Posted by beardedlady on July 22, 2002, at 6:07:11
In reply to Re: A Thanks to Bearded Lady , posted by Dinah on July 21, 2002, at 19:52:57
>I do strongly suspect that God prepares me to hear the sermon. That certain events or things I have heard during the week stick in my mind through the grace of God and pop up in my mind during the sermon in a way that ties what is in the sermon to what is in my life. And no, I don't think events in my life happen so that I will listen to the sermon either. What I am saying is that God's grace allows me to tie the two things together. Oh, I'm not explaining this well.
Yes you are. It's a very cool phenomenon described in a scene from "Repo Man." I believe it's Miller who gives a little monologue about shrimp--you see the word plate, you see the word shrimp, and then you see a plate of shrimp. It's a lot more interesting and funny than that, but it's a concept called synchronicity (the Police wrote a song about it, remember?).
I teach a few books each semester, and it seems that no matter what book we're reading, all the sit-coms and news items that week are related to it. We do a technology book, and all the shows that week are about technology goof-ups, and the news reports include computer-related scandals. Or we do a gun control book, and everything in the news is about new gun laws.
It SEEMS like that's what's happening, doesn't it? What is probably REALLY happening, though, is that you are now keenly aware of the things you're reading about, so you pay closer attention to the things that relate to it.
In your case, it certainly seems like God is posting certain obstacles in your way or having you deal with various challenges, preparing you for a sermon related to all you've experienced.
But so much happens to us each week. A different sermon might have hit the mark and unified several other things that happened to you. What separates the really good learners from the average ones is our ability to apply lessons to our own lives--to find that synchronicity. Making that connection is what understanding is all about.
Whether God has a hand in synchronicity is a matter of personal belief. Synchronicity could look like coincidence touched by God--it's something just a bit more connected than a coincidence.
What's funny is that your post made me think about a poem I wrote a few weeks ago for my parents. When I read it to my husband, he thought the "you" in it was him. I realized it could be my parents, so I wrote it in dedication to them for their birthdays. But the "you" was originally meant to be the reader of the poem! And now I realize that, if I believed in God the way you do, the "you" could be God.
I'll post it, and you'll see!
beardy
poster:beardedlady
thread:611
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20020715/msgs/613.html