For some people it conjures up images of new-age crystals, chanting, dark rooms with shady personalities. For others, spirituality is pie-in-the-sky sensationalism with no roots in reality. Is there a Godly path to being truly spiritual? Are we really willing to search God out in places we cannot see clearly? God created us as chiefly spiritual beings, but most of us do not connect with the spiritual element of our being which is as real as the physical element that we can perceive.
Various forms and degrees of spirituality surround us, from ghost stories to faith healing we are daily bombarded with all kinds of spiritual representations. This begs the question, "What should the uniquely Christian perspective on spirituality be, and even more specifically 'American-Christian' perspective on spirituality be?" I say this largely because the American church, has disavowed any knowledge of spiritual things, abandoning spiritual Christians to a "no-man's land" called the fringe. We have often done this in an attempt to appear more appealing to western minds and in the process it has had the opposite effect. Of course, this is a sweeping statement and is not meant to be as sensational as it sounds. It is strange to me though, that every other major religion is hailed for it's exploration of spiritual things while Christian religious thought is relegated to just that; a set of doctrines and beliefs that must be believed in a vacuum of spiritual near misses and uncertainties. Let me give you an example that stands out to me.
I was watching a segment on a news program that was exploring the phenomena of "whirling dervishes". These Muslim men spin in one spot for hours with their eyes closed and their heads tilted to the heavens as a form of prayer. At the end of the segment one commentator remarked at how beautiful and inspiring this form of prayer is, as the rest of her colleagues nodded their approval. It was beautiful and inspiring. That is not the point. My position is that Christianity should be leading the way, but we often hide in the shadows of our theology and doctrinal position papers while other world religions embrace experiential spirituality and thrive because of it. Why are we so ashamed to be spiritual?
My life in the church has always been immersed in spiritual reality, but it seems that we have always had a hard time openly admitting that it is ok to be spiritual. Maybe this is because of our western world sensibilities or age of enlightenment high-mindedness. Maybe it is because we fear reprisals from smug joksters like Jon Stewart or Bill Maher. Or maybe we simply have a hard time describing the deep things that move us beyond words. Spiritual reality is hard to nail down, but I am not suggesting that we try to nail it down, just come to terms with it, breathe a sigh of relief and let belief be belief, and not merely mental acquiescence to a set of doctrines. Can Christians come out of the spiritual closet and really be at home in our own skin?
How does that look, anyway? First of all, there must be a revival in the importance of prayer in the Church at large today. We must push ourselves to spend more time in prayer, individually and corporately. As indivduals, we must live a life in a state of prayer and intercession. Colossians 4:2 says, "Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart." As a church, we should encourage our people to create more opportunities for the faithful to gather together and pray for the world and one another.
Faithful Muslims know how important prayer is. Devoted Buddhists and Hindus commit themselves to a "prayer consciousness" that makes their beliefs central to their existence, shaping who they are and how they relate to the world around them. Can Christians say the same? Does our prayer life bubble over into our everyday lives so that those around us are deeply stirred by the elements that characterize our faith; love, joy, peace and forgiveness. I believe we must first restore prayer to its rightful place in the arsenal of Christian faith. As we do, we will begin to affect those around us with the spiritual energy that should be part of our identity as Christ-followers everyday.
jeremiah
Action Point:
- Find ways to incorporate more opportunities to pray into your everyday life.
- Seek out a special prayer service and ask God to meet you there.
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