Spirituality

In my never ending desire to define and experience true spirituality, I find that the Bible is one of the most profound books on the subject available. It provided guide lines that an individual can follow that, when fully understood, provides one with a life that is free from all negativity.

The Bible teaches in the book of John 13:34 “love one another as God loves you” and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you “(Math 7:1). Two ideas and verses within the Bible that provides a person with all they need to get along in this world. Yes, two verses that the Master Jesus lived by in his daily life and preached. In fact, the life of Jesus was a life filled with God’s love – totally.

As a minister, it is my duty to express what God has placed on my mind, to my congregation. To express in my counseling secessions with individuals who come to me for help. It is the divine within that stresses the right way of doing things.

When one follows that teaching of the Bible one goes from knowing about God to knowing God personally. From the very beginning, God never intended that man should be separate from Him. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and all there in – an expression of God’s love. It was only when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil that they understood that it was possible to make choices based on two aspects of their new knowledge of right and wrong. Duality was not a part of God’s purpose for man, or of the Garden of Eden, but it came into existence. One may now ask, was it wrong for Adam and Eve to gain the knowledge of right from wrong? The answer lies in the hearts of man in general, not in God. When man eat of the fruit, God knew that man would have a strong tendency to choose wrong over choosing right. You might say, this is the reason God put Adam and Eve out of the Garden instead of just forgiving them and allow them to continue living there in the garden.

In my search for meaning to what man believes spirituality is, I have searched high and low and found that it is basically in the hearts of man and therefore undefinable. That is not to say that the word cannot be defined because Webster defines spirituality as: 1: “Concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church "lords temporal and spiritual"; "spiritual leaders"; "spiritual songs" 2: Concerned with or affecting the spirit or soul "a spiritual approach to life"; "spiritual fulfillment"; "spiritual values". We go on to look at the way in which the Wikipedia on line encyclopedia defines spirituality. “Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and faith, a transcendent reality, or one or more deities. Spiritual matters are thus those matters regarding humankind's ultimate nature and meaning, not only as material biological organisms, but as beings with a unique relationship to that which is perceived to be beyond the bodily senses, time and the material world. Spirituality also implies the mind-body dichotomy, which indicates a separation between the body and soul.” In another encyclopedia, it says “The term spirituality is defined as living the Christian life with a consciousness or sensitivity to religious values. Striving or aiming for perfection and making particular use of prayer are therefore very important considerations in many different Christian circles. However, it must be emphasized that spirituality assumes various forms in several Christian traditions, for instance, from the solitude of the Orthodox monks to the activism of the Pentecostals.”

In yet another encyclopedia it says “Spirituality is about making sense out of nonsense, shining light on the darkness that is around you. Spirituality is about improving ones self and being able to help others as well too. Growing and expanding yourself, thoughts, knowledge and wisdom.”

Ones definition of spirituality is individually defined and no one can say that they are right or wrong but that their definition is totally there’s.

We strive in our lives in such a way as to always do what is right, because it is the way our parents taught us and society expect us to act. But, that is not to say that we are not individuals who have earned the right to express ourselves in our own way. Our way, for us, is the only way. However, if you can give me a reason to modify my definition of life, I will listen and if I like what you have to say, I may adopt it for myself. This is free will working for our highest good.