felt as if the Spirit was not around me or at least I could not see it.  To be honest, I have never felt as if I was a very spiritual person. I have wanted to be but it … [Read more…]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-admin","4":"post-66","6":"format-standard","7":"category-lossandgrief","8":"category-uncategorized"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2m6h5-14","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1834,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2017\/05\/21\/gifts-of-the-spirit\/","url_meta":{"origin":66,"position":0},"title":"Gifts of the Spirit","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"May 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"We have many spiritual gifts given to us by God.\u00a0 Most of us have heard about Spiritual gifts in some way or another.\u00a0 Some of those gifts include things such as the gifts of: Fellowship, Finance, Caring Ministries, Christian Education, Management, Hospitality and many others.\u00a0 The gifts that God gives\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Holy Spirit"","block_context":{"text":"Holy Spirit","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/holy-spirit\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-KCOWTSDo6yg\/U_sml_EVylI\/AAAAAAAAAa0\/3I8csL4dRHY\/s1600\/firespirit%2B-%2Bkoopia.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3364,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2025\/01\/23\/spiritual-gifts\/","url_meta":{"origin":66,"position":1},"title":"Spiritual Gifts","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"January 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"1\/19\/2025 Second Sunday after Epiphany 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (NRSV)John 2:1-11 (NRSV) \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Discipleship"","block_context":{"text":"Discipleship","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/discipleship\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2913,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2022\/08\/07\/6-marks-of-discipleship-spiritual-friendships\/","url_meta":{"origin":66,"position":2},"title":"6 Marks of Discipleship: Spiritual Friendships","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"August 7, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"8-7-2022The Fifth Mark of a Disciple: Spiritual Friendships 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (NIV)Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)John 1:1-7 (NIV) https:\/\/youtu.be\/BFUN0L8mR_M?si=8-qBp0IZtTqhf-bP","rel":"","context":"In "6 Marks of Discipleship"","block_context":{"text":"6 Marks of Discipleship","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/6-marks-of-discipleship\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/BFUN0L8mR_M\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1891,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2017\/09\/03\/spiritual-gifts-spiritual-gifts-in-the-spotlight-and-love-personified\/","url_meta":{"origin":66,"position":3},"title":"Spiritual Gifts: Spiritual Gifts In The Spotlight and Love Personified","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"September 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Adapted from the, \u201cDiscovering God\u2019s Vision For Your Life, You and Your Spiritual Gifts.\" By Kenneth C. Haugk. Part 3 of 4. Galatians 5:22-23a (TNIV) 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 (CEV) 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (TNIV) 1 Corinthians 12:31 (NRSV) 1 Corinthians 14:1 (NRSV) 1 Corinthians 14:39 (CEV) 1 Corinthians 12:28 (CEV) Ephesians\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bible"","block_context":{"text":"Bible","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/KiFV5wyZh9M\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1877,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2017\/09\/03\/spiritual-gifts-what-makes-me-unique-and-unwrapping-your-gifts-package\/","url_meta":{"origin":66,"position":4},"title":"Spiritual Gifts: What Makes Me Unique and Unwrapping Your Gifts Package","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"September 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Adapted from the, \u201cDiscovering God\u2019s Vision For Your Life, You and Your Spiritual Gifts.\" By Kenneth C. Haugk. 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