“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” —A.W. Tozer
When I was in college, I read the preceding quote from the theologian/philosopher A.W. Tozer. The substance was so profound I have never forgotten its message almost 15 years later. It continues to spring up again and again in my mind on a regular basis.
I realize spirituality can be a very touchy topic that arouses countless strong opinions, intellectual arguments, and far too many unspeakable emotional wounds. Nevertheless, I believe the quote above holds true. There is nothing more central to our lives than our understanding of spirituality. And it is a conversation we ought to engage in far more often than we do.
Whether we have intentionally pursued a personal spirituality or not, our beliefs have a profound impact on our lives. Consciously or subconsciously, it influences us in countless ways. Consider how it impacts our understanding of…
- Ourselves. Does God care about me? Is He mad at me or pleased with me? If there is no God, who am I? And where did I orginate?
- Others. Are all lives equal? If so, on what basis? What is my responsibility to care for others?
- Minimalism. If we have removed the pursuit of worldly possessions from our affections, with what will we replace it?
- The world around us. In what specific ways should we care about the world and the environment around us? Is our motivation in this regard more significant than survival of our species? And if so, how do we as humans responsibly interact with it?
- Morality. Is there a moral set of truth for the universe established from a higher power? Or is morality determined by each individual?
- Evil. What am I to understand about the evil and suffering in the world? Is it there for a reason? To what extent should I try to counteract it?
- Money. Does the universe give money/status to some and not others? Or is money/status earned by the individual? What should I do with it when I obtain it? Do I hold any responsibility to care for those with less?
- Afterlife. Is there life after death? Is death something to be feared or welcomed? And either way, how should I be preparing for it today?
No doubt, our understanding of spirituality carries great influence on our lives. For that reason, one of the most significant journeys we can ever embark upon is the exploration of it.
I understand fully this community is made up of readers from every imaginable religious/non-religious background. I am so very thankful for that reality. And I should be quick to mention this post is not an endorsement of any specific religion. Instead, my hope is only to prompt each of us to further consider the role of spirituality in our everyday lives. And cause us to joyfully embrace the journey rather than shy away from it.
Because of the important role it plays, you will never regret any time spent furthering your understanding of the Universe. Whether you have never tried, have tried but given up, or spend time everyday seeking one specific God, let me offer seven beginning steps that are central to our personal exploration of spirituality.
A Beginner’s Guide to Exploring Spirituality
1. Respect those that have gone before. The quest to understand spirituality is as old as humanity itself. Billions have gone before and have spent countless hours seeking spirituality. Don‘t overlook their efforts. Consider their findings and their writings—even those outside the religion you have become accustomed to.
2. Your journey must be your own. You alone must be the decision-maker for your view of God. You should not blindly accept the teachings of another (even your closest mentor or parent). Your heart must ring true and your spirit must rejoice in your spirituality—or it is worthless.
3. Start right where you are. We all have special gifts of character: compassion, laughter, self-discipline, love, etc. Use them as your starting point. Are you facing a trial in life (disease, loss, rejection)? Use it as motivation to further pursue your understanding of spirituality. Lao-tzu once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” He was right in every regard. Start your journey with whatever first step makes the most sense to you.
4. Ask God for help. By this I mean, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by making the request. If there is a God, He may answer your prayer. And if there is no God, the process of making the request will still work to help focus your senses and desire.
5. Practice, practice, practice. Like everything else in life, spiritual growth is mastered through practice. If you don’t find your answers after your first few steps, take some more in a different direction. It will require time, effort, and energy. But given its influence on our lives, it is always worth the effort in the end.
6. Don’t be afraid of unanswered questions. Although leaving questions unanswered may sound contrary to the goal of the pursuit, we should not be afraid of them. These unanswered questions will cause some to forever abandon the journey. And while our spirituality should make sense of our heart‘s deepest questions, it would seem unreasonable to believe our minds could successfully fathom all the mysteries of the universe.
7. Be wary of “everyone is right” thinking. If there is no God, there is no God. If there is a God, He is something specific. Personally, I am skeptical of the thinking that says God can change from one person to another—that philosophy crumbles under the weight of its own logic. God is who God is. And it‘s our responsibility to successfully find Him.
Again, I realize fully this journey is going to look different for every single one of us. Spirituality is a highly personal matter and will likely result in different outcomes. This is not a post that endorses any specific religion. It is simply a post of encouragement and a reminder this journey is important.
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I do not typically moderate comments too closely (unless they turn offensive). But I might make a suggestion for this post. In the comments below, I would be interested to hear about your personal journey toward spirituality. How did it begin? And how did you arrive at your understanding? I think this conversation will be more helpful and encouraging than a specific argument made for choosing your view.
Image: overgraeme
Annie says
I was baptized and raised by Roman Catholics parents who did not attend church regularly, nor did they push us to as children. I never took my first communion nor was I confirmed. My parents encouraged us to explore other religions and wanted us to choose whether we joined a church, temple, etc. as adults after careful consideration. I’m glad they did so since I have differences of opinion with many organized religious groups and would have struggled within them if I was “forced” to be there. However, to this day I still struggle with my spiritual side. I am torn between believing in God and not. It is hard for me to have faith in words, and other intangible things, as I have been hurt when I trusted only those things. My experiences have taught me to trust actions that I can see for myself. Still, I find myself drawn to the idea of a spirit I can freely talk to and who would support me when all else fails. I long to be part of a group that shares these feelings and also does good works to help others. Perhaps that may be the answer for me…perhaps a group that helps others without necessarily having a religious component…the search and struggle continues…
Jana says
Keep looking, Annie. There are groups like that out there. And you are looking for the right thing. One of the most-repeated refrains from God in the Bible is, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
HomeForGood.Net says
Finding Jesus is a whole different thing from finding “Religion.” The Bible says that the Church is the entire world-wide group of Believers–not a building, not a bureaucratic system of behavior, and certainly not an organization. If you just pray and ask Jesus to show you if He is REALLY the Savior and Lord of all, I promise you–He WILL answer that prayer. Ask God to guide you and He for sure will! “You receive not because you ask not.” It’s so simple that it’s too difficult for most. :-)
Ciska Wilson says
Great post. It’s a difficult topic to write about without turning people off. Personally, I wasn’t brought up to be either religious or spiritual and don’t believe in God. Having said that, I do feel that my life is missing spirituality and the sense of community and/or belonging that comes with being part of a religion and am interested in learning more. Your beginners guide is a good reference.
I realised a few years ago how ignorant I was and dismissive about religion so decided to at least familiarise myself with the basics of Islam, Christianity and Buddhism to make a more informed choice. I felt I was missing something, surely all those believers couldn’t be wrong?
I started to read the Bible with an open mind but quickly put it down because it was so sexist – I didn’t get far past the Adam and Eve story. Later, visiting the Vatican city and the Sistine chapel, although undoubtedly impressed by the art and beauty, I found it disturbing and hypocritical to see the money and power wasted on this fantastic building that could’ve be used to help the poor, sick and needy. Catholicism seemed to me a religion based on guilt, fear and power. I looked up the main beliefs of Islam, which seem quite similar to Christianity, but the wars fought in the name of Islamic extremists is a complete turn-off and again it doesn’t seem a religion keen on equality or tolerance. Looking through history, so many barbaric wars and atrocities have been done in the name of religion, but underlying many was the bid for power. Religion seemed out of date, illogical and irrelevant to me. Buddhism was the one that resonated most.
I realise that I’m over-simplifying and am the first to admit I haven’t studied any in great depth and am still ignorant. My conclusion so far is religion is a structured way for people to be spiritual. The positive aspects are to encourage believers to be good and kind to others and to take comfort that there is a higher purpose or being and a set of guidelines to follow. I believe all humans have an innate need for spirituality, but this can be found outside of religion too.
I’m still too sceptical to believe there is a God, an after-life or reincarnation, but I’ve taken the parts of Buddhism, Christianity and Islam that make sense to me: meditation and personal growth, being kind, tolerant and compassionate to people, animals and the environment, giving to charity and most of all living a life of integrity. I’m living more simply and consuming less which frees up time and money to give back to others and live less selfishly.
Finally, being spiritual to me means being grateful everyday for the life I’ve been given, being present in the moment as often as I can remember to give the best of myself to the people in my life, to appreciate the beauty that is everywhere, to teach my children to be kind, tolerant and compassionate and to live life to the full and make my short time on Earth worthwhile.
Jana says
Ciska,
Romans (in the New Testament) says that God has revealed himself to all people, and because you have made kindness, compassion and integrity a part of your life, it’s clear you have responded to him in some measure, because those are his very attributes, too.
The older books of the Bible are very easy to misunderstand unless we gain some education about the context of the culture they came out of, and how they fit into the larger story arc. This is no insult; I mean that *anyone* trying to read the book of Genesis through a modern-day filter will often be confused at best, and deeply offended at worst. (And Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy? Forget about it!)
Also, it is a many-layered book. (A library, actually.) I have been studying the Bible off and on for most of my fifty years, and seriously for about twenty; and I learn new things all the time.
If you have the patience, D.A. Carson is a very good instructor who has delivered a series of lectures about understanding the Bible. Here is the first one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uROSgxsEIK0 His lectures have also been made into a book: http://www.amazon.com/The-God-Who-Is-There/dp/0801013720/
I would encourage you to follow Joshua’s suggestion #4 again, then seek some good teachers who can help you see past the smoke, to the light.
Blessings.
Erin says
What an interesting topic, and one that is very relevant to me at this stage in my life. I was raised by Baptist missionary parents and up until several years ago, never questioned my faith or my upbringing. Through a series of events, the biggest catalyst being a bout of clinical depression and then a solo cross-country move, things are not so clear as they used to be. Because I moved to a brand new city on my own, I began to visit different churches, hoping for a place to call home and a community to bond with. I never found it. Coming from my background, for a long time I felt an enormous sense of guilt towards no longer attending church like a good girl. I have been working through this guilt and have been very open about it on my personal Facebook page, and many people have been super supportive – but the most distressing thing is that the most negative feedback came from my former pastors. I am now convinced that I am much more comfortable in a more free and accepting church – I guess you could call it charismatic. I just now shy away from large, organized churches where worship and teaching are very prescribed. I’m in the process of moving back cross-country and will be seeking a house church instead.
Carrie says
Hi Erin,
I went through a similar thing of visiting different kinds of churches just after I finished college. It’s really tough (at least, for me) to find a community where I fit in — which is frustrating, because it is so fulfilling when it happens! For me, my greatest sense of belonging was not in a church at all, but an independent home group.
And at the moment, I don’t attend a church or synagogue at all, even though I recognize the importance of it. I, too, struggle with guilt about this. Don’t let your former pastors get you down. True community isn’t something that can be forced. Hang in there, and know that you’re not alone. Hopefully you and I both can find spiritual “homes” sooner rather than later.
Scott says
This subject is always a favorite as the views, experiences, and perceptions are almost always so varied. For full disclosure I have drifted from Lutheran to atheist to Pagan and have done time volunteering in a ministerial capacity.
The exploration of spirituality is always personal as my experience and those that I have met in life are always expressed in those terms even if they are unaware of it. As humans we can only speak intelligently to that which we have experienced, understood, and explored which can only be personal at its core. Sure we might get together to worship, discuss, serve, etc. but we always have to rely on our own understanding and filter system to really derive what we get out of it. Our life’s canvas defines our reality and the picture we paint on it.
For point 7, I would like to offer, share rather, a different perspective using my paragraph above as a filter. When someone states that “God can be different from one person to another, it is in my experience a high-level statement referring to the relationship of God to one person or another. To try to limit God to a particularly bounded description or perspective does God no justice. God is so much more than what we perceive or understand. Here is an example that might help to begin to illustrate my point.
I am a person, whole and complex. To you I am simply an anonymous commenter on this thread with a bit of depth what I have already told you. However, I am much more than that. I am a father twice over, a husband, a son, a brother, a friend, a confidant, a minister, a team mate, and so on to many others in my life. To say that someone’s understanding of me is all that there is really does me no service as I am so much more based upon my relationship with others individually.
I am not belittling your perspective and I do respect your experiences and perceptions. I do however recognize an opportunity to share and hopefully to give you food for spiritual thought.
Yours in service,
Scott
Mary says
Oh, this is a clear way of saying what I posted in a reply above! I should have made it down further into the comments before commenting myself. This is very similar to how I think about the issue of God’s nature and our experiences/images of God.
Sandra Pawula says
When I saw the title of this post, I was so excited to read it, Joshua. Thank you for handling a delicate subject so beautifully and encouraging us to stretch the limits of our belief in material reality alone.
Spirituality is central to me life. I stumbled upon Buddhism many years ago and I feel a strong resonance with its principles. At the same time, I’m deeply moved by the “truth” I hear from other religions and spiritual approaches. May we all find our way to embrace a the goodness of a bigger vision.
joshua becker says
Thanks Sandra. Appreciate your kind words about my approach to the topic. It is a touchy subject and not easy to address. But as I mentioned above, I think it is an important conversation we need to be engaged in—and one that can definitely be discussed in a civil manner.
Marilene Hunzeker says
I agree with you Joshua that this is an important conversation and I have enjoyed reading everyone’s comments and I agree with Sandra that you handled a delicate subejct very well. Thanks again and best wishes :)
Steph says
I don’t see anything problematic in believing that everyone’s spirituality can be right. If we don’t practice acceptance that other people are equally as ‘right’ as ourselves, how do we view their deep beliefs? We would be dismissive and distrustful, surely? I think it’s perfectly plausible that everyone’s spirituality is valid, considering that we manifest what we seek in life through our beliefs – if someone goes through life manifesting their own version of spirituality, it’s at least real for that person, if not everyone else. ‘God’ – or whatever, whoever a person believes in, doesn’t have to change to accommodate 7 billion spiritualities – maybe there are just 7 billion different aspects of God or whatever else. Besides which, there can be no proof of who’s right and wrong – why then should we decide who’s wrong? We should be equally as accepting of everyone, because everyone has an equal chance of being ‘right’ in their beliefs, and a 100% chance of their beliefs being right for them.
joshua becker says
Thanks for the comment Steph. Step #7 caused the most back-and-forth in my mind if it should be included or not. It certainly displays a bit more of my personal beliefs than any of the others. In the end, I chose to include it but tried to explain this was based heavily on my personal thought-process related to understanding spirituality.
Mary says
I personally reconcile this issue by thinking that God is what God is, but we each have different experiences and images of God. We conceptualize God in a way that fits our contexts and perhaps needs (know of someone who said we tend to conceptualize God in the image of our fathers…benevolent and accepting, harsh or judgmental, whatever our experience; don’t necessarily agree with that, but it’s interesting to consider). Therefore, we see depictions of God shift over time and across cultures because God is understood through different perspectives. It’s somewhat akin to saying I am Mary. I am always Mary. Yet people encounter different aspects of me. No one fully grasps the entirety of who I am, but each of their experiences are “real” and “true” (though people may experience me differently than I intend). Maybe I am not doing the concept justice…
John says
I was very turned off by number 7. I like Steph’s and Mary’s comments. God has many faces. To believe our own conception of a higher power is the only right and true one is foolish and divisive. To believe it’s even possible to “successfully find” god is presumptuous. Our ideas of god are socially constructed…whatever is actually out there beyond this realm is beyond our earthly human understanding.
Lauren says
I personally agree with this comment, since my belief is that everyone has their own way about approaching spirituality. I respect each and every opinion, in their own way they all are interesting to me.
However, I recently went on a Birthright trip to Israel and found myself much more connected to nature and spirituality than before I had left. Growing up I believed that there was always something out there, but felt like the Christian society I was constantly exposed to was too imposing for me, since I grew up in an Ashkenazi Jewish family. This trip was the big step for me in helping me be more aware of the world and believing in the greater good and a higher power, be it a God or benevolent spirit. I had experiences that are impossible to explain, but truly wondrous.
DJ says
In the spring of 2005 my 27 year old brother suddenly died. I had become a Christian many years before and this was a catalyst for me to explore (and question) everything I’d ever learned. During the entire process, it was my fellow Christians who seemed to offer the most offensive advice for ‘getting over’ my grief. I left my church and in the process, became closer to God, closer to myself, and more grounded in my faith than ever before. Do I still believe in Christ? Yes. Am I still a Christian? Yes. Do I subscribe to the same belief system I did 8 years ago? Absolutely not.
Carrie says
Joshua, what an interesting and worthy topic! I especially like your point that if we are abandoning the pursuit of material possessions, then what will we pursue?
My own spiritual journey began with being raised in a Southern Baptist Church, but wow, have I made some leaps and bounds since then. I never seriously questioned belief in Jesus, since His gracious and challenging teachings have always rung true to me. However, I always felt that something was missing, and I couldn’t put my finger on it.
I took an interesting step when I joined a small charismatic/Pentecostal congregation. At first, I thought the missing piece was the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” that they taught about. They pointed out that many Christians use the “Holey Bible” that leaves out the parts about supernatural spiritual gifts, and that made sense. Eventually, however, that nagging feeling of “something missing” returned to me.
One day, a colleague invited me to a Messianic Jewish Sabbath meeting. It was interesting and different, but I didn’t really buy into the idea that the Torah is still important. I continued attending for a long time because I liked the people and enjoyed the lively Bible studies.
Some time later, I was reading a chapter in Isaiah (65 or 66) and noticed that there were verses there critical of eating pork (pork is forbidden in the Torah). The odd thing was that it was in the context of the future Millennial Kingdom and the new heavens and earth that will come afterward. This bothered me. Why would these prophecies imply that the kosher food laws would be in effect in the future? What of Paul’s teachings and the traditional Christian interpretations?
I did a lot of reading and praying for understanding. Eventually, after what I term my “struggle” with God, I came to the conclusion that my Messianic friends were right: the Torah was not abolished. I don’t mean to say that our salvation depends on following all the ancient ceremonial rules, nor even that Gentiles are held to it the same way the Jewish people are. But Jesus was a Torah-observant Jew, and He did not come to start a new religion, but to continue the one started by God: Judaism.
It was scary at first, but over the years, becoming a “Messianic Gentile” has been an unspeakable blessing to me. I’ve learned about the festivals that God invented in Leviticus 23, and how each and every one of them is about Jesus. I celebrate these festivals with an excitement and fullness of spirit that I never experienced with Christmas. So much of the Bible that I couldn’t relate to before, now I understand how I fit in as a Gentile believer in the Jewish Messiah. I have a vision of Judaism and Christianity one day being a united faith in the only, unchanging God, and I am more stoked than ever about Jesus’s Second Coming and the establishment of His Kingdom on earth.
In short, I now read the Holy Bible instead of the “Holey Bible,” for real this time! It all fits together, and I know that I’ve found the missing piece. I’m so grateful to God for showing me such breathtaking insights into His Word. I will spend the rest of my days trying to live out Jesus’s teachings in preparation for His Kingdom. No easy task, but so worth it. Thanks for allowing me to share.
Johnnyslobs says
I was atheist my entire life, up until around 25 years old.
Somehow I started reading about the Pinael gland and DMT. I started researching it and found reference to the pinael gland in many religions including it being referenced constantly by the Egyptians.
Digging deeper, I found my way to artist Alex Grey, and when purchasing one of his books I saw a suggestion pop up underneath it for a book called “Be here now” by Ram Dass. I did a ‘read more’ before buying because I was bored at work, and one paragraph stuck with me
Something like “Forget about the past, just be here now” “Forget about the future, just be here now”
I bought the book, read it, blew my mind, began meditating and studying buddhism, hinduism, and taoism. Now I’m no longer atheist and more free and happy than I have ever been in my entire life.
Suzi says
Thank you for this! I’ve heard of Be here one and never took action but I will buy it today!
Johnnyslobs says
Here’s an audio talk that goes over most of what is in the ‘story part’ of the book:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tjwjp33jxNU
joshua becker says
Thanks Johnny. I appreciate you being willing to share with us some of the details of your spiritual journey… and the benefits you have discovered because of it.
Johnnyslobs says
Thanks Joshua! You are an inspiration and what I posted about my journey is just foot notes… I didn’t want to post a book worth of reading in your comment section :)
Jo@simplybeingmum says
Going to check this out also. Recently re-learnt about Ancient Egypt through some stuff the Kids are doing at school. All very interesting!
Vincent says
My journey started when I was very young. My parents put me into a private Christian school (even though they are Buddhist and Catholic) from Pre-school until 5th grade.
The school guided me and taught me morality. I learned to love and accept even those who didn’t believe in the same things I did. My open-mindedness is credited to the people at this school.
There was never any forcing beliefs down another’s throat. Sometimes I wonder who I would have grown up to be if I hadn’t gone there.
joshua becker says
Thanks Vincent. I appreciate this comment. Just the type of dialogue I was hoping this post would arouse.
Britt says
Im new at this I need help idk how to even begin to start the process of getting close to god but I want to be healed and I don’t want to be angry all the time I want to be able to forgive and not hold grudges please help me
Elle says
Be. Just be. I suggest solitude and lots and lots of reading, reflection, meditation… Nothing guided, only your way and whatever feels comfortable and whatever makes sense to u.
You will know when it starts to happen, i send u lots of love.
hohepa says
hello britt
i have every answer you are seeking howver it can only be your decision weather or not your willing to get them
everything you want is very close all you need is the will
i am more then happy to follow up with any of your questions
Miss Growing Green says
I often think about how our upbringing influences our “spirituality” choices as adults. How much of our spirituality is our own choice; how much has been ingrained into us?
Personally, I do not spend much time worrying about the possibility of a higher power, or what they would or wouldn’t want from us. In my opinion, doing things in the name of a religion, has caused more harm than good throughout history. I simply adhere to the belief that we should all strive to end the suffering of living beings, and leave the world a better place than we found it. I give no credit to a higher power for this quest, and when I ask for help, it is from myself and those around me that I care about.
Tilah mabasa says
I read from genesis to revelation only to realise that if indeed the spiritual world is there, therefore is nt everyone who can explore it since it also a process like other processes. Going to school frm grade 1 to the university it only takes only who hav what we call ‘vision’, though i do nt even understands what it means. Am saying as long as ‘black’ is there, then ‘white’ is there… Uknown things are only known by those who understands what the word understands stands for. Everyone can do anythng whether is knwn or nt as long as you commited or willing. The law is to first discover who you are… Who are you and what your name is are two different questions. Thanks
Marisol Pavlov says
I believe you are misinformed true religion is helping the needy and I think you are talking about traditions and customs