In mid 2022 I was watching YouTube on television in our bedroom. I saw first-hand accounts of Russian atrocities in Ukraine. The shelling of hospitals and private homes, and the killing of innocent children and their parents. I deeply felt the trauma brought on by these events. Confused crying children were staggering along not knowing where they were going or what their futures held. They were alone and moving along the same path as other refugees trying to escape the war.
At that time I was not strongly religious. Despite that I prayed to God for the people of Ukraine. This was not something that I would normally do. I did it because I was deeply affected by the vision and feeling quite emotional. My prayers were genuine and I believe that for that reason they were heard. What followed had the immediate effect of changing my life and the strength of my religious belief.
A life-changing moment
I became aware of a very strong white light coming into the room. The light totally absorbed me. There was a feeling of incredibly intense love and absolute peace. Also, a total absence of fear and anger. It was an unbelievably powerful life changing moment that I will never forget. These new feelings were what I can only describe as an ideal state of being. It was something that I wished to hold onto.
I had earlier been feeling quite frustrated and a little angry with the world. Those feelings had disappeared in an instant. There was an immediate acceptance that negative events were unimportant. I no longer had any fear of death or anything else for that matter.
Instantly I knew that humility, caring and a focus on helping others were the only important things in life. It was no longer about me. I no longer had any desire for selfish pursuits or for recognition and acclaim. I wished only to use my skills and knowledge to help other people. That was a reversal of my attitude at that time.
An immediate and long-lasting change
I stress that these changes were immediate and long-lasting so I know that my prayers had an effect. Deep down I knew it was a meeting with the Holy Spirit or the Lord Jesus. As they say, “God lives within us all” and I know that it’s something that we all can find.
Despite that I am still someone with a technical mindset and background so I tried to rationalise what had happened. It was something that I was incorrectly seeking to explain by using a scientific mindset. I thought, ‘maybe it was a bodily reaction to short-term stress’. A natural release of endorphins or something similar. A bodily reaction to something short-term, however, would not be life changing. Its effects would not persist in the longer term.
You may feel that what happened was a physical or psychological reaction (I once would have said the same thing). I understand that view, as we all relate to things on the basis of our human experience. Spiritual things are outside of our normal realm and can be hard to accept.
Maybe you think that I am crazy for saying it was due to the Holy Spirit. That’s OK but realise that modern science does not explain such things. However, it was understood and described at the time that the various books of the bible were written.
I have, since that experience, continued to change. I feel much calmer and tolerant and particularly notice this when driving. Other drivers no longer irritate me when they do something wrong. I simply forgive them and understand that we all make mistakes. That was clearly the ongoing impact of the Holy Spirit.
This is well described in the Holy Bible (Galatians 5:22-23). It states, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
It was a spiritual experience
I then researched situations where people had similar experiences and discovered what are known as “Near Death Experiences”. This is where people have sensations of leaving their physical body. They remember passing through light tunnels and meeting Jesus and/or deceased relatives. At times, meeting relatives they didn’t know they had, such as deceased siblings.
To the best of my knowledge I did not have a near death experience. My doctor agrees with me. I was not like many others who were on an operating table or in a horrific accident. I was in good health and my experience was not exactly the same. If it was a near death experience that would not lessen its impact. It would also be a remarkable coincidence, as it only occurred when I prayed in a genuine manner.
I have since learnt that this is called a “Road to Damascus Moment”. That’s something that I will leave you to consider but it is, like many things, mentioned in the Bible.
A Road to Damascus Moment is a reference to a situation described in the bible. Saul was a Pharisee and was travelling to Damascus a few years after the crucifixion of Jesus. Christians were seen as a threat to the established levels of power and authority. Saul was intending to persecute the Christians but was confronted by Christ. This led to his conversion to the faith and he became known as Paul the Apostle.