Life-changing experiences

Back in the days when we lived in third world countries we often hosted individuals and groups from the U.S. who came to visit communities and projects where we carried out work with people living in poverty.  Visitors would typically observe the  efforts of people in poor communities, interact with the families and listen to them talk about their lives.  

Towards the end of these visits we would ask people to express their reactions and evaluate the meaning  of their experience.  One term that was often used to describe their feelings was that it had been a "life changing experience".   It was always encouraging to hear these deeply felt expressions because  change in people was precisely the reason we were doing this work.  We were not only interested in bringing about change for the better in the lives of the poor but  we saw that people who lived their lives in conditions of prosperity (whether or not they considered themselves  rich) were often affected and changed by an intense experience with the poor and they started to see reality in a new way.  In some way they began to think in a different way.

I have been thinking about life changing experiences this week, trying to remember some such experiences in my youth, especially in relation to my faith journey through life.  My church tradition never put much emphasis on being born again.  But that is precisely what Jesus told Nicodemus he needed - Unless one is born again one cannot enter or understand the Kingdom of God. John 3:3  Nicodemus, an official in the temple, was pretty dumbfounded to hear this and tried to understand. It definitely required a different way of thinking about reality.

I think I saw a glimpse of a life changing experience in my grandson Henry last week after his week at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp.  Although Henry didn't talk about his experience in terms of being born again, saved or converted, his expression was something like "I was changed at camp - never felt so close to God before".   This change he tried to describe was emotional, for sure, and the result of an intense positive experience with other people (including his fellow 13 year old campers) and took place in a beautiful setting of nature - but my interpretation is that this was combined in a particular time and place with the Spirit of Jesus  and the result of intentional prayer and openness to the Spirit.

Whether or not Henry will look back on his life when he is an adult and remember this experience as pivotal will only be revealed with time.  He has many years of experience, learning and challenges ahead of him, including some struggle and resistance from the culture that he (and we all) live in.  

I wish I remembered exactly how that quote I have seen a few times goes; something like "We don't think ourselves into a new way of living, we live ourselves into a new way of thinking".