We've all done it in one form or another... We've all gone through a conversion experience... For me, the notion of stopping ym drinking and drugging life of insanity was a HUGE conversion. My heart, mind and soul were all converted to a new way of living, thinking and being. This conversion happened to me gradually over time thanks in no small part (actually pretty much 100%) to the Hand of God (Holy Spirit, Jesus, you name it!). This conversion saved my life, its just that simple.
I've been politically converted in this way and that way over the years I've been paying attention (mostly toward the center and moderation). I've been converted musically to new ways of teaching and performing, I've ben converted in my sales career to new and better ways of selling and being of service to clients. Heck, my big conversion (or epiphany) came when it really occured to me in my heart that I will have better results if I focus less on those results and more on just doing the next right thing for my clients... Hello, don't we all wish more salespeople and companies would have that conversion?
Most recently and probably nearly as profound a conversion for me as my sobriety was my conversion to the Catholic Faith. This week I taught my lesson on Saint Paul, his conversion and his mission. For those of you who aren't into the Saints and Christianity, Paul was a Jewish Roman citizen who lived near (and mostly after) the end of Christs' life on earth. He (also known among the Jews by his Hebrew name Saul) was a famous (or infamous) persecutor of Christians... Not a particularly good dude to say the least. Well, (on the road to Damascus in search of a group of practicing Christians there to bring back and try in the court of Caeser in Rome), the Lord came to Paul in a vision and asked "why are you persecuting me?" And of course Paul was a little freaked out, so much so that once the voice (which oddly enough all who were with him could hear) finished instructing Paul on his New Mission, Paul fell to the ground blind. Paul converted then and there through a major spiritual upheaval and visit from Christ, and became one of the most influential teachers/apostles Christ and our Church ever had. Amazing story... (all those epistles in the Bible that follow Acts in the New Testament: Galatians, Phillippians, Thessalonians, Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, etc? Yep, those are all letters written by Saint Paul to those various regional churches...)
While I was not specifically spoken to directly by Christ himself, I believe that I have had a similar conversion experience both with sobriety and with my faith and relationship in Christ. (thankfully, I hadn't been persucting Christians like Paul had, but suffice it to say I had a dim view of all things religious to say the least.) I also believe that I am still well immersed in my various conversion experiences in sobriety, Christianity/Catholocism, sales, teaching, music, parenthood/family membership ad infinitum.
So, I encourage my friends to continue your conversions! Life is conversion in one form or another... Keep growing my friends!
peace to you all!
2 comments:
Oh so very true if we focus on the result, the result that we see is our will, not his. Yesterday I did the same yesterday. meet with another alcoholic for 3 hours he was in bad place, the I remeber the look he had, the result I wanted was for him to make to a meeting. I was doing the next right thing,,but when it was not the result I wanted,, I felt irrated, mad, and betrayed. I know I wasn't I prayed last night for someone else, instead of myself. I guess my heart and motives have also taken some form of conversion also.
Peace my brother
ps drop me an email have some "work" related questions for you.
sounds like you're seeing things differently my friend!
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