“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
Jeff Mortberg says
I have explored a gamut of spiritual disciplines since the initial stirrings of my spiritual awakening as a teenager. Most recently I’ve come from the perspective of an evangelical charismatic Christian, having become divorced after 30 years of marriage to a similarly-minded woman.
To me, all religion seems a gross misinterpretation of the largely symbolic and mythical writings of every faith’s scriptures. The spiritual concepts set forth in the “holy books” become quite dangerous whenever the mind/ego is allowed to control the interpretation of these writings. At the core and root of every religion is the foundational concept of unconditional love of Self (God, if you will) first, and, subsequently, the extension of that love to all other beings – sentient and non-sentient. My concept of God becomes my “Judge”, emphasizing the importance of non-judgment, and non-harm to any other being. Therefore, I must become disciplined in monitoring my thought processes if I want to keep my karma clean and my life’s path plain.
We are living on a “prison planet” where the lessons of love must be mastered through learning to “die well” while living in this present, mortal body. When the body dies it reverts back to the basic elements of earth from which it was constructed. But where does my consciousness go after death of the body? Science tells us matter and energy cannot be created nor destroyed. It can only change form. Surely consciousness is a form of energy, which is indestructible. Therefore, consciousness cannot be destroyed – it can only “change perspectives”. Then what is the purpose (and meaning) of existence? It is for you (and me) to discover our Oneness with All-there-is, and to share that discovery with all of creation. How do we accomplish this? From my present perspective, it is through unconditional love and the acceptance of everything that comes into my field of reference. Acceptance does not mean that I condone every single concept or action, no matter how much I may dislike or disagree with it. Rather, it means I must maintain a vigilance over the thoughts and attitudes I allow to take root in my mind. Because every thought eventually becomes a word, every word becomes a belief, every belief a habit, and my habits form my character. Therefore, I AM the only one who can “save” myself. No one can do this for me. “Christ” can only “save” me to the extent that I align my thoughts, words, and actions to my concept of him as my Lord. I must “imitate” his non-attachment to everything that is not my Father’s will. Our Father speaks to His Children through our consciences. The conscience is my “schoolmaster” which shall lead me to Christhood only if I obey it. This is what Revelation means where it speaks of the “Bride of Christ”. The only way to become a part of this “Bride” (that I can see) is to become harmless in every way possible to every other living being. And to act with compassion whenever the situation warrants. I AM on my path when I listen to, and obey my conscience. The only place where love is not present (experienced) is in the unexamined mind and life.
Emma says
This is really lovely – thank you!
Nansin Sultana says
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Greta James says
My cousin is going through a hard time right now and has got me thinking about the meaning of life. I am thinking of starting a spiritual journey with my cousin, and I really appreciate your advice! I love that you said this journey is your own because even though my cousin and I are doing this together we could end up at different places, which is okay!
Drake Welsh says
I loved the tip that you gave to be respectful. My wife and I want to find the right religion to practice. I will be sure to try and be as respectful as possible.
Yedrol Khandro says
True religion is about being kind and having compassion to others anc towards yourself accrinding to Buddhism. Also the aspect of inteospection and getting onow your Inner Self is what spirituality means to me.
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Jennifer Nyffeler says
I enjoyed reading this post… as you suggest (well at least this is what message I got from your post) that a persons journey to find God is the most important thing, rather than relying on and stopping at any doctrine or religion as though God and doctrine/religion are one in the same.
Marc says
Interesting post for a variety of reasons, the biggest is the fact so many Christians are looking for something deeper than the typical Sunday morning show scattered with some moral truths.
Discovering the depths of the spiritual life of Christ is a lifetime pursuit. Perhaps one that even stretches into the after life. I just hope churches and leaders will start delivering to believers the disciplines and teachings to mature us in Christ.
Hatem Yahia Saad says
Joshua, i commend you on an article very well written and very well balanced. It is about religion but it shouldn’t offend anyone; rejecting the concept that all religions are simultaneously right yet at the same time emphasizing that the search is a personal journey. I agree with this article in general. I loved the section with the very frank and hard personal questions that many people are afraid to toggle.
However, what will it mean if i answer every single question with a very logical answer, but then tell you that these answers didn’t come from me, they came from a source? Please try to answer this question with yourself before continuing, to reach the emotionally unbiased answer.
Here are the answers:
* Ourselves.
Does God care about me? Is He mad at me or pleased with me?
He cares about all his creatures, and in the case of humans, he is pleased with them when they are born, but their evil/good actions account for whether He stays pleased or gets angry from that individual.
If there is no God, who am I? And where did I originate?
If there was no God, this universe would fall into chaos and life on Earth would be impossible for us, He balances what he created (the planets, sun, moon, stars, animals and so on). We are just one section of His multitude of creations, that is our origin.
* Others.
Are all lives equal? If so, on what basis?
Yes, even animals, because all living creatures have a soul and body, and those are God’s creation. Therefore no one has the right to assault any of those two since they belong to God, except by permission from Him (decree of retribution from an individual who, for example, stole or murdered another individual).
What is my responsibility to care for others?
Obeying the parents and keeping in touch with family is of utmost importance. Giving charity/aiding the less fortunate than you. Assisting those that strive to gain knowledge, giving advice to those who need it, exchanging greetings with people, visiting the sick, going to funerals, backing up a person who was done injustice till he regains his rights. The list goes on, but besides doing good, a person should avoid allowing his harm befall another creature.
* Minimalism.
If we have removed the pursuit of worldly possessions from our affections, with what will we replace it?
The goal is to minimize the gathering of worldly goods for two reasons: over-gathering tends to change a person to the worse generally, more prideful and pompous for example. On the other hand, gathering personal necessities of worldly possessions is definitely required, not just permissible. The second reason answers the question “with what will we replace it”, and that is focusing on worshiping God, which is the very purpose of our being created, to worship Him while we were given the ability to disobey (moreover disbelieve in) Him. Gathering of worldly goods beyond a person’s needs keeps him busy from keeping in touch with God, and that is why it is a negative practice.
* 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?
We are required to preserve what is around us because God detests those who corrupt throughout the land, whilst taking what we need in moderation (crops, meat). This coupled with studying and contemplating about what is around us, to partly comprehend the greatness of whoever created all of this and to realize that there is so much detail and intention embedded within this creation to be coincidental, thus assuring us that there is a God. However, it must be noted that this universe was created for us, in respect to how vast it is (for us to contemplate and study), so we are the most important aspect in it, yet we can survive whilst preserving it, we can both survive by symbiosis. I hope i understood this set of your questions well and hence answered it relevantly.
* Morality. Is there a moral set of truth for the universe established from a higher power? Or is morality determined by each individual?
Since God created us, he is the most knowledgeable about what benefits/harms us. Thus, what he directs us towards is the best, up to the finest moral principles such as avoiding whispering to someone when a third person is present so he cant hear. There are no set of morals that are better than what God directed us towards, it is like our version of the operation manual of an electronic device.
However, a non-religious person can deduct most of the right morals by instinct, but with two setbacks. Firstly, he cant be right in all the morals he deduces because opinions are influenced by emotions, so you will find some contradictions in a person setting his own standards. Secondly and more importantly in my opinion, he will have to pass through the ‘trial and error’ process to deduce them, so God shortens this path for us and saves us the gross evil mistakes we may do and regret whilst reaching morality. It is like a person who graduates from high school and says: I will learn how to treat people through my own effort and observations. However, if he went to medical school instead he would’ve learned better and faster, with less effort and less suffering upon the patients he deals with.
* 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?
Two aspects here: evil performed by a human, and hardships that God created. Hardships that God created may fall as punishment, refinement (similar to challenging physical exercises for Olympic athletes), or as test to see how well practically a person stays righteous even when the going gets tough.
As for the evil and suffering created by humans, the issue is that, unfortunately for the good people, it is required to actually occur to serve as conclusive evidence against the evildoers when they are judged in front of God. The individuals who were done injustice in the process will be compensated on judgement day by laying off their burden of bad deeds upon those who caused the suffering. It is a recompense system matching the nature of the crime, that is how accurate the justice system with God. However, if you see an injustice you should fight it back, by assisting those who were done the harm and informing (at least, if enforcing is not possible) the guilty person that he has done the injustice. Being passive is negatively viewed by God. This way, injustices will be kept to a minimal on Earth.
* 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?
It is a mix of both what is appointed to you and effort. For example, two people exert the same effort trying to get wealthy, one gets super rich while the other stays poor. you are required to exert effort, but how much you get for it is not your will, nor to be concerned or get upset or be proud of what you received.
When you obtain it, you are free to use it as you like except on harmful matters, without forgetting the poor people. Yes it is a responsibility that you spend from it on the less fortunate, since God gives money to some while limits it upon some so that there are rich and poor people, as a test for both. Will the rich care enough and remember to donate to the poor, and will the poor be patient enough and avoid immoral means of getting money? Everyone has his role appointed to him from God.
* Afterlife. Is there life after death?
Yes there is because everyone will be judged and repaid the good\evil he did, and so that every person regains the injustices done to him on this Earth. There the justice system is extremely accurate and enforced, where every issue between every two humans will be brought up. The ultimate court if you would like to think of it.
Is death something to be feared or welcomed? And either way, how should I be preparing for it today?
Death….. naturally we fear it: the great unknown. Those who do good will be less fearful from it than those who were evil on Earth. But it is still something to be feared because… think of it as the transferal phase to your judgement upon your actions, who wouldn’t fear that? Prepare for it by doing good deeds, but these good deeds MUST conform with the parameters set by God, but this needs extensive explanation which is not practical here.
No doubt that these answers gave rise to some more logical questions, but what is for sure is that I could not have reached all these logical and detailed answers from myself. However, the most important point to state now is that these answers came from a specific source, through a successive chain of prophets. All these prophets directed people to the same thing, that they had this knowledge from the one and only (single entity) God who should be worshiped. But then people kept going astray due to chasing worldly goals, dropping the commendations of the prophets through the centuries.
I leave it at here, respecting your wish to not point the conversation to a certain religion. Just opening your mind more, the rest is up to you :)
However, if you are interested for more knowledge and what religion I refer to, i wrote an online posted e-book “the religion that captivated minds with its logic”, or contact me for a free copy.
Chrystal says
I feel as if I’m missing something in my life and I think that something is spirituality. I believe in a higher power, but what that power is, I’m not sure. I was raised a Baptist….partly by my Bible thumping grandmother when we took trips to her house and partly by my much more relaxed mother’s ways. The grandmother’s ways did not take with me for many reasons. I have grown to think that organized religion is really the downfall of this country, but I want something to fulfill me in that way.