Today’s Thought 5-9-09: Fear of the Holy Spirit

For many “normal” Christians, a slight chill crawls up the spine when another tells them of the movement of the Holy Spirit in his or her life.  This shiver comes from a part of the human imagination which still holds that what is being spoken, no matter how “far fetched," could possibly be true, and it is much like the reaction one gets from a good ghost story: maybe, but probably not. However, the real travesty comes when the “normal” Christian loses even the slightest trust and has no reaction at all.  For this person, talk of the Holy Spirit is strictly metaphorical. Usually there is a progression in the “normal” Christian's life that sees the power of the Holy Spirit slowly fade away Then, all reaction to His mention becomes cynical.  Why?  I believe the answer is fear.  We accept God the Father because we think of Him as the Creator that transcends this realm--He is an infinity away watching over us. When we think of the Son, we limit His reality to His historic place--a comfortable 2,000 years past.  Moreover, we think of Him in His human form; he can be with us only in that form, but He cannot be in us.  He is safely outside our being.  But, dwelling inside us is exactly the role of the Holy Spirit.  He comes to infiltrate the darkest regions of our hearts.  This fear is why “normal” Christianity so often leads to “nominal” Christianity.  Christ’s mission was to redeem fallen man.  However, many Christians want to accept only half of His mission, the part that saves us from damnation. They do not want Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit to radically transform their lives in love.  Turn away from fear and be transformed.