Earthquakes are the Closest we can Get to God

I think most people are afraid of earthquakes; quite contrary to that I love them, to a point anyway. To me, earthquakes are the closest I get to understanding God. Sure, that’s a pretty big statement, but if you’ve ever felt an earthquake, you may understand what I mean. Earthquakes grab you from the inside. The feeling is like nothing else on earth; nothing can replicate it. No matter how much you simulate the shaking of an earthquake, the feeling can’t be re-created. Those who have never been in an earthquake think of it as a “shaking” type feeling, that’s true of course, but it’s so much more. Earthquakes start deep in the earth, they don’t simply shake the surface beneath your feet, the grab the entire space you occupy and take control of it. Imagine it more like energy than shaking. The energy from an earthquake grabs everything within a certain radius, in all directions – up, down, left, right and everywhere in-between. You can feel the energy from deep within your soul, it starts from the inside and grabs your organs and shakes them. It is so vastly different than the feeling of someone shaking you that I can’t even begin to articulate it. Your adrenaline fires the moment it feels the earthquake and for that one moment you are connected to the earth, the universe and everything that is out there, explainable and not explainable. You are one with the universe and you feel just how connected everything really is. That’s how I think of God; an all powerful energy that has the capability of moving mountains, literally. If an earthquake is big enough, then the physical danger of falling objects, walls, roofs, buildings, etc. ultimately put you at real risk. But before we had all those things, back when the earth was just dirt and rock, even the biggest earthquake probably wasn’t all that dangerous. If you were in a wide open field, and a huge earthquake struck, more than likely you would be fine, barring a huge fissure opening and swallowing you up in the earth. But the feeling that goes along with an earthquake is unmistakable. The bigger and stronger the earthquake, the more connected we feel to everything. That’s why I love earthquakes. I fear them, and I have concern over my physical safety, but I love knowing that I’m part of a greater system. For that brief moment I’m more connected to God than I’ve ever been. It’s a spiritual experience from the inside out. No matter how holy you are or how much faith you have, nothing produces the same feeling of connectedness. It makes sense that we would feel fear so intensely at that moment. Every feeling comes out, fear, joy, anger, anxiety, love, the list goes on. We are completely powerless over everything. The power of an earthquake makes us feel totally out of control. There is nothing we can do but wait it out. If we just let go, for one moment, we are with God. Next time there is an earthquake I encourage you to try it. Enjoy it. Appreciate it. Don’t underestimate it, but don’t undervalue it. We’re all connected by a common thread that runs directly through out body piercing the soul. When an earthquake hits, that thread is pulled taught and everyone who feels it knows, for a moment in time, that God is within and without us. It’s a pretty fantastic feeling if you think of it that way.