Do we only need God when life smacks us in the face?
Monday, March 16, 2009
I've been smacked in the face by life plenty of times, and none of those times have made me feel like I needed the help of a skyfairy.
@BabyDoran
lol
Not believing in Atheists is like not believing in tables.
@BabyDoran There are plenty of atheists whose morals far exceed those who believe in god. Perhaps judging atheists based on their own personal choice not to believe in a god isn't exactly a moral thing to do yourself?
I think this is the only time we realize we need God, and that the only reason were being smacked in the face is because we might have started to think that we didn't need him.
"Atheists are morally inferior to the rest of us, Therefore: God exists"
"I don't believe in Atheists" Both from my friend Thomas Mitchell Doran.
Well i think that not needing or in my case not believing in god/religion is a privilege because i have lived a pretty good life but when people are doing bad they usually need something to hope for and well god is always going to be there for them so yeah i do think that people only seek or need god when they get to a difficult part of their life.
probably not, but it is easier to ignore the spiritual when life on the physical plane is going fine
Yes. We only turn to religion when we need something to comfort us. We would we want something that is comforting when there's no reason to be comforted? The idea of God has been used many times throughout history. No need to get into a history lesson but previous leaders have used the idea of God to do 2 things. 1 rally the troops/people. The second thing God was and still is used for is to turn a group against another group. There is no better way to support your cause then to claim it's a divine cause. So yes we only need a God in bad times... because is soothes us.
~Nothing is true and EVERYTHING is permitted
I think ,i need God just to stay insane,because as soon as i get up,goning through the daily routine,like driving in road,dealing with others,watching news, i keep asking why? why? why people treating each other disrespectly?why so much distrust? why wars?.And then, when you open the pray book and through your hand defencivily toward God and shut your eyes and just then when i open the prayers book and you feel He is connecting to you by responding to your thoughts and you feel the spirit around you just then you feel you are not alone and He is with you and then, happy feelings get to you because that moment you are not confuse and you know, the reason for your existance and being in this world.
God.
Some pray everyday and ask for God's light. Some believe in God when they have something to desire.
Honestly, I start to believe more in God when a miracle has happened, my prayers were answered, or when I'm in a negative situation. I believe that people start to really believe in God when something of the three mentioned has happened. In my opinion, that's my point of view on the peoples' beliefs on God. No doubt there will be those that believe in God all the time, but in reality, people and sinners go together like peanut butter and jelly. ;)
God is in everything..and everywhere.. he is our friend....He is the word happy
I think that if you allow God into your life at all, this is a good thing. But if you only pray when you are in trouble, then it's like you're using Him as a spare tire for your car. If you pray daily, then it's like you're using Him as a steering wheel and you probably won't get into as much trouble in the first place.
We always need God. In times of happiness we need to share our gratitude and acknowledge the blessing of being happy and comforted. We also need God when challenges arise so He can shine the light on the path that best meets our needs.
no, but most of us have to be knocked to the ground before we realize a little faith comes in handy when we not only want to get back up, but get back up and feel grateful we went through crap in the first place to get to the next level...
In the times when you feel scared, its easy to ask God for help. In the times when you are blessed, its easy to be proud. I've come to realize that I am usually at fault for times of distress, and God should get credit when I'm being blessed. If you learn to look to God for guidance and support in the day to day, what would be an emergency becomes just a rough day.
We move and have being within God - the Creator and we, the created....therefore, praying is atuning ourselves to God in ALL times...the good times to express gratitude and joy; in times of crisis to ask for strength and mitigation of trials; in normal times to remain close to the Source of our existence.
i had a crisis of faith a few years ago when my brother's car was stolen in another state, along with his address and housekeys. the only thing that comforted me was prayer, and i knew the crisis was over. so, do we only need god when we're smacked in the face? not neccessarily, but being smacked in the face may prove to you how much you need him.
um... I think that people like to have an idealism that makes them feel better when they need it the most... and one of the most common idea is god which is a good thing because it comforts you to know that even though you're not so ok you'll move on to something better -Does that make sense?-
-Cheez
we always need God. always. however, when things are going well, we don't see our need because we are happy.
if we need him, chances are we always need him. i think it's just easier to remember that when life smacks you in the face. i'm not sure if i believe in god and i try not to let myself pray or anything until i figure that out, but i often catch myself trying to when i'm really stressed out about life or really grateful for it. i don't know if he's there, we may be praying to nothing, but i find that when i'm in the midst of one of life's challenges, there is some value in letting go. praying helps to put it in someone else's hands, so you can go with your instincts (is this just a mind trick? does it matter?), which is really all you can do in those situations. if there was a clear, logical solution, it wouldn't be a challenge.
or rather...MAYBE god needs us more than we need god............dont want to get too controversial eh?
No, but thats mostly when I remember Him. It makes my stomach twist when I realize He's here, I realize my self involvement. It opens my eyes to my life and my idols. I feel slightly sick about it. But then He slips out of my mind as easily as the thoughts of Him entered.
More and more though I have been giving this thought and I've yet to come up with answers why I neglect Him. I will pray that He opens my eyes to Him.
I wouldn't say that we only think of God when we are in trouble. There are many people out there who think of God all the time and include him in their daily lives. To get back to my first sentence those of us who do not have God as part of our daily routine I feel that we sometimes neglect him until we need him. I myself do this and I know I am not the only one. I believe in God and I am thankful to him for all that he has done for me and the world, but a lot of the time I am ashamed to say I don't pay enough attention to him as I should. And yes when I am in a jam God seems to come to the forefront of my mind quite quickly. If we are honest with ourselves and we believe in God we shouldn't wait for a crisis to give him the praise he deserves.
We always need God. But when life smacks us in the face we remember to turn to Him. This is the realm of frre will. I think if we didn't get smacked down, we'd never reach up.
Any perceived "smack" from life, is not a smack at all, but a friendly "let's-test-the-boundaries-nudge". There is nothing new under the sun, and nothing is thrown our way that can't be dealt with. These life bumps are just tests, everything can be weathered, and if you call on your spirituality only during these times, I'm confident that God's not gonna' hold it against us!!
I'm worried that God might have a system of morality we can't understand and a different notion about the nature of these "smacks to the face" aka. life itself. Can he relate?
When life smacks me hard in the face, I find I tend to drift away from my spirituality. Maybe because I "get mad at God" or I am just overwhelmed with the difficulties I am faced with that I can't get in the spirit. I seem to move closer to God, the Universe, the collective energy, when I am feeling more in the groove of things. That is not to say that I don't turn to prayer, meditation and spirituality when I am on hard times, but I have noticed this trend. Probably oughtta do something about it.
@mykee_d
"When are we as human beings going to realize that we are in control of our own destinies our own lives, nothing we do is a result of some almighty being pulling the stings and making them happen."
Hi Mykee_d
One of the appellations given to God, is "Father". It's mentioned many times in the Christian holy writing, and I think it a valid analogy. An earthly father who tried to control the destiny of their child and dance them like a puppet on a string would be inflicting a significant injustice upon their child: a "sin" against them basically, in denying them their God-given right to chart their own path and become an individual and not just some toy serving the needs of an over-controlling father.
Free will is one if the most wondrous things in God's creation: a freedom to go and walk and say and do what we want, but also the responsibility of accepting the full (and possibly eternal) consequences of those actions. And this includes the freedom to choose to go and walk and say and do things according to His plan -- a plan which includes a way to be in eternal relationship with Him, should we wish it. And if we don't, we don't have to.
It depends on what you mean by 'needing God.' Does it mean needing a code of religious dogmas, which all religions have (including the Baha'i Faith, which Rainn Wilson is a member of)? No, if that is the case. Yes, if God is a Personal Being to each and every one of us and doesn't work in the realm of time and space, thus having enough 'time' for all of us. It is natural to believe in a supernatural power when a person feels like all rational solutions to their problems have been spent, and a miracle is needed to turn things around. But I try to avoid getting in that habit because it is like being on permanent spiritual welfare, or like getting periodic 'bail outs' from Heaven's Government. It is better to be consistent, even if the consistency is a small prayer or short meditation. That is better than being depressed for six months and then doing a 14 hour prayer session, expecting some miracle to happen.
When life smacks us in the face is most often the only time that people will seek God. I have been guilty of this many times. It is when things are going well that I need to remember and be thankful for the things that God has given to me.
God speaks to us every second of every day, yet we are some busy with so much noise around us that we dont stop to listen. When is the last time any of you just watched the clouds past you by? or sit around a bon fire and talk about real heart issues with some good friends that love you for you? In this world, you will find that people come and people go...God is the only person who really is with you the whole way. It all goes back to Jesus!!! Thank you Lord
Well, I think God may nudge us once in a while to get our attention, and if we are so off balance, we fall on our face. Maybe we get up or maybe we wallow for a bit. If we are in balance (equal portions of spirituality and materiality) then perhaps the nudge is just a nudge.
im a strong believer in god.
he doesnt give a shit about us.
he is much like a hermit on a white snowy mountain, who yells, and starts an avalanche, he doesnt much care about that avalanche, however, he hopes there is no one at the bottom to catch its fall.
i believe in a god of job.
~ based on Aristotle's works of metaphysics
According to some, this is why God was "created" at all. I think that we should understand what we want from a creator and analyze it in a moment of un-tragedy. Sort of like an emergency preparedness plan. That way, you won't panic and do nutty stuff when you feel like God needs to be there for you allofasudden, and your belief will be a lot better balanced.
Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Psalm 34:8 NIV
I consider myself spiritual, but not so much religious. I sometimes though catch myself thinking, "please god...", But In my regular day to day life, these thoughts don't occur, but in moments of sadness, weakness, fear- I look to someone else for assistance. I think it's easy to ask for help, when your doing it privately through thought and prayer. I believe if you follow god, you should follow him always, and not simply when you feel weak of overwhelmed. But, sometimes, for those of us, who do not consider themselves religious, or are unsure- believing seems more tangible through our weaknesses. I sometimes wish I was as strong as some members of my family, who are so sure and empowered by their beliefs.
A smack from life is a smack from God. What is an appropriate response to a smack in the face?
It seems to me that believing that someone or something (in this case, an all powerful entity) would be an excellent way to bounce back from hardship. Perhaps this is a characteristic that has stuck around in many homo sapiens for precisely this reason?
http://www.livescience.com/culture/090309-brain-religion.html
The question reminds me of the opening of The Godfather, and the conversation between Don Corleone and Bonasera. You may recall that Bonasera's daughter was raped, and the two punks who did it only received a suspended sentence, so Bonasera visits Don Corleone. The Don's response:
"We've known each other for many years but this is the first time you've ever come to me for counsel or for help. I can't remember the last time you invited me to your house for a cup of coffee, even though my wife is Godmother to your only child. But, let's be frank here. You never wanted my friendship and you were afraid to be in my debt."
Too many of us who do believe still act like Bonasera. I know I am guilty of it, because I do not like being around other people when I am feeling religious/spiritual, which makes the whole going to church thing a bit complicated.
Look, let's be honest folks. This is human nature we are talking about here. When things are going great and it seems we are invincible, we tend to think that this can be attributed to our own good planning, people skills, expertise, etc. and any reflections we may have about the extent of God's grace and His ultimate plans for your "journey" in this lifetime might be downplayed or even discounted. (And then some of us quickly realize how absurd tis notion is.) But when life gives us an occasional "smack-down", the tendency is to start re-examining our motivations and choices made that led to this dire turn of events, and many can "rediscover" the cathartic comforting/healing of reconnecting with God, like they hadn't thought was vitally important before when life was hunky-dory. My personal feeling is that if we were all to live our lives maintaining and cultivating our connection with God, we might find that we are able to avoid many of these "smack-downs" that could be caused by a personal disconnection with Him. This is not to say that sometimes tragic things can occur that are completely out of our control (do we all remember September 11?), but having a trust and connectedness with God can help us to place these catastrophic events into a more understandable context, within the scope of God's ultimate plan for humanity.
of course not, we NEED God all the time but unfortunately most of us only turn to Him in times of desperate need which is quite sad :(
i had to be smacked in the face real hard to finally realize that i NEED God all the time and so being smacked in the face real hard was the best thing that could have happened to me :)
Wow.. really good quesiton. I think we need Him all the time but most of us only realise that we need Him when life smacks us in the face... Worth pondering though..
@therosedoll
Interesting point of view. I have a question for you -
What is it that you believe "religion" has to gain by "taking advantage" of people in their weakest moments? I can understand why people who believe in God or some higher power would turn to Him in times of tests, and even a non-believer might ask himself the question if he were struck down by some trial or other, but I don't quite understand what religion gets out of people believing in a Creator...?
@playmeasong
Hmmm, yes interesting point about the unicorns, although I would go so far as to say that although God CAN break his own rules, He doesn't tend to unnecessarily because He's put those rules/phenomena in place for a reason. Such an event I guess would be called a "miracle" and certainly if anyone is going to perform a miracle, God would be the one to do it, as He is not bound by the laws of nature - seen as He created those laws. I found this definition of a miracle by St Thomas Aquinas:
A miracle is something beyond the order of created nature.
Therefore since God alone is not a created being,
He also is the only One who can work miracles by His own power.
Having said that, who's to say that horses or zebras wouldn't "evolve" to become unicorns through God's Will as opposed to one miraculously appearing on your lawn?...evolution equals science, science equals reason, reason equals reality, reality equals truth, truth equals both religion and science (at least according to Baha'u'llah) and therein lies the balance.
Fantastic tangent, by the way.
One thing I've noticed with religion is just that. In my personal experiences and observations, I've found that a lot of people tend to only become religious or pray to a god, etc. when they're going through a tough time. Religion takes advantage of someone when they're the weakest and most vulnerable, and to most, only act as a crutch; something to lean on.
My own personal vendetta is believing in something just for the sake of making me "feel better." Sure, it would be nice to think there is an omnipotent, all powerful being looking out for me and willing to help me through everything, but I'm just too cynical for that I suppose.
If we wait till life smacks us in the face to decide to need God, we're missing out on the most incredible relationship possible. I attend First Baptist Church Maryville in Illinois, the church whose pastor was shot and killed last Sunday. The members of my church were strong in our faith BEFORE the shooting, so that when it occurred we were able to remain standing under the pressure.
@TheHenkinator I completely agree with your reply. Thank you for that clarification! :o) I in no way meant to imply that I was God, hence my reference to allowing him to work through me and those around me. I notice him in my everyday travels, whether it be the birds flying above me or the stranger that gave me a compliment. He is everywhere if you are willing to see and hear him. Good day!
@Pascali That's a really cool concept. I agree that science and religion correspond with each other amazingly. Whenever I take a science course I'm more and more amazed at the intricate nature of...nature. Haha. It couldn't have happened on accident.
What that principle says about anything in religion that isn't explainable by science/logic being superstition, though, kind of leaves wide boundaries for what is/isn't superstition. Because the logic of there being a universal creator is pretty clear; the creator must > His creation, therefore he can make ANYTHING happen. So technically speaking, if unicorns were to suddenly pop up on your front lawn, that could totally be God's doing because He does anything he wants, since He > the universe, so it would be a completely reasonable occurance.
What would you think of someone who only talked to you when they were in dire need and the rest of the time wouldn't give you the time of day? A life of faith is about relationship, and I think most would agree that a relationship that only exists when the other person needs something from you is not a healthy thing at all.
Now here's a brain-burner. What if help in time of need WAS available to all for the asking, but guilt from knowing that you were abusing the relationship made you unable to receive what is offered?
We need God all of the time. I think we only turn to God when life smacks us in the face, though. It's only then that we feel so horrible that we turn to a higher power, whether it'd for advice or just to ask 'why me?'. But when things are going well, when we have friends and money and good health, it's easier to forget that it's only through the grace of God that we have those things, and so we forget about Him. Sometimes we even ignore him. That's wrong, but it happens more often than most of us would like to admit. We should remember that we need God by our side during the good times just as much as we do during the bad.
i think that God is our collective conscience. it encompasses everything. so when it knocks me down, i feel like there are decisions and thoughts that could have been made differently. i feel like there are answers behind everything, most of which we will never get straight answers for. but i think that God is with us all the time. He is always present and we always need God.. not just when we're down
I think God is life, so it's not so much a question of needing God as it is being aware of God. Being slapped in the face is a good way to wake up to your God-given potential, and it can be quite sexy...
We need God every second of our life from the time we open our eyes from being asleep to the second you get out of bed,to the time you eat your breakfast,lunch,and dinner.I tell my children God is everyone's Father and I'm just your Dad.Just reminder God is always with us every second of our life, because God is theFather of this world and all the worlds tocome.
lately I have been getting knocked down a lot....and it is very hard to remember God...it is sometimes very hard to even keep believing in anything or wanting to care about questions like this...I know I have had incredibly powerful, what I thought were transformative experiences in the past...but then when life gets more difficult, it is hard to keep hanging on.
maybe that thinking also speaks something to the question--that it would be good to stay close with God all the time, so that when things do become difficult, we know where to turn and it is easier.
We all have God with us in the form of Creative Spirit, whether or not we know it or tune in. I was thirty-one before I discovered the spirituality of trusting Creative Spirit by not having to prove my own worth -- and what a relief it was! My 84th birthday is tomorrow, and I've never had reason to doubt this truth, although I sometimes forget to tune in.
Creativity and spirituality cannot be separated. I wrote a book several years ago: SOUL SEARCH: from Religious belief to Spiritual Reality. Not a best seller -- and I have a better book in the works.
I think we need god all the time and he should be present in our minds every moment, because the moment we forget that there is a 'god' that's when we detach ourselves from our higher human nature and debase ourselves to our lower animal nature. However, this doesnt mean that we must be praying and talking of god all the time but to always have him in the back of our minds and pray and talk to him often so that we enrich our spirits with his love. Unfortunately though it seems like we only remember god when we are in need for his help.
I think we need God more when life is wonderful. It's the appreciation of the good that helps us through those times when life smacks us in the face!
Our prayers are always answered, and sometimes the answer is "no." Good thing, too. Sometimes need protection from our own misguided desires. Sometimes we need to get the thing we thought we couldn't live without to see how misguided we are. That's how we acquire wisdom.
We can only get smacked in the face by life when we forget that we are god. When we are conscious of our true spiritual nature, nothing that our material life throws at us can do serious damage.
we need god all the time and we especially need him when life smacks us in the face. the problem can be that we don't feel the need for god when everything is peaches. i know i can get the false sense that i am my own god and in totall control of my life when things are going great. hard times, pain, suffering and loss all bring us back to the realization that we are not in control so we cry out in desparation to the one we know who listens and has the desire and abibility to help. pain is not caused by god but is used by him to bring our focus and attention back to him. when life smacks us in the face our compass points back to true north, to god. he uses the pain we experinece as a chance for us to get back in a right relationship of god being god and us being dependant of, loved by and lead by him.
God is essentially LOVE. Love of being, love of learning, love of feeling, love of experiencing, love of sharing; love of our differences and a respect for everything and its unique path. The promise is not to understand/agree/support what one particular person chooses to believe/do, but I do need to respect them as making choices and love them as a being and part of this Universe as well.. He loves us through our challenges and through our times of disbelief. When we realize that God is in us, and not a separate entity, the fear of a vengeful deity disappears and the "save us" mentality disappears. There is a "help me" factor, where calling on the love of God can help you realize what you need to do; you are quiet enough for a time to listen. I do believe there can even be intervention, but this could be debated as "well, was this just meant to turn out like this anyway, without my asking?" God's timing, and our own work to get through the problems you encounter is all part of the beautiful web. Working in conjunction with the Universe and all that includes is where God's power comes from - the multitudes. When God is outside of us and a "strict, judgmental God", the human in us encounters fear, and fear is a huge underlying motivator for destruction of things not understood and control of others in the name of "being saved".
MotherBlanker: I believe that the "people of faith who are able to leave their burdens to god" are in essence allowing the universe to work its magic. They are taking the way of the water, flowing around life's obstacles and not fighting the current, therefore not placing their own obstacles and ego driven desires in their own way. Challenges are a way of perfecting your soul and learning. If all we experienced was "good" blessings, when would we ever learn?
i'm still not sure i believe in a god, at least not in the christian definition. however, i've noticed that the people of faith who are able to leave their burdens on god tend to be much calmer, more centered people even during the bad times than those who just sit around blaming god for the bad things happening to them. the difference in the vibe that comes off of someone who says,"this too shall pass and i will weather it with god's help," vs. the person who says, "why is god doing this to me?" is massive. i believe there is a scripture that mentions devoting ones self to god with your whole heart, mind, and soul. your whole self and your whole life encompass both good and bad. if believing in him must be with your whole self, then you must be thankful for god regardless of the present circumstances, no?
i think you need God all the time. when life hits you in the face, you need Him for strength and guidance to find the solution and put it in motion. i feel blessed to have Him in my life, and i am thankful for the many things He's given me.
I think it's not so much that we only need God when life smacks us in the face, but it's more that we only seem to realize how much we need God when life gets difficult. I don't mean to say that we don't need Him when we're very happy, but in times of difficulty, we tend to either seek assistance or try to put blame on someone else. I think that sometimes we find it easier to blame God (ie. "WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME??!!) as opposed to laying the blame on something even more abstract like fate or luck. I think that we need God all the time, but it only really hits us when we're at emotional highs or lows. However, I think that it happens more often when we're down. I'm not necessarily talking about being incredibly happy (like if you've just survived a plane crash) or terribly sad (like you've just lost a loved one) but I'm talking about the little bits in between where you've just had a good day or you woke up on the wrong side of bed. I think we tend to think about God more (whether to blame Him or to ask Him for help) more when we're sad.
Maybe it's because when we're happy, we tend to want to give credit to ourselves for making things right whereas we tend to want someone to "pay" for whatever went wrong so we blame God. Am I making any sense? :S
@mykee_d
It is true that we are in charge of our own destiny; God gave man free will - this doesn't mean that we are puppets being controlled by an Almighty Puppeteer, who treats creation as a bunch of pawns on a game board - what would be His point in that? Free will means that humanity has the ability to choose to recognise God or to not recognise God. For me, God is not only there in times of tests or despair, but also in times of joy and rapture - for these are the times when I find that I am grateful for being so fortunate as to have a spiritual relationship with my Creator.
As for science and religion - I totally believe that these two must be in equilibrium in order for humanity to progress - after all, God also gave man the power of intellect, with which we are advancing in ways that would have seemed unimaginable not 20 years ago. I find this quotation from the Bahá'à Faith to be particularly clear on the matter:
"The third principle or teaching of Baháâuâlláh is the oneness of religion and science. Any religious belief which is not conformable with scientific proof and investigation is superstition, for true science is reason and reality, and religion is essentially reality and pure reason; therefore, the two must correspond. Religious teaching which is at variance with science and reason is human invention and imagination unworthy of acceptance, for the antithesis and opposite of knowledge is superstition born of the ignorance of man. If we say religion is opposed to science, we lack knowledge of either true science or true religion, for both are founded upon the premises and conclusions of reason, and both must bear its test."
Regarding your last comment about embracing logic and exploration, what a fantastic opinion - this is one of the many ways we can bring about an ever-advancing civilisation, utilising all the gifts of intellect, logic and reason that God has bestowed upon man, as His most noble of all created beings.
"God has created man lofty and noble, made him a dominant factor in creation. He has specialized man with supreme bestowals, conferred upon him mind, perception, memory, abstraction and the powers of the senses. These gifts of God to man were intended to make him the manifestation of divine virtues, a radiant light in the world of creation, a source of life and the agency of constructiveness in the infinite fields of existence."
@Chamanspirit
"We should recognize we are part of this whole thing called LOVE/GOD"
Amen. Humanity's only hope for growth out of it's destructive phase is to learn this truth.
For me the question is not do we need god when everything sucks but rather why do we need god at all. I don't believe in Santa Clause, tooth Fairy etc...... so why should i believe in a spirit that is just as fictional as the characters mentioned above.
When are we as human beings going to realize that we are in control of our own destinies our own lives, nothing we do is a result of some almighty being pulling the stings and making them happen.
Science is the true savior of humanity and only when we embrace science and technology as an instrument of good a will we truly be saved! We can cure most diseases and feed the entire planet and eradicate poverty and homelessness, we can eliminate all these things the only problem humanity is too bogged down with race creed and religion !
Eliminate all the barriers embrace a system of logic and scientific exploration and then will we truly be free.
To need God is to imply that we do not have God every minute of every day. Do we **feel** we need God only when life smacks us in the face? I'm sure that's how it feels sometimes, but God is always with us (or Universal All or the Great Unmanifested or whatever your pleasure be). God is always with us because we are all of God. God is inside us 100% of the time. You just have to be open to it. I have yet to truly feel God's presence inside me, but I'm working on it.
In order to make things a little less complicate for myself; I picture God as the shore and myself as the sea. I might get farther away from the shore with the coming of tides, but nonetheless the shore is always in the same place.
From past experience I would have to agree that when things are going great I don't think about God as much. When things in life start to suck I tend to lean on/blame God more.
This whole "needing God" situation is primarily caused by the ups and downs in life rather than an inconsistent Creator.
If we first define what we think of as God, it can change how we look at the question. For me, God is not the white bearded guy on a throne, not to be confined to an anthropomorphic "character" in my life. God is truth, beauty, love and ultimate reality. And to be specific, I think of God as an all-knowing, transcendent Entity Who created everything, not a mere force or an impersonal power. But truth, beauty and love are His creations, creations which He has given us, gives us at every moment. When do we NOT need beauty and truth and love? As a wannabe writer, beauty is the thing that makes life worth living for me. Beauty redeems this sometimes painful material experience and reminds us that He "is", and we are meant to be with Him. I often wonder whether we've lost touch with beauty in our modern world, maybe even some artists have. Is this why we are so desperately depressed as a people?
We should recognize we are part of this whole thing called LOVE/GOD
Do we only need god when life sucks? Well, if you believe in god then you believe you never need him, you -as a person subsequently falling from grace into knowlege of good and evil yah-da yah-da- are equiped with free-will. Free will is gods way of saying "Here, see how you like it!" (And man I hope god isn't that cynical), by letting us deal with life, with shame and tragedy and hunger and all that jazz we lost when we fell into sin. If you believe in big man or not, life can, will, and by way of learning, will have some aweful times. So, why would people turn to god when life gives them a steaming bowl of elephant piss to go with? This, in my mind, kinda comes down to consistancy. If your consistant with yahweh, it will apear that he helps you with every little issue in your life. Your faith would even promote the belief that lifes trials, without the aid of god, are mearly a test. The inconsistant seem to find themselves hurting more when they find that god doesn't help. Does he? Who knows? Not me. All of this blabble has really come down to answering a question with a question, and that question is, What is the most versital way of thinking, with fear, or with faith?
God lives within me, not separate from me. The moment I assume I am in control is the moment all hell breaks loose. He is there to guide my thoughts, actions and words everyday if I am willing and allow him to work through me and through those around me. Everyday, not only when I think I need him. I used not to trust in God, I believed in him, but did not trust in him. There is a difference. My life was such a tragedy when I was the director of my play...knowing that he is always with me brings such a feeling of peace and serenity. It is amazing the things I notice when I really open my eyes and my heart to the many avenues that he travels through.
When we are "smacked-in-the-face", I see that it is because we have not been paying attention to what we are on this plain to do.... support each other, and fulfill our obligation to the Divine/collective. We've got a specific obligation to support each other here, and whether that is a kind smile or buying a starving family a new home and meals for a year, we are supposed to pay attention and connect with the universe on a regular basis to continue HIS/HER work, because he/she is not HERE. Being only in the ego and avoiding divine obligation will not, in the end, be fulfilling or beneficial. Whether you meditate or pray, connecting with the energy of the universe is essential to your own well-being, therefore ensuring the well-being of someone you may not even know. Praying/asking for something specifically for yourself, may gain something for you, if it is already destined, but praying/asking for what you can do for someone else will always gain. In serving the universal connection, you are serving your self. Adding to the negative benefits no one and harms you; contributing to the positive benefits not only you, but anyone you encounter and adds to the collective knowledge and well-being. God is love and love is in you. God is in you and you are meant to share, not hoard.
I definitely believe when life "smacks us in the face," it is easy to turn to God. What's easier than closing your eyes, bowing your head, kneeling beside your bed, or whatever else we do when it's time to chat up the big guy upstairs? It's easy and lets face it if we believe God will help us out then it seems like a pretty good deal to just summon him to our rescue in our darkest hour.
Personally I feel that there is no need to ask God for extra help during these times. Yes this is when we need him, yes this is when most of us call on him... But Jesus saved us once and now it is time for us to face the darkness that we created. God gave us all the means to live and thrive on this planet we are the ones who destroyed them, who overused them and ran out of them, we are the ones who fight and kill each other over having them... Yes I am off topic... But the point is most of us are guilty of doing this... remembering to pray only when we feel our very very worst (me included), but shouldn't we turn to ourselves and try to solve the problems we created? Hasn't God given us enough?
The question assumes that God is something outside you. A foreign object. What if God is part of you and when you forget your God, you forget your nobility. If as a human I can be here in my skin, in my environment and in the Universe then I am with Universe with God. When we are faced with questions that bring us back to our totality we remember God.
@pinky I was only pointing out that altruism exists spontaneously in nature, and is a behavior exhibted by a variety of creatures - who, for all intents and purposes, lack the abilty to formulate notions of God. Therefore it does not require a belief in God to be committed.
This phenomenon is known as biological altruism, and, by its definition, is considered something different from human altruism - in that it is practiced on an instictual level, and done for evolutionary reasons. But it is still a form of sacrifice to aid another, and hence is altruism.
I can also go out tommorow and easily abstain from driving - to help the environment - without a belief in God. So, altruism can have a lot to do with God, but it is in no way exclusive to a belief in such.
i love this because the way i see it is that, humans think that we know everything. we know exactly how to live on earth and how to be successful. we think that nothing can touch us. why should we pay attention to God when we dont need him? its not until we think beyond earth and we start asking ourselves big questions do we surrender ourself to God. however, we do not want to "surrender" to God, we need to accept him.
JGV
I really feel we are all connected to 'all that is' whether we know it or not.....whatever we choose to call God, is an individual choice, but I am one of those persons who feels that we are spirit living in a human form for a time..... Every choice that we make is an expression of our spirituality and our values and our individuality.....to me God is a law of existance that I may not understand and may have varying consciousness of, but regardless of what I think or feel God exists.
I'm not so sure how I feel about the existence of God; I've struggled with this question a lot. But I do think Christians tend to rely more on God when times are tougher.
I spent some time in a foreign country and when I was there, I went to church at least once a week (I had previously never gone by choice). I think I went simply because it was something that was familiar to me and helped me to cope with homesickness. Now that I'm back home, I never pray or go to church by choice.
It wasn't so much that I needed God necessarily, just that it was something stable and familiar in my life. I think that's what religion is for many people. So when people think they need God more when life smacks them in the face, I think what some of them may need is just that stability.
@AJokerman A disagree to a point. Altruism revolves a group of people that are told what to do by a "higher force." The higher force doesn't have to be a god, true, but they happen to be the easiest to recognize. Also, for a higher being to have power a.k.a to be able to "exist", a person or a group of people must "believe" that the power is real and is, usually, greater than them. So, altruism has "everything" to do with religion and gods. To imply everything is an implication of an altruistic ideal.
@saphrimangel I disagree: altruism does not require belief in a morally regulating God - there are numerous instances of "sub-intelectual" species sacrificing themselves in order to save another. Also, whether or not there is belief in a moral absolute, man can still act in a moral way based upon the instinct of empathy.
I think the the instinct to God arises from the instinct to protection. It does, at many times, seem like an opiate - at least in its most widely accepted forms.
To paraphrase William Blake: "Man forgets that all his Gods originally resided in his breast." Man, himself, is the God of his reality. To Blake, the Gods were the mental powers of man which shaped his reality. For reality is commensurate with mentality. Man only is by that he knows, or is aware of, or experiences. Everything that can be said to exist can only be said to exist because it is known. So at it's most fundamental level, being is shaped by man's ability to "make it be". God becomes a problem when man lets him escape and become a judging force outside of himself.
I think that God, in the traditional sense of being an external superforce, is used at different times by different people for different reasons. Some have the religious ferver and so then use him at all times to dictate their thoughts and actions. Some do not, and so only turn to him in times when life becomes heignous enough to force them to seek psychological, or spirtual, assuagement - the opiate ones. I think that, by and large, though, man does seek and create Gods external to himself in order to derive the opiate effect - to create abtsract realities, in which, or by which, the pain of experience can be alleviated, or infused with a meaning that allows for perseverence.
I think mankind, throughout all of history, has always needed some sort of god or higher power to give itself a moral absolute.
Humans are capable of some horrible things; murder, rape, deceit, genocide, racism. It's up for debate, but I think humans are basically selfish. I.e., we will do anything to protect ourself. It's rare to find someone who will do something for someone else without need for anything in return (what's in it for me?)
In my personal experience, those people almost always have a belief in something more than what they can see. It is an important philosophical question: is there more to life than what we can feel, taste, see, smell, and hear. Because if there isn't, if there's nothing more to this existence than being born breathing, eating, and dying as a small part of some never ending evolutionary chain, then there's no need for any type of moral absolute, is there?
So yes. I think humans need god (or some moral equivalent) in order to survive as any type of civilization. Otherwise, what's the point in being good at all?
ive always been a free thinker and i cant settle my mind on the ideas of religion, but i had a dream the other night that i knew the world was ending in 24 hours, and everyone around me was a Christian. i was the only one who was scared of the end and i didnt feel like i believed in God but i spent the whole day trying to, or learning to.
i feel like we probably do turn to God when we get scared and think it may be the end.
God, my spirit... whatever it is, to me is kinda always there... waiting for me to notice or remember... which you know I forget and then remember. I think this is part of being a human on training wheels... my ego, my self, like a child wants to do what ever... but my spirit, my version of god is in everything. A great teacher, silent kindly watcher, a constant that doesn't judge me, but certainly wants to propel me to engage and enjoy life.
Assuming we are talking about people who already believe in God, then "No". Funny thing is, God is there regardless. (Isn't that the point of "omnipresent"?) Whether it is a time where I am being thrashed by life or whether it is a time where I am enjoying it to the strains of some majestic and meaningful song playing in my head. At no point does the God I have come to know (if only in part) ever leave me alone. And for me, and others, that is probably a really good thing.
Sometimes we need to get smacked in the face over and over again to realize there is something much larger than us. Many people may call that something God, but others may have another name for it. But, some of us are so asleep we don't even realize that there is a God or whatever you want to call it to help us through everything so we don't have to keep getting smacked. Most of us live in a very small world, but once we open up to something greater than ourselves, there is no more smacking in the face, just a lot of space and Divine energy of love for us at any time, all the time.
I recall in college when I called the Unity School of Christianity prayer line for things when life was going wrong, they had a prayer line. After three or four times, I felt that the person on the other side was there for more than just tough situations and it forced me to look at my own experience of God. I have grown since then.
I now realize that having God with me helps me savor the joy of life more deeply and fully. My belief in a God who is steadfast helps me in the storms, but God with me in the joy is great as well.
i need god all the time. i feel if i don't thank him for the goodness in my life he's gonna keep smacking me in the face!
We reach for something greater than ourselves when life challenges us to the extremes. We intimately know, on a spiritual level, that this life is greater than the I. When things begin to overwhelm us, when we begin to feel small and helpless, we grasp at what some would call "God". I believe this is our souls speaking to us of how we are all connected, we all depend on one another, on our environment, on our natural systems... God is what connects us all, the energy that creates and sustains... My concept of God is not traditional in any sense. We may reach out to this God is search of guidance or strength...I believe this reaching allows us to release ourselves from trying to go it alone, it allows us to begin the healing that hopeful thoughts and released worries will bring, it allows us to once again feel connected to something greater than ourselves and that is what our souls know to be true. We are all one, we are all connected...
"God" is found by all of us in very different and unique ways... it is a shame that we only seek this connection when life presents us with difficult times...but maybe that is the universe's way of calling us home!
In my prayer book, it has prayers for test and difficulties , praise and gratitude, forgiveness, husbands, children, assistance, travel â¦. I think itâs just as simple and complicated as this âwe just need Godâ
I think we NEED God at all times. Do we only WANT God when life smacks us in the face? I think that's a little more accurate. I do agree that the times where it seems like everything is blowing up in our faces are easier to deal with when there is a consistent relationship with God. Will God be there even if we only come when we're struggling? I believe this whole-heartedly. I feel, though, that part of having a faith is to be in relationship with God and one-sided relationships never work out.
Ohhh, I know everyone likes to say that they pray, and God is always with them, but I don't honestly believe that. Not that I don't want to, but I'll speak from expirence.
My mum lost a baby, and I prayed for her well-being. My friend died, and I prayed for her family. Another friend got seriously burned, and I prayed.
I only trun to God, when I need something.
We need God always. Though we may never know it, we may never see Him or hear Him, he is always needed. Laying kind and loving thoughts in the corners of our minds. He is with us wheather or not we accpet him. I see Him with my friends who have renounced His name. He loves us all, always.
I've never been much of a believer - I am spiritual, but not religious. For me, god is not so much a divine and sentient being as a kind of energy which binds things together on a level we can't quite grasp. This energy assures that even when we are at our most alone, we still have some connection to the universe - and whether we call it God or see it as an as-yet-unidentified unified field theory we do need it every day. We need it because being part of the world is what makes us human.
Often, when everything's ok, I get super lazy- or jaded -
Though clearly not a face-smackingly bad situation, it is remembrance of God that helps me circumvent this misery.
I believe that if we forge a practice of daily connection with God through prayer, we will be better prepared for the times life smacks us in the face (flat like a pancake - life is the Divine Spatula or Spatu-fist if you will).
I have run the gamut from believing in "not-God" to confusion to passionate devotion to Him, and right now at age 50 I'm seeking a meaningful way of understanding Him and how he moves through my life.
Baha'u'llah's teachings are really helpful in offering a Plan for how to foster relationship with Him, and there is also lots of quasi new-age stuff that teaches practices that connect us to Spirit, or Energy, which is that same God-force.
My quest at this moment is Integration. Oprah's favorite question: What do you know FOR SURE?
Well, I know He has intervened when I have been errant. I know that stepping off the path is painful but that all paths lead untimately to Him, to Unity with Him. I know there is greater power for good than we are tapping into at any given moment. I know that prayer, or focused intention (same thing) has power, and when it is channeled through right living and holy teachings and love for the world, amazing things can happen in our individual lives and in the world.
We always need God. He has created us all because He loves us, and we need to thank Him by remembering Him - so that in desperate times when we seek HELP, God gives us a helping hand!! Sometimes life keeps us so busy that we tend not to remember to pray to Him but in times of difficulties we surely get reminded of His presence, and after we find the solutions to our problems we feel His presence.
This may be out of the topic but many may say they don't believe in God because they don't see God. I think we being created by God will never be able to understand Him or know Him totally as our level of knowledge isn't at all near to what His is. Just as the table cant understand its carpenter, ever!
@Blackwell With all due respect, Blackwell, I don't see how the longing for a magical entity that loves us and helps us with our worst problems increases the likelihood of the existence of that magical entity. The fact that we have natural longings or imaginations does not say anything about the actual existence of those longings and imaginations in the real world. After all, most children fear monsters and ghosts and have a deep attraction to mythological creatures such as unicorns, santa claus, or their favorite characters from fictional books and movies. Does this fantasy mean that all of these mythological beings must really exist somewhere and that they planted a desire in our hearts to know them? I think not.
@iwascuredalright I don't want to offend or assume, so please take these words as you will. Though I am not an atheists, and I can't tell you this from firsthand experience of not believing in God,I do my best to understand your view. I do believe there is an inner longing for some sort of higher power, and it is my belief that God has created everything, even you and I, and that this longing for help is deep within and only the deepest and most challenging struggles really bring it out in those who do not fully believe, and reconfirm the beliefs of those who believe in God.
I am but a man, and I don't know if you care for my comment. I just thought to share with you my thoughts. Be well.
A writer friend of mine says that he can only write when in a bad mood. When he's happy he cannot find inspiration. Perhaps this is the same with prayer or with seeking God in general.
It also reminds me of how my gal pal only talks to me about her boyfriend when she's complaining about him. When things are going great, we do not need to vent.
we do turn to God only when we're in trouble. I'm an atheist and i do tend to ask God for help when i'm in deep trouble. I don't know if it's a habit from being a Catholic for so long but yeah.
I think that when really terrible things happen to us we feel helpless and we want to do something to make us feel like we're working towards making things and ourselves better. i don't believe in god but i still find myself going 'please please please help' when i feel theres nothing i can do or i amnt strong enough to do it. It's like a safety blanket.
It's the old footprints poem, we think were getting along just fine without him until conflict arises. Really he has been carrying us through what might have been the roughest time and setting us down in front of what we are able to handle on our own.
Quality of Life is a matter of perspective, and I do my best to thank God for each day. Good as well as bad.
I think we need GOD all the time but we get so caught up in our "lives" that we forget HIM untill he gets our attention.
Man thinks he needs god because he is afraid of the fact that man is responsible for his present condition. God is a crutch that many lean on which is OK if it works for you. When life smacks us in the face, it isn't god we need; what we need is a helping hand from our brothers and sisters.
No, we need God all the time - but we only NOTICE God when the teeter-totter is up or down.
I don't know if "we only need God when life smacks us in the face" but it seems to me that a lot of the times we only recognize him during those times of test and troubles. I feel its very easy to forget and become complacent during times of fortune and prosperity; however, it is those times when all the things seemingly important in life are removed or shown to be in great contrast to what is really important (i.e. test) that many people turn to God and seek help and shelter.
This question reminds me of a joke I once heard. . .
Science is king and man has finally discovered the scientific secret behind the creation of a complete human being -- body, mind, AND spirit. So mankind gets it in its collective head that it doesn't need God anymore and challenges Him to a contest. They choose their best scientist to go head-to-head with the Creator at making a human being. God decends in material form and the contest begins. No sooner is the stopwatch started than the Diety and the scientist bend to scoop some dust to form their men . . God stands and waggles a finger at the scientist saying "uh, uh! You get your OWN dust!"
Silly, but I have always liked the message. Without God we wouldn't be able to do scientific research or to catch a bus, to give birth or to even BE. So I say we need God all of the time, but especially when life hits us with a two-by-four.
The Sunday school answer no we need god always and all times. But the real answer in most peoples lives is yeah I only need god when I'm in trouble. We often live this way. But we should desire to want god in all times and realize how desperately we need him for anything. Cause apart from him we can do nothing john 15. Each day I want to live like I desperately need Jesus cause I do. I just need help in remembering sometimes
we don't ONLY need God when life smacks us in the face. We really only ask for God when we feel like we need Him. We only feel like we need Him at certain times and only feel like we are close to Him at certain times. Truth is we need God all the time because every minute we can loose a sense of God, the sense to be pure, or good in general, the sense to love everyone unconditionally, etc.
I've always liked the concept of a "God Shot". When you're in faith, you notice the little miracles -god shots. It's a great way to live normal life and good way to prep for the smacks in the face. I think utilizing a spiritual base really does improve our quality of life. It's work. But it's rewarding. Then when we're smacked in the face, we don't need to scream/bargain/beg with God. (However, I would like to reserve the right to do so, just in case).
Yea, pretty much. God's there to help us when we need it. Psychologically that is. He doesn't go around helping us part bodies of water anymore.
@lmciner - Speculative statement. We can't know that for certain one way or another.
@garrettp Hmm...I don't think so. I see my relationship with God as a spiritual umbrella..when I get His opinion and heed it on what I should do in life I stand under the umbrella. When I ignore Him and just go my own way without acknowledging that He knows better than I do...I step out from under the umbrella of his knowledge, protection, and grace and that is when I get rained on. He won't take our free will...we're always able to screw up just fine on our own.
If ,in our journey, we truly desire to know the character of God, (and the good book says we will find Him when we seek Him) we come upon the realization that God is good. He cannot betray Himself and be bad, therefore..unlike people...He will continue to accept us in whatever state we come to Him in. I always say "God always comes through a need". In other words..none of us come to Him without needing something initially. The sad part is..when you know how good He is..you realize that He doesn't deserve to be used by us only desiring His company when we have a need. He wants to share every part of our lives with us...He wants to laugh and celebrate and cry and sit quietly with us as well as calm us when we are off kilter.
I chant daily. I started without faith, unbelieving. Miracles happen.
Appealing to a higher power only in a time of need is not faith. It is desperation.
Hard times make it much easier for me to recognize and appreciate the good times. What if the "smacks in the face" ARE the help that motivate us to take action that is positive?
God is there for people who need the closure in their lives. He listens when people need someone to talk to. Not all people have made amends with life friends or family members, and when they aren't there with the person at their death bed, the person dying then looks to the one source that they HAVE to believe in because someone has to listen to what they say.
Could it be that God Himself is doing the slapping trying to gain our attention?
Life is always smacking us in the face although sometimes we assume we are on top of things. If we need God at all (and we do) we need God all the time. This doesnt mean that we have no responsibility for our lives...we aren't infants. But we need to ask God to guide us (not because God forgets to but because we forget our priorities.)
irrelevant question since we are always with god unless we are out of alignment.
ego says yes....although all we ever are is with god bc we are part of the whole. needing is the illusion
I think if we are honest with ourselves we try to need God or think about him but we only get desperate enough to truly seek him when things get hard.
I like this C.S. Lewis quote:
âGod whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf worldâ- C.S. Lewis
I think we need God in our lives everyday, but I don't think it has to fall into any kind of prescribed ritual. Personally I believe that a connection with God is found in the present moment and anytime we are truly present we taste the divine in everything we do from meditating to taking out the garbage. My goal isn't to die with God in my heart, it's to live with God in my heart. :)
I think we NEED to have the idea of God with us at all times....and by that I mean the idea that we are part of something bigger than this material world. There is a purpose to our life. If we wait until the something goes wrong to start thinking this way we are wasting a lot of time. Should we have conversation with God...or meditate on things regularly...I can't answer that for everyone. I think that when you love something you think about it all the time. Think about when you start to fall in love with someone and that person is all you ever think about....you can't wait until the next time to can see them or speak to them....what if God was that love?
We need God ALWAYS, and we have to get smacked occasionally so we pay attention. Pain and suffering work wonders to turn the body in the realm of the spirit.
We always NEED God, dear reader, but we don't always WANT God. C.S. Lewis put it best (paraphrased) when he said that "Pain is God's megaphone". God is our parent, against whom we rebel constantly yet the first one we turn to when times are tough. Luckily He knows and expects this. But much like your Mother appreciates a call when it's NOT Mother's day, do the same for the big guy and pray sometimes when you're not in dire need.
It is a bad habit of most people. I know a lot of people that do not think to pray or go to church or even have any kind of relationship with God until times get rough. They get sick or suffer heart ache or think their world is crashing in on them and then they ask for His grace. That would make me mad if I were God. But that is why He is so good at His job. He sees and understands. And helps. In His way. Just do yourself a favor. When God does help in those bad times, thank Him. And start living with Him everyday.
I personally believe that people need God and need to remember Him in both good and bad periods of our lives. But...the times when I'm in a difficult place are also the times when I have the most difficulty with prayer. It's never easy to pray and feel like I'm "doing it right" (I know there's no right way, but it doesn't feel that way...) but when I'm having difficulty with my life I feel like my prayers hit a brick wall right above my head. When I can muster the courage to pray at all.
Not sure what that means. :P
I am new to soulpancake & happy to have been draw here :)...I think we are always connected to GOD or what I've come to know as SOURCE.This power is witin us, we are extensions of it. To quote Abraham "You are literally God expressing in this physical body." Realizing that everything that happens to me is not done TO me but FOR me. This is what I working with currently, it makes the most sense to me in this moment.
i tend to believe we are constantly searching for God's grace. not that it's a need per se, but something we are looking for to help us feel whole and connected to each other.
I think that we need to Praise God and remember Him each day. But, we probably only NEED Him when "Life smacks us in the face", but we can use His assistance all the time. It's like raising children we raise them to grow up and be independent of us. Sometimes our children need us a lot and sometimes not so much. Do they forget us, i hope not. I haven't forgotten my parents and my dad has been dead for over 20 years. I still prayer for my father and ask him for help. I believe it is the same relationship with God. He is always there, helps us when we ask, helps us when we're not sure what we need and leaves us alone when we can handle it ourselves. Sometimes that's the best help he can give us is by leaving us grow and figure it out ourselves. So yes, when "life smacks us in the face" that may be the only time we NEED God, but that doesn't mean He's not there for us all the other times and we should practice remembering Him always.
We need God everyday! But most of the time we just don't bother. When the good stuff happens we tend to pat ourselves on the backs - good job we exclaim - when in reality our talents are His.
We need God when we aren't being smacked in the face. We need God in our lives always. We also need each other.
We can certainly use the guidance of God at all times. "Need" is a strong word and implies there is something wrong. Is God an invaluable resource available to us at all times--yes!
No. I think we need an ongoing relationship with God to keep us grounded and make us strong so that when we are "smacked in the face" we can deal. But those "smacked in the face" moments are important as well, since they cause a lot of people to recognize and believe in a higher power or reaffirm their faith. So, while technically we SHOULD have a relationship with God, sometimes we need to get smacked around a little. :-)
well .... YAAAAH! Sad but true ... BUT, after the wake up call, joy & peace & comfort are OWNED on a daily minute by minute basis!
No way, I think we need a relationship with God to experience real life to begin with. Knowing God (or at least having some sort of relationship) helps us to make sense of life when we get smacked in the face by it.
Hell No!
We constantly need God.
We show our Faith by Praising God in the good times, as well as in the not so good times.
And even the not so good times, are in reality good times, you learn.
@BlueCrayon personally, i believe thats how it should be. and BlueCrayon, i respect you for your honesty, for opening up personally, and for your faith.
and no, to answer the "big question", we CONSTANTLY need God. but in all reality, we can't conceptualize that need, and therefore, we dismiss it. we put God on the back burner until He is convenient for us. we dont realize that God is ALL we need, in the good times and the bad. the more we glimpse that, the less we'll care about "life smack[ing] us in the face".
I think those moments are just cosmic reality checks. I don't really think our prayers affect God, but rather they affect us and those around us, by helping to manifest certain energy in the world. Our prayers may not result in the events we want, but on a larger scale, I believe they do move us in the direction we seek, if only by realigning our intentions by the clarity of our prayers.
I believe that people get hung up on the word god and that is why they seem to only reach for him in times of crisis. Whether you believe in god, source, light, spirit, ra, allah or any other of the myriad of names out there, reaching for this energy on a daily basis will give you the strength you need to move forward in light. Not only is that energy there in times of crisis, it is also there in your greatest triumphs!
Love and light!
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@Greenbot awesome quote! I really believe that. I also beleive that God is as much in us as 'out there' and when we are disconnected from our essence we are disconnected from God as well. So we need God always and I think that we see something as a 'smack in the face' when we are most disconnected- kind of wakes us up to return to our core.
I think sometimes it takes a big crisis to make people who don't usually think about God realize that maybe there is some kind of "higher power" that we can turn to for help. But I think that if you keep God in your thoughts more often and allow him to guide you, you are less likely to run into these crisis or at least less often.
No. I begin every morning with prayer, and throughout the day I take a moment here and there to touch base with God. (Prayer, for me, is conversation with God, but neither God nor I need words to converse. Just thought I'd mention that.)
When I see something beautiful, or something that makes me go WOW!!! I think of God. When I have a moment of sudden insight I think of God. When something puzzles me, I thank God for another learning opportunity. I believe God and I work together in every poem I write or every painting I do.
in the end. no. we should need/want God as part of our lives 24/7, but it is often what it takes to get people to start believing in God. we shouldn't rely on Him only when things are hard. if life is smacking you in the face, maybe it's God telling you, believe in me, have faith in me, turn to me. it should be a life changing incident when you start believing in God. it seems pretty selfish to only turn to God when you need help. it's the same as if someone were only using you when they need to get out of a bind. when things are going wrong. but being ignored the rest of the time.
many people do, but i personally don't. i identify myself as a Christian, but i'm really more "spiritual" than "religious"... i'm not much of a church-goer, simply because i feel that church is in the heart, not in a building. to me, my religion is about my personal relationship with God.
i pray daily, not as a ritual, but just at random times during the day. it's not only about asking for things... it's a conversation. last week, i was able to talk myself out of a panic attack, and after, i simply said, "thank you Lord for being with me, and for giving me clarity and strength when i needed it." i also pray for my sister daily. she's got a lot of serious health issues, and when i pray, i don't ask God to heal her... i ask Him to be with her, to let her feel His presence with her, and to continue giving her the strength she needs to get through it.
for what it's worth, i think all religions and faiths are beautiful and valid, and should be respected. if it gives your life meaning and purpose, then awesome. i wish more people would just agree to disagree.
We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking, only to learn that it is God who is shaking them -Charles C. West
Nope.We don't have to be overily mentioning God by saying His name in every sentence of our speech. We all know that the love of God is in our heart. Consiously knowing that He is there and we doing things that simply pleased Him is enough to say that yes,we know He is there and needing Him to guide us and acknowledge us. With that no matter what smacks in your face, Faith will always guide us through. Everything we do is related to God.
No, we should not. We accept all good things which are rewarded by God and we only remember him, when in need of something. God is the creator and He knows, what, when and how we gonna get anything. Life is a combination of all good and bad, difficult times, so its all pre-destined, nothing we can change about it. Everything has a reason.
no, we don't. but i think that for most people it's like that. For some, or actually most of us, when life gives us a nice, swift kick in the nards we turn to God because that is when we are at our weakest and are full of humility. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. at that point in our life, we recognize that we can't do this on our own and are in need of God's help. i just think that we should have this kind of humility and meekness all the time instead of only at the lowest point in our life, because then we will really reap the blessings and rewards of being close to God.
NOTE ABOUT MY LAST POST:
This form entered random question marks where there should have been commas or emdashes
Should Oneâor does One?
Maintaining a constant awareness of The Bigger Consciousness makes one thankful, well prioritized and spiritually/physically proportionate/healthy. But, in trauma, Oneâs awareness becomes more acute. In trauma Oneâs thoughts and prayers (the soul/mindâs infinitely projecting energies) become focused on seeking help. This is natural.
Problems occur when Oneâs complacent/idle soul/mind, during times void of conflict, becomes distracted with selfish exertion of energyâwhich will hopefully become less common as a result of Soul Pancake. When One asks for help and exerts gratitude for itâs delivery, help manifests which is a manifestation of good.
If One is selfishly exerting energy, One is more challenged to exert selfless energy. Selfless energy is constant prayerful existence that manifests good in our perception of Life. The exertion of selfless energy is maintaining awareness of The Bigger Consciousness.
Allowing our soul/mind to exert selfish energy during times void of conflict may harm, but most often results in a cancellation of the manifestation of good.
@TywestPDX agreed!!
and to answer on my own.. no i dont believe we only need Him during difficult times. we are always to turn to Him. i think He allows us to experience some setbacks sometimes just to get us focused on what we should be focusing on ...which is Him. people that can turn to him always seem to have more peace about situations.. because we know that whatever we are facing good or bad He gives us what we need to get through it. I think we turn to God for strength and comfort in the hard times..but we also need to rejoice in Him in the good times :)
Yes. When I am happy, I don't think of all the great things God has done for me. As an Agonstic, I tend to be more towards an atheist side while in my happy mode, once something goes wrong, I start saying things like '' oh dear God please help me '' I guess I'm just confused as to weather I'm Agnostic or Atheist.
While its true we tend to scream out more intensely when something is bad, I can think of countless moments, either witnessing beauty or feeling extreme joy that I said "thank you G!"
When I was a kid, I would break down and cry whenever I got sick. I would pray to god and jesus to make it so I wouldn't barf. I still got sick, and I still complained about going to church. I guess I saw things quite binary then, but I still do now.
We always need God because we are broken people. Unfortunately for us, when things seem to be going well we tend to think that we are the reason they are going well and therefore don't need God. We think that what we've done has gotten us to the place we're in and we don't realize that God has given us what we have. Because of this we tend to only turn to God when something goes wrong with our little plans that really aren't "our" plans to begin with.
In a nutshell...no. But, we often look to God when we need that intervention. People find God often out of desperation... while this can lead to a powerful relationship between the individual and the almighty. It can also be harmful in that it is based on the idea of God storming in at a desperate time of need...and as we know God does not always rescue us from this world (at least in one sense, but that is a different question entirely) when called upon. The person may even believe that God will protect them from tragedy. But that will not happen, as life is full of joy and sorrow....why do we think everything will work out for us??? again another question :) But when people live with God daily they often find that moments of tragedy come with more comfort. As they know there is something more than this....and thus concludes my rant.
When we're happy and comfortable with our situation we choose not to rely on God. When life sucks we look to God to help us out. I think it's important to keep God in our lives after it stops sucking. And to be thankful for the help he gives us.
we need god always, people generally feel they need Him more when they are in trouble.
its like that paved paradise song: dont it always seem to go that you dont know what you got till its gone.
it is just like a child's reliance on their parents.... they think they are all grown up and can do things on their own.. but really, if it werent for their parents care, caution, guidance, etc, a child is completely incapable of surviving this world or growing to anything. the child will feel the need for the parents' care/love when it is feeling down, but it doesnt always know that is in constant need of the parents.
God IS the ultimate parent to us all...
I think a lot of people feel this way. I know that it is a easy to turn to God for help when things really start going wrong but it is even easier to forget about the things God has done for you in the past when everything is going perfect. That is how it has felt for me and been one of those things that has constantly challenged me, not just turning to God when things are bad but turning to him even when things are fantastic.
DISCUSSION TOOLSET
I think we need God at all times, but most people only turn to him when life smacks us in the face. I know personally that I've done this, but I try my hardest to walk with him, live for him, and need him all the time.