COSMO@TRIUMFER (01/16/90)
>And indeed several of the points strike me as proper "symptoms" >not only of God's peace but also of growing maturity in Christ. > >I am troubled, however, by one little problem--not >a problem with the posting but rather a problem with me. >You see, as best I can tell I don't exhibit any of these >symptoms. This makes me quite suspicious that I don't >have the disease. Oh I'm a christian, no doubt about >that. But I seem to be almost completely free from these >symptoms of peace or maturity. And, for all that, I >appear (in my own eyes--though I think some of my friends >would agree) to be happier, more contented, more at peace >(say it however you will) than most of the people (Christians, >in particular) that I know. > >So, to come to the point, I would like to get this sickness. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. No two people have the same personality, so the way their behavior is going to express the effects of the Holy Spirit are going to be different. For example, when I'm dealing with Jesuits, I don't expect them to express the Holy Spirit through mysticism. These are hard nosed, analytical thinkers, most of whom have Phd's. They express the Spirit through wisdom, and teaching, but not much in the way of prophesy. Likewise, if I'm dealing with a bunch of no-nonsense Nuns, I'm not suprised to find they express teaching and healing, but nothing overtly spiritualistic (some orders do, though). But if I'm dealing with Franciscans, I'm not suprised to find that they enjoy very much a connection of themselves to God and nature. (I'm not Roman Catholic, but I do deal with them, and I've used them as examples here because the Romand Catholic Church has the institutions in place to deal with variety.) So, don't worry about it. If you're happy, and you know you've got the Spirit in you, then the mystical stuff is just not your bag. Peace David