Actually I went to Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com to find out what the word officially means. They told me, "it is the state, quality, manner, or fact of being spiritual," and it is synonyms are "devotion, religion, psyche and holiness." Well, I guess if I had to sum it up, I would say, "it is having a mindset that is a little more heavenly than earthly." What does that mean? Well, after being paid to be a Christian role model for the last six years, I often have to laugh at that fact. Why? Well there are times where I sin, want it all for myself, could care less about others, or even doubt God in one manor or anther. But at the end of the day, to me, spirituality is having a mindset that it is not all about you, but that there is a God out there, and while sometime we don't understand the path that we are on, he knows exactly that path. Spirituality does not mean that you sell all and live in complete poverty (unless that is the path God has directed you to take), or that you walk around not enjoying life because everything has an evil connect somewhere, but it means enjoying the life that God has brought you, giving "mad props" to the one who gave it to you. Spirituality is doing things for others not to be praised but because it is the right thing to do.
Let me leave you with a quote by Rich Mullins on the subject:
"A lot of times we think something spiritual is happening and it is merely aesthetics. That is why it always bugs me at the end of a concert someone will say, 'Wow the Spirit really worked" and I kind of go, "How would you even be able to know that? It was so noisy in here tonight. How would you know if the Spirit was working?' 'Well, I was really moved.' Well, that is an emotional thing. That's not a spiritual thing. A spiritual thing is folding your clothes at the end of the day. A spiritual thing is making your bed. A spiritual thing is taking cookies to your neighbor that is shut in or raking their front lawn because they are too old to do it. That's spirituality. Getting a warm, oozy feeling about God is an emotional thing. There is nothing wrong with it. I think there is nothing more practical than real spirituality. But nothing more fun than just a good heartfelt emotional experience of God because I think emotions are good. They are only dangerous when we come away from an experience where we were emotionally manipulated and we confuse that with being convicted. I think conviction - there is an emotion that accompanies that but it certainly goes deeper than just coming away going, 'Oh isn't God neat? Two different worlds.'"
Be sure to check out all the other entries for this week by clicking the little button.
Currently listening to: Mal Pope - Reunion of the Heart
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