by Craig Elliot
My personal spiritual journey began at age seven.
I can still remember vividly spending the afternoon at my grandparent’s place. Walking across the front yard, I passed by the dogwood tree that my grandfather had planted; the one he defied anyone to touch. A feeling of euphoria struck me, an overwhelming sense of pure happiness and goodness. I was walking on clouds, that everyone was wonderful in their own way, much more so than is normally seen through even a child’s eyes. I kept it to myself, which is my nature, and went about my business.
A month or so later I was at school, third grade homeroom. Out of nowhere a feeling swept across me that was much different than the previous encounter. I decided to be the stereotypical rebellious, obnoxious kid. I don’t recall all that I did, other than getting out of line in the hall, which was quite an offense in those days. The spirit in me was different, and it happened instantaneous, just like the visitation a month before. I ended up staying after school that day, and I never could explain to my parents what had happened. Something changed forever that day; the innocence was gone, and for the first time I had to consciously make decisions that would affect my life and others.
Fast forward to the age of twenty. As I walked down the sidewalk of an old strip mall in my hometown, an old, hunchback, scraggly looking old woman approached me, oblivious to the many shoppers close by. She fixed her eyes on me, and asked, “Are you a Christian?” in a bold tone that left no doubt she was unashamed. Although my beliefs at the time weren’t more than a casual acceptance, I said “Yes, I am.”
She silently nodded her head yes, smiled, and walked away. I turned into the door to the tag office, and as I walked in, I looked back. She was gone. Nothing to step behind, and no where she could have gone quickly, but she was gone.
A test of faith, even when my faith was anything but unfailing.
The good vs. bad war has raged within me ever since, although the good has generally come out ahead. The bad seems to be in my mind, not in action. I suppose I’ve taken the higher road.
For her birthday this year, Erin asked readers to send her their personal tales of why they believe in a supernatural world. A couple times a week, some of those submissions will appear here as a series. All stories appear with the author’s permission. We encourage you to comment on the stories and to continue sharing your own! Stories can be posted on Erin’s Facebook Fan Page or as comments on her Blog. Join the discussion!
No comments:
Post a Comment