I’ve been pondering the words Holy Experience.

After I wrote the last post the name of the blog -Holy Experience- kept repeating itself in my mind. (I’m odd that way.) I began to think, “What does she mean by that title?” And a whole wave of thoughts cut loose. Almost revolutionary thoughts…freeing thoughts…

As Christians we are familiar with God’s word which says, “Be holy for I am holy”. We want this…and yet, when we think about it, we think and relate it to sin. Or rather…not sinning. Be holy because God/Christ is holy – sinless. And this is true…

But, I started to think, “Have I viewed this pregnancy as something holy? Have I viewed my morning sickness as something holy? Do I view changing diapers as holy? Do I view my everyday life as a “holy experience”? If I do, then it changes the very way I interpret “be holy” from something I try to do to an attitude of living. Do you follow? I started to think, what if holiness isn’t just about  trying not to sin, and allowing the Holy Spirit to rule my life, but it is in truth a whole attitude shift…viewing life – all of it - as holy.         

The word experience is often used to describe a one-time something, “Wow, what an experience that was!” (Mark and I once saw lighting strike a light post 10 feet in front of us. That was an experience. A sight that we probably won’t see again in our life time and won’t forget any time soon.) But, now change the word experience to encompass all of life…and think of life as one long experience and then add the word holy. Life as a holy experience. Does it change the way you think?

Ask yourself, if you started to think of life as a holy experience –all of life, would it change the very way you live out your life? The way you view your every day?

I think it should…because it isn’t something we do…it is attitudinal. A shift in how we think about living – which (I think) should lead to a shift in the way we live. A shift that doesn’t take half as much effort as trying “not” to do something or trying to live/think a certain way.

What if we viewed all the bad (and good, and humdrum) things that happen to us as “holy experiences” given to us to draw us closer to God? Often we “know” that the bad things that happen are to mature us, and draw as closer to God…but do we think of them as holy? I’m back to the beginning…is morning sickness a holy thing? It doesn’t feel very holy, far from it…but what if I start to think of it as holy…then my attitude towards being sick changes and the whole act of being sick changes into something precious…almost a gift. (I think this is tied into praising God for the bad…the less than good that happens…but it also takes it a step further and says, “I’m not just going to praise you for this, I’m going to view this life as something precious, a holy gift, a way to live my life as holy unto you…because I view all of my life as holy.”)

A little free association: When I think of the word holy what other words come to mind? Beautiful, precious, blessing, gift, transient (something that if not cherished could be gone in an instant), and one of my favorite terms – unto the Lord. A life lived unto the Lord.

What does holy experience mean to you? Is your life lived (viewed by you) as a holy experience? Should it be?

blessings,

dani

I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. – Leviticus 11:45