Sensing the Holy Spirit

by Sandy Rothschiller

I had been in a bit of a Holy Spirit dry spell. I was struggling with my connection to God. I did a lot of reading and praying but to sit still with God and experience the breath of God within me, well that just wasn’t happening! The Spirit of God is the breath within us. Knowing it and experiencing it are 2 different things. I can know God is within me, but to have that sense of God’s Spirit, experiencing it, well that comes and goes on my journey. I had been longing to sense God’s Spirit for weeks.

It was only when I was literally out of breath that I began to sense God’s amazing presence.

I was hiking in Colorado with my husband, daughter, and son in law. We were at 11,000 feet heading up above the tree line. The 3 of them were just cruising up the mountain. I had to continuously stop to catch my breath. At first, I was so frustrated that I couldn’t keep up with the 3 of them. They encouraged me to slow down, breath and enjoy the view. That’s when it happened. I was so overwhelmed with the beauty of God’s creation that I began to enjoy each slow step, focusing on the Spirit of God. God’s breath gave me breath and God’s creation opened my heart to the Holy Spirit.

Sandy Rothschiller is the Pastor of Spiritual Care at Prince of Peace.