Do you believe in ghosts?
Are you haunted by ghosts?
I do and I am. While the idea of the spirit of someone who has passed really freaks me out, it is the idea of ghosts of my past that are the most frightening. The ghosts of the person I used to be seems to haunt my reality - I am pretty sure there is more than one ghost. The ghost of the young girl I was before I became a believer, the ghost of the timid wallflower I was during most of high school, and the ghost of the naive diva I became in college.
I was around four or five, quite young, when I became a believer so that particular ghost is not so much haunting as elusive. That simple faith of my childhood that God would take care of everything is something I must search for and tap into on a daily basis.
The timid wallflower ghost seems to hit me square in the face anytime I step foot near my high school - yes it is just as bad as it sounds. Its like I am possessed with the 16 year old version of myself anytime I turn in the parking lot and I try quite hard to blend into the seat of my car. I was a substitute teacher there a few times when I moved home, and I had to remind myself not to look as scared as I felt because I was no longer that girl.
Most recently I have come face-to-face with the college version of myself, and for a brief moment, I found myself wanting to be that girl again. Surrounded by great friends and family, successful in school, active in organizations, she was a devout optimist, confident in her abilities, and stubborn to a fault. College was great, and I treasure those times, but the seconds were fleeting before I realized that this girl was un-tested and lacked depth. Yes she had not experienced pain and struggles in any real way, but she also had never really experienced the strength of God's hand when you have nothing else to hold onto.
Even though it does make me sad that things have changed and that girl is a ghost, I wouldn't trade the lessons I have learned when all of those things were stripped from my life. I had placed my friends where only God should be, I relied on my own abilities rather than leaning on God, and during my junior and senior years, I was "too busy" to spend real time in the word. Little by little, God took away those things so that He could restore my foundation and form me into the person who could withstand the winds and rains of testing and trials. Now I am not saying that I have "arrived" by any means, but I at least feel that I am on the right road. Sometimes it just takes a few ghosts to remind us where we have come from!
Are you haunted by ghosts?
I do and I am. While the idea of the spirit of someone who has passed really freaks me out, it is the idea of ghosts of my past that are the most frightening. The ghosts of the person I used to be seems to haunt my reality - I am pretty sure there is more than one ghost. The ghost of the young girl I was before I became a believer, the ghost of the timid wallflower I was during most of high school, and the ghost of the naive diva I became in college.
I was around four or five, quite young, when I became a believer so that particular ghost is not so much haunting as elusive. That simple faith of my childhood that God would take care of everything is something I must search for and tap into on a daily basis.
The timid wallflower ghost seems to hit me square in the face anytime I step foot near my high school - yes it is just as bad as it sounds. Its like I am possessed with the 16 year old version of myself anytime I turn in the parking lot and I try quite hard to blend into the seat of my car. I was a substitute teacher there a few times when I moved home, and I had to remind myself not to look as scared as I felt because I was no longer that girl.
Most recently I have come face-to-face with the college version of myself, and for a brief moment, I found myself wanting to be that girl again. Surrounded by great friends and family, successful in school, active in organizations, she was a devout optimist, confident in her abilities, and stubborn to a fault. College was great, and I treasure those times, but the seconds were fleeting before I realized that this girl was un-tested and lacked depth. Yes she had not experienced pain and struggles in any real way, but she also had never really experienced the strength of God's hand when you have nothing else to hold onto.
Even though it does make me sad that things have changed and that girl is a ghost, I wouldn't trade the lessons I have learned when all of those things were stripped from my life. I had placed my friends where only God should be, I relied on my own abilities rather than leaning on God, and during my junior and senior years, I was "too busy" to spend real time in the word. Little by little, God took away those things so that He could restore my foundation and form me into the person who could withstand the winds and rains of testing and trials. Now I am not saying that I have "arrived" by any means, but I at least feel that I am on the right road. Sometimes it just takes a few ghosts to remind us where we have come from!
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