Was joining your particular religious order your own choice?

[Frrostedman]

Wonderful testimony bro. Very interesting read. I still come away believing strongly that it was the Man upstairs that made the first move. The migraine for example.

 

[Irene]

Well, I was cradle Catholic. As a kid I told my parents I wanted to be 'Church of England' because they don't have to go to mass on Sundays! Suffice to say that was not seen as a sufficient reason ... although they went to great lengths to explain to me why we do.

Ha-ha-ha! I have similar memories.
I'd ask my parents, "Can I not be Christian, just today?"

When I was older I made my own decision, and walked away.

I was a New Ager, Jesus was a teacher, but that's all.

In my twenties I joined what is now referred to as a New Age Cult.

By my late twenties I was disillusioned enough to make the break. My beloved and I are the only couple we know who met there, and stayed together after they left.

May I ask ... which New Age religion did you participate in and how was their practice like? and what was the main cause of your disillusion? What made you realize our Lord is the Son of God? -- Sorry, asking too many questions at once ... I'm just so curious about the different paths other people took and the epiphany they had in the end ...

In my thirties I was still looking, deepening my understanding of the Hermetic Arts.

One day I was thumbing through a book in a bookshop (duh!), got the call to rejoin my family (they hit the fashion shops), put the book down and walked out. Then a thumping migraine started (my first and only), and every step I took it got worse. "Got to buy I book," I said, and went back to the shop. The migraine subsided with each step.

Oh my! What a sign!! I too, have had the moments I felt God may be directly interacting with me ... The recent one was when I was waiting at a doctor's office ... The result of my mammogram came back abnormal and I had to take further exams ... I was so uneasy and asked God to help me to be strong no matter the outcome, then I felt a sudden warmth on my left hand and it calmed me down ... The exams only found calcium deposits (nothing malignant). -- Looks like God used a stick for you, whereas He used carrot for me. But both work!

Had a standoff with the Man Upstairs.
Got told I was exactly where I needed to be.

Do you mean you dared quarrel with God? What was your beef?

So to me, it was a series of personal choices, accompanied by a series of coincidences and affirmations.

The same for me. Every time I made a choice toward Him, I gained tranquility ... I don't know how else I'd live anymore ... I wouldn't ever want to let go of this serene clarity and assurance [He is in charge and everything will be "just" in the end], and wouldn't want to be all wrapped up in the confusion of this world again.