Finding God, trusting God

It is strange to find faith and belief reduced to numbers, studies and reality. But, in grief, those who seek God in prayer find healing and recovery much more quickly than those that don't. What is interesting, is that the Holy One does not seem particularly picky about how we visualize him.

Issues of gender, person, and attributes do not seem that significant when God's children seek him for help in grief, he responds regardless of our visualizations. Only sincerity and belief seem to matter. So, in a way, the science is a triumph for belief, but not for any specific religion. For most people the results of prayer are not immediate (though there can be moments of inspiration, peace and knowledge that light the way, they are not permanent resolutions), but they are gentle and continuous.

The real struggle is to continue to have trust in God after something terrible has happened, or if it happens more than once. From the outside it is easy to think "God does not save us from being mortal, he only helps us through the experience." That all die and that all experience mortal life, the point being how we react and out making the passage through life. But from the inside, in pain and grief, it is much harder to see the loss of a child, or the loss of children, as part of the natural process for which the world was made, a temporary condition, a brief moment to be healed later in love.

That contrasts with the twelve step's second step where they have to come to believe that a higher power can restore them to sanity. In grief, it is that God can help you in recovery and in the healing that can occur within the walls of the world. In a twelve step, it is that only through God can they recover at all -- and they have to believe that even though God hasn't helped them before, this time he can do it. It helps, of course, that there are millions of success stories and thousands and thousands of functioning groups based on the concept.

But in both cases, you have to find God, find belief in God, and find trust in God to hold onto God. But the path is there and God is faithful to respond to us.

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BTW, a useful link for guys who need to wear a tie is the Brooks Brother's Instructions which takes you through all the classic methods.

For diet information, latest posts are here. I've had over four thousand thread views, and there are over a hundred posts in my thread. I'm at another plateau, but making progress, even if it is down to half a pound a week or so (in non-plateau periods I'm at a rate of about 8.5-9.5 pounds a month, in the plateaus it is 3-4 pounds a month. Most people are losing 2-3 pounds a month, and the plateau periods are .5 to 1 pound a month).

What is neat is that in most diets a plateau means failure. All diets work -- at least for 2-3 weeks. There is a lot of good science that just changing what you eat will result in weight loss for a period of 2-3 weeks. Then you plateau, then you rebound. Or, if you hold strictly to the diet, then your metabolism shuts down, then you rebound. As a result, most people react to plateaus by struggling to figure out what they are doing wrong that the diet is no longer working, and over time, react to plateaus with despair.

With the method I am using, a plateau is just a sign of reorganization before my body loses more weight. I now go through them monthly and I'm getting used to having plateaus. The first three or four were strange experiences though, and listening to others react I finally figured out why plateaus were such an emotional event. But, since my metabolism never shuts down during a plateau, I've learned to not take them so seriously.

Now, if I can just keep using the antibiotics and my cornea heals, I'll be fine by tomorrow. After a half day I'm already "seeing" enough improvement that I no longer need the painkillers. Were that all healing was so fast.

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I'm home sick, so I took a web poll too. Here's my first to post:

I Am A: Lawful Good Elf Paladin Ranger


Alignment:
Lawful Good characters are the epitome of all that is just and good. They believe in order and governments that work for the benefit of all, and generally do not mind doing direct work to further their beliefs.


Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.


Primary Class:
Paladins are the Holy Warriors. They have been chosen by a God/dess to be their representative on Earth, and must follow the code of that deity, or risk severe penalties. They tend towards being righteous, but not generally to excess.


Secondary Class:
Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.


Deity:
Tyr is the Lawful Good god of justice. He is also known as Tyr Grimjaws, Wounded Tyr, the Maimed God, and Blind Tyr. He appears as a warrior, missing his hand. Followers of Tyr are concerned first and foremost with justice - discovering the truth and punishing the guilty for their crimes. They wear blue and purple robes with a white sash, a white gauntlet on the left hand, and a black gauntlet on the right, to symbolize Tyr's lost hand. Their preferred weapon is the warhammer. Tyr's symbol is a set of scales resting on a warhammer.


Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy ofNeppyMan (e-mail)



Class:
Fighter - (-4)
Ranger -- XXXXX (5)
Paladin - XXXXXXXX (8)
Cleric -- X (1)
Mage ---- XX (2)
Druid --- XXXX (4)
Thief --- (-6)
Bard ---- XXX (3)
Monk ---- XXX (3)