Tag: retreats

  • Seeking Euphoria

    Have you ever wondered what people are looking for?

    Every day I read about my friends who are:

    • Climbing mountains
    • Taking kids to camp/retreats
    • Going on mission trips (guilty, as charged)
    • Going to the desert to be alone
    • Moving from one church to another
    • Changing careers
    • Reading books or writing books
    • Going to concerts
    • On and on…

    And I wonder what it is that they are looking for? I look at their stories and think about Pilgrims Progress. “Where are you headed, Christian?” They are going on these trips, seeking something, some find it while others don’t. It’s a mysterious phenomenon that has been going on forever, I suppose. But this spiritual seeking is now on full display thanks to Facebook status updates and Twitter posts.

    We are all seekers of something. But why?

    I often wonder what I’m looking for. Right in the middle of one of these experiences I’ll have an annoying moment of clarity when I ask myself, “Adam, what the heck are you doing this for?”

    Humans are hard-wired to seek religious euphoria

    We aren’t usually able to articulate it. But we spend countless energy trying to find it or repeat it.

    The first time is mystical… almost magical. For many people, we were going about our daily life and one day an experience got us. (See the list above) Maybe we were sitting around a campfire at a retreat when it happened. Or maybe we were at a Christian concert? Or maybe we were at home, sitting in front of our laptop, writing a blog post, when it happened?

    We have a euphoric experience. Something so powerful that we almost can’t explain what it was or what happened that made it so amazing.

    It just was.

    Some people remember just weeping and they don’t know why. Others remember a tremendous warm feeling overcoming them. Still others talk about an intense peace that washes over them.

    The intensity of these experiences defies description. It may have only lasted 5 minutes but those five minutes felt like hours. And we spend weeks on a slow decent back to normal life.

    Then, when we come down off of that high moment– we spend the rest of our lives sub-consciously seeking it again.

    So we try to go back to the place it happened before.

    And we’re a little disappointed when we can’t replicate it. So we try again. And again.

    And again. Some find it again while others don’t.

    And, in moments of clarity, we are left to wonder: What is it that I’m truly looking for?

    Two articles on this experience that speak to the science of it, it literally is a high:

  • The Double Edged Sword of Awe

    geiserWe are all born with a desire for religious experience. God made us this way. Each of us has had experiences in which the only description of our emotions is awe. These are intimate moments between you and God, a person, or a even location or event. While God intended for this awe to be for Him, our humanity doesn’t reserve them to Him exclusively. It’s a human response of deep connectedness. Most often there is a build-up and anticipation to the experience. You want it to happen so bad, it finally does, and the experience overwhelms you because it is better than you’d imagined.

    Here are some awe experiences people mention as the highlights of their lives.

    – Seeing a bear in the wild.

    – Liftoff of the space shuttle.

    – Sexual intimacy

    tiger_17_425x600– Hitting the winning basket, scoring the winning touchdown, nailing the winning putt.

    – Exploring a beautiful coastline in Ireland.

    – Worshipping with thousands of believers at a conference.

    – Meeting God for the first time at a retreat.

    – Starting your own business and earning your first dollar.

    Most often, these are intensely personal moments of awe. The experience defies description and is often too intimate to even talk about. Even during the moment your emotions run high.

    This is the first edge to the sword. It’s a good edge. The pursuit of this high and the after effects/remembrance of this high produce tremendous energy for people. This religious experience forms a deep bond between that individual and that event, object, or person. It is something they shared that was intimate and powerful.

    Industries exist to help people pursue this experience, don’t they? We seek the awe-inspiring moment and wise capitalists provide tours of Ireland and Yellowstone. Religious events build anticipation for these moments knowing that they will draw thousands of seekers. How many clubs, bars, and dance clubs exist for the sole purpose of a common meeting ground for people seeking a sexual experience? On and on.

    But that sword has a second, more dangerous edge to it, doesn’t it? Once you have this religious experience you seek to have it again. I mean, if the high of that moment… seeing the bear… crossing the rope bridge to a tiny island… having a killer day with a new business… sinking the putt to win the big tournament… it will never be the same as the first time.

    In fact, many industries sustain because they know there will always be people who are seeking the second experience. They are in the exhilaration/disappointment business. They know that a weery businessman will lay down tens of thousands of dollars to go on tours of Ireland again. And then when he doesn’t find what he is looking for he will go to Scotland, Iceland, and the Gallapogos. The sex industry exists because people are seeking a more amazing sexual experience than “that amazing time.” Parents will relentlessly drive their children into sports in hopes that one day their kid will have the amazing experience they did of scoring a touchdown to win the big game. Certainly, many youth groups thrive because teenagers are seeking to repeat an intense religious experience they had at a retreat.  Get-rich-quick schemes work because people remember that one time when they made easy money and they want it to happen again.

    The truth is this. The secret is this. The learning point is this. Once you have that amazing moment, don’t try to repeat it. It will never be the same the second time. When you take someone back to that spot… it’ll be awesome for them… but a let-down for you. If you can’t handle that let-down, just let that awesome one-time experience live in your memory.