No, I'm not talking about some new age concept. I mean the elements of man-made religion, and the essence of a spiritual relationship with our Father, through Jesus Christ. Hmm, this could get interesting. Let's pray:
Father, we want a real relationship with you, one filled with Your Spirit, and ours. Show us how to live authentically in Your Presence, in Your Love, in Your Will. Help us discover more today in this study, about being spiritual and not just religious. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Let's be honest. I love my church, and I love the fact that I have a regular, central place to go to meet with other believers and praise God in song together, hear a meaningful sermon, and just be allowed to say any ol' Christian thing I want. But, let's be honest. Church is filled with people.
People are fallible. People have issues. People are not perfect. Some people, actually use church as a means to have access to children. Just like great things happen in church, for some of us, church has been a source of pain because of some particular people that also were involved in that church.
May be you feel God has let you down. May be some people who claim to know God have let you down. I am so sorry for you, about that.
Let me empathize with you, because I know church is full of people looking for answers, looking for salvation, looking for improvement, and some of us are struggling with some real demons trying to keep us from having any peace and joy in church, or out of it. But, yes, you know me well enough now to know a "but" was coming.
But, getting to live a life of joy and peace means letting go of those things, and people, that have hurt us in the past, so they don't get to keep on hurting us in the present. It means realizing that people are not God. People are just people, whether they are running to God, or away from Him, we are still just people and still making mistakes.
Some of my worst mistake have been made because I was reacting against people who hurt me in the past, or against my own image of God.
We can get so caught up in the man-made rules, or doctrines, of religion that don't necessarily have anything to do with salvation, the real nitty-gritty of are you "saved," going to heaven, know Christ, have a real relationship with God, or in essence "spirituality."
Now, don't give me that tired old line,"I don't go to church but I am spiritual." The truth is that if you are spiritual in the sense that you have a Holy Spirit-filled and -fueled relationship with God, you are active in that faith, not just blowing it off and saying you are "spiritual." You might as well say you are lazy, you are doing what you know is wrong and don't want to be around anyone who is going to call it like it is, or you are serving some other "god" and just want to call it a lesser name like spirituality, instead of idolatry.
I'm just saying . . . I'm just keeping it real . . . right? Ouch.
There is however, a difference between religion and spirituality and here is my opinion on what it is.
Religion (rules having little to do with God's Love and His Will) is for people who are afraid of going to hell. Spirituality (an emotion-filled, dedicated, can't live without you God because the alternative is unthinkable!) is for those who have been there.
Religion is for those afraid of going to hell; spirituality is for those who have been there.
I've been to hell. How about you?
Is it addiction? Is it abuse? Is it a past that won't let you go? Is it family? Is it your health? Is it fear? Is it pain? What's your hell, because I bet you have a story.
I grew up with religion, but once I'd been in hell a while, I found spirituality.
No matter what church I attend, no matter how great, or limited, the Pastor, no matter the quality or lack of the music, no matter how entertaining the Sunday school, my relationship with God, my spirituality, remains dependent on my being willing to be real, to be authentic, to be genuine with God.
He already knows my heart. It's no secret to Him what my issues are, what my problems are, what my strengths and gifts are. He doesn't need me to be real for Him, He wants me to be real for me. It's for my benefit to know myself, so I know where my strength is. It's so even when religion, people, pastors and priests, fail me, I know already that He doesn't.
You know that song that says, "He knows my name?" Listen to it sometime. It played while I buried my son, Matthew. It reminded me that spirituality is about my relationship with not just any spirit that wants to deceive me, but with His Spirit, His Holy Spirit in me and with me and for me.
Today is the last post about the first key to living StressLess. Authenticity. Keeping it real. Let's pray:
Father, if I am reading this, keep me real. Keep me genuine. Keep me authentic. Make me solid, so people don't rock my boat. Help me remember that church is a community of believers in You, in Your plan, not our own, and we are all just humans looking for answers. Help us stay focused on the Truth, and not on the minor differences between us. Help us to be spiritual, and not just religious. In the name of Your Son, Jesus, who died for my sins, and rose again to show me the way to You, Father, amen.
Love, Karen
Photo by Gina Smith, courtesy of http://www.photoxpress.com/
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