One of my basic assumptions is all of life is spiritual…or can be. Of course, simply to say all of life is spiritual is so general as to be meaningless or it is nonsense. But I do believe it. Along with this belief, however, I know I have to be more specific. All of life may be spiritual, but in any moment and at any place I have to be able to locate it---the spiritual. I have to be able to know it---the spiritual. And I have to be able to live it---the spiritual.
As I know so well and so often have said, it is only spiritual for me if I can locate it, know it, and be able to live it. And to do this entirely means, first of all, I have to be aware of it---or come to be aware of it. That is always the beginning for me. I know how easy it is to live unaware. In fact, it usually takes no effort at all! Maybe that is a basic human problem: we tend to go through life being relatively unaware.
Of course, we wake up when a crisis hits. When life gets tough, awareness is easy. Spiritually speaking, why wait for a crisis? We can get started pre-crisis. But that takes some intentionality. And indeed, I think we can be intentional about being more aware. Perhaps, intentionality is a form of awareness. That is how we get started. And that is how we sustain it. That’s how I go about seeing spirituality in all of life. And that leads to most of these inspirational reflections.
Recently, it happened in an odd way. But oddity is not unusual in the spiritual realm! And this is one of my keys. I want to be spiritual. That does not necessarily mean I have to be odd. But it does ask that I be prepared to be odd---or to see the oddity.
It happened like this. I had finished most of the day’s schedule. But I had some commitments in the early evening. My usual routine is to go to the College Recreation Center, change clothes and go for a run. Unless it is really lousy weather, I like to go outside. But this particular day I did not have much time. I did not have time to change, run, shower, etc.
I could have done nothing. Instead, I decided I would walk on the inside track. No change of clothes was needed for a short walk. For a serious runner this does not really count, but fortunately I can now appreciate it was a better choice than nothing. So around and around I went. I don’t use an iPod---no music, just me and my mind.
And then I began to notice. Every few feet there was another electrical outlet. A simple, everyday possibility is the outlet for anyone to plug something in and activate any electrical device. I use one every day for charging cell phone, etc. I never think about it. But there it was---ever-ready. I think the spiritual is just like that.
It is always charged. All I do is plug in something and magically (to me at least who does not understand electricity!) is renewed. The Spirit is just like this---analogously speaking. But I and you need to locate it, know it, and be willing to live from it. It only works if we connect.
This led me to wonder where are my “spiritual outlets?” I suspect, like the Rec Center, there are many and they are seemingly everywhere. Some are pretty obvious. For some folks, it is the Bible, church, Mass, prayer, etc. Those are there and ready, but we have to plug in.
For some, I hope these spiritual reflections might be one such outlet. I know for myself, being with other spiritual folks, being in conversation is spiritually re-charging. Perhaps, through these reflective pieces, you and I are in one such conversation.
Connect, charge up, and charge out into the world full of the Spirit!
As I know so well and so often have said, it is only spiritual for me if I can locate it, know it, and be able to live it. And to do this entirely means, first of all, I have to be aware of it---or come to be aware of it. That is always the beginning for me. I know how easy it is to live unaware. In fact, it usually takes no effort at all! Maybe that is a basic human problem: we tend to go through life being relatively unaware.
Of course, we wake up when a crisis hits. When life gets tough, awareness is easy. Spiritually speaking, why wait for a crisis? We can get started pre-crisis. But that takes some intentionality. And indeed, I think we can be intentional about being more aware. Perhaps, intentionality is a form of awareness. That is how we get started. And that is how we sustain it. That’s how I go about seeing spirituality in all of life. And that leads to most of these inspirational reflections.
Recently, it happened in an odd way. But oddity is not unusual in the spiritual realm! And this is one of my keys. I want to be spiritual. That does not necessarily mean I have to be odd. But it does ask that I be prepared to be odd---or to see the oddity.
It happened like this. I had finished most of the day’s schedule. But I had some commitments in the early evening. My usual routine is to go to the College Recreation Center, change clothes and go for a run. Unless it is really lousy weather, I like to go outside. But this particular day I did not have much time. I did not have time to change, run, shower, etc.
I could have done nothing. Instead, I decided I would walk on the inside track. No change of clothes was needed for a short walk. For a serious runner this does not really count, but fortunately I can now appreciate it was a better choice than nothing. So around and around I went. I don’t use an iPod---no music, just me and my mind.
And then I began to notice. Every few feet there was another electrical outlet. A simple, everyday possibility is the outlet for anyone to plug something in and activate any electrical device. I use one every day for charging cell phone, etc. I never think about it. But there it was---ever-ready. I think the spiritual is just like that.
It is always charged. All I do is plug in something and magically (to me at least who does not understand electricity!) is renewed. The Spirit is just like this---analogously speaking. But I and you need to locate it, know it, and be willing to live from it. It only works if we connect.
This led me to wonder where are my “spiritual outlets?” I suspect, like the Rec Center, there are many and they are seemingly everywhere. Some are pretty obvious. For some folks, it is the Bible, church, Mass, prayer, etc. Those are there and ready, but we have to plug in.
For some, I hope these spiritual reflections might be one such outlet. I know for myself, being with other spiritual folks, being in conversation is spiritually re-charging. Perhaps, through these reflective pieces, you and I are in one such conversation.
Connect, charge up, and charge out into the world full of the Spirit!
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