Finding Halleluiah- Foreward

I have always been drawn to one word, “Halleluiah”. Associated with Big life-changing moments, it announces exuberances- take notice, notice taken! Halleluiah while by definition is a shout of praise, joy or gratitude, is for me, the exclamation of a successful moment of re-birth. When the sky opens up and we can see clearly, profoundly, deeply, we first breathe a sigh of relief born of understanding- and with our second breath we shout, “Halleluiah!”, an acknowledgment of a moment of clear vision, from which one moves forward with new hope and purpose.

While much of life is spent in a fog of auto-pilot living, just trying to put one foot in front of the other successfully so that we can justify indulging our vices at the end of another day, somewhere below this surface is an ever present longing for meaning.

Raised with a belief in a God who loved me unconditionally, I was a happy, little girl. With the advent of college though, I was drawn to a world that called for a deeper commitment to my Creator- the evangelical world of the “born again” belief system.

Navigating this movement for thirty years has left me with one conclusion; there is no red pill/blue pill magic in the life of faith. There is no teacher, preacher, or church community that can gift us with Halleluiah moments. For at the end of the day, Halleluiah is truly hearing from God and understanding what we hear.

“Finding Halleluiah” is my attempt to encourage others to pull back, pull in and sort out the influences in your life. Life is too short to give permission to things and stuff and even people who destroy our ability to be who God created each of us to be. He has given us sign posts along the way, He has whispered to us in the darkest night, held our hand as we ran away, and protected us as we navigated through each day- in His way, in His time. The things we have experienced have no power to break us, but instead they are just part of the path, part of the journey home- home to Halleluiah