Converted a little each Day
Earlier I wrote a bit about my faith journey and mentioned being ‘a little bit converted most days’ rather than having a big moment in my life when it all happened.
Kitty asked for further unpacking of that statement: ‘What you said about getting converted most days sounds very interesting. Can you unpack that a little bit?’
Always happy to oblige, especially for someone whose made a donation to the cause!
I guess what I was getting at was that for me I am learning to see the divine in the ordinary everyday moments of life. In the relationships I find myself in, in the food I eat and the places that I go. In these little encounters I find myself moved by him - moved to worship, moved to live with an outward focus and also moved to be more the person he made me to be. To me this is conversion. Its rarely dramatic as its quite small in isolation, but when I look back over the past decade I can see that I’m a different guy to whom I was. Sort of like turning the Titanic must be - slow but in the end you get there (if the iceberg doesn’t get in your way).
I’ve heard people compare the conversions of Peter, Paul and John in the New Testament. Paul’s was dramatic and huge on the Rd to Damascus, Peter’s was dramatic but he seemed to take two steps forward and then one back each time and John’s seems quite slow and steady. None are any better than the others and I guess all reflect different personalities. Hope that answers your question Kitty.
January 20th, 2005 at 5:32 pm
Oh yes it does answer my question Darren. Thanks mate
What you said is very touching. You know what? I’ve felt like i’ve had some conversion experiences through reading your blogs too 
Good on ya, you’re a blessing from God.
January 20th, 2005 at 5:39 pm
I’m actually writing a research paper on religious conversion at the moment, and as part of my background reading scholars of conversion actually talk about a conversion process rather than it being a single heightened, emotional, single moment. (Lewis Rambo’s “Understanding Religious Conversion” is very good and he doesn’t discount the genuinely religious nature of conversion).
I must admit I thoroughly dislike the ‘when did you convert’ question as I find it so difficult to categorise myself that way. For me, my whole life has been a journey of learning about and discovering God, which seems to me quite seperate from being a paid up member of an organised religion. (Not that being a member of a religion is a bad thing as such - I mean I AM a member of one - but that it’s only a facet of the faith journey for me).