Over the Christmas break I spent an enjoyable few evenings with my two children listening to the audiobook of Bear Grylls' autobiography. Something he said in chapter 25 has stuck with me. How often have I over analysed, over complicated faith? How often have I tied myself in theological knots, ending back at the point of atheism? When he was 16 he had a low point with the death of someone close to him. He said this;
"I remember sitting up a tree one night at school on my own, and praying the simplest, most heartfelt prayer of my life.
‘Please, God, comfort me.’
Blow me down … He did."
This experience sounds very much like that of a friend of mine who as a teenager was suffering some anxiety and worry about something. She asked God to comfort her and instantly she felt a protective cocoon of warmth and love.
Neither of these were Damascene moments but rather a gentle warm glow of a hidden ember than causes a log to gradually catch fire, slowly emanating warmth.
