So I'm sitting in a class yesterday called "Early Christian Spirituality" and the professor asked a simple question: "What is spirituality?". 'Well', I thought to myself, 'I am in seminary and I've been studying theology and philosophy for the last seven years. This is kind of a basic question for a dude like me.' I had a moment of thoughts like this until my pen hit the paper. What is spirituality? Wow- that's about as loaded a question as I think I may ever have heard.
Amazingly enough, my classmates and I set down to answer this question, generously sharing our volumes of wisdom with one another. The attempts at an answer to this qu
ery were, to say the least, involved. Once you start to define something like spirituality, you feel the urge to continue to qualify your statement. Yes, it's about God and man and the soul but not only the soul but not only any 'god' but not just any man...whew.
Anyhow, after balking at offering my answer to such a question, I said, "God and man in conversation". I know that's at best a vague statement but in the last day, at least, I haven't come up with anything better. If you can, by all means, let me know because I'm more than willing to re-think it.
Well, you know me, seldom at a loss for words, I awaited my opportunity to say more of what I actually was thinking. Once the discussion started, I put in my two cents. I said "I don't really think spirituality is something that you can define. I think that's why we write poems and songs and books and draw things. I think spirituality is not something we can define so much as something in which to participate."
We have been invited, no, purchased into the life of God. That takes over every aspect of our lives. My spiritual life doesn't turn on and off when I stop singing a worship song or devoting my time to specific prayer. Our connection with God covers our entire lives because Christ bought every part of our lives. Spirituality is life because we are not able to separate the dimensions of our lives like they were parts of a whole.
Life is spiritual. Work is spiritual. Literature is spiritual. Music is spiritual. Art is spiritual. Relationships are spiritual. We live a spiritual life and that means that at every moment we are either moving closer to or further away from God in our relationship with him.
Well, that's my two cents. What do you think?
4 comments:
I always look forward to your thoughts. Pretty deep, but very logical...I guess Algebra is spritual too!
I always enjoy the food for thought you provide..its always challenging. The paper you wrote provided great middle of the night reading material.
I like what you said about spirituality being "...not something we can define so much as something in which to participate." That's right on the nose for me. At times when I am disagreeable with God and that conversation is not going well, that is when I feel most spiritual. It's that invited opportunity to enter into dialog with Him that allows me to question, vent, test my faith, whatever... It's like He's saying "Bring it on!" He allows me to carry on for awhile then reminds me to be still and listen. That's when I feel "spiritual", and that's when He captivates me using everything around me; every aspect of my life the way you sum up your thoughts. That's probably why I look forward to your posts - you break it down and make it seems so easy. (I know it actually is, but I told you I have a little trouble with that listening part..!)
By the way, I think John is right about Algebra being spiritual for him...I sat shoulder to shoulder with him in Algebra and he prayed every day - especially before every test!!
For me spirituality is God. Everything that is under its laws is spiritual. The natural world in decaying. That is why the Bible stated that nature is in birth pain waiting for the manifestation of the children of God. So the natural is fllesh and the supernatural is spiritual. But spiritual has two faces. Moises stick turned into a serpent but the egyptians did the same. However, Moises serpent swallowed the egyptians serpent. The devil also operates in the spiritual realm.
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