subject: Finding God – 3 More Obstacles and How You Can Get Past Them [print this page] Finding God 3 More Obstacles and How You Can Get Past Them
We all want a life of unshakable peace and security. Many try to find meaning in a relationship with God, but why do so few enjoy this level of joy? Ask yourself if any of these obstacles are standing in your way, then find out how to overcome them.
We don't try to find God because we're afraid of the outcome.
The reasons for fear are endless. We might fear that our search will lead to a dead end. Or, we might fear that we will find God but it won't be a God that feels comfortable to us. Many fear that a search for God will lead to either a loss of self, or an empty void. Or we may fear that God will expect us to give up everything we enjoy. No wonder so many spiritual journeys stop before they even get started.
Overcome the obstacle: The hallmark of a spiritual master is joy, not misery. Spiritual masters have found the truth in these words written by the gnostic teacher Valentinus, "Since the Father was creative, it seemed good to him to create and produce what was most beautiful and most perfect to himself. For he was all love and love is not love if there is nothing to be loved." Understand that you were created to be loved and all fear disappears.
We can't find God because we keep looking in the wrong places.
We're told by "experts" that God can be found through intellectual pursuits, good works, church attendance, rituals, prayers, reading holy books, spiritual practices such as yoga or meditation or following a spiritual leader. Many people diligently follow these guidelines, but they don't get the results they were seeking.
Overcome the obstacle: The perennial philosophy teaches that God is found through "experiential knowing" This means having a personal experience of God rather than have someone else tell us who God is. In the gnostic Dialogue of the Savior Jesus told his followers to "light the lamp within youknock on yourself as upon a door and walk upon yourself as on a straight road." To know God, we must experience God for ourselves, but this leads to the next obstacle.
We can't find God because we don't trust ourselves. At times we do need the help of an expert, butexperts often make us feel that we can no longer trust our own inner knowing. A true spiritual master knows the most they can do is point a student in the right direction.
No one can experience God for us. We can overcome our dependency on experts when we realize that God would not expect us to do something we're not capable of. We all have an innate emotional intelligence that will guide us and show us exactly what we need to know when we learn to trust it.
