July 19: Day 19

STEP THREE CONTINUED: Recognize that we are spiritual beings and decide to turn our lives over to “that which is greater than self” referred to in these steps as “The Divine.”
 
Instruction: See spirituality in everything.
When we are in church, we are being religious and doing religious things. That’s all well and good, but, too often, that experience is over when the service is over. Spirituality doesn’t begin and end in a specific time frame. All of life is sacred and spiritual. We are often most spiritual when we are in nature. A walk in the woods, a climb up a mountain, kneeling by a babbling brook, and watching the animals are all spiritual activities. Other key spiritual times in our lives include the beginning of a life and the end of a life. Weddings can be and usually are spiritual times as well all forms of commitment from one person to another. Parenting presents countless spiritual opportunities. Think about the ways activities and events in life encourage the spiritual and give us a sense of gentleness and joy.
Perhaps part of the problem with organized religion is just the fact that it is organized. We plan for the presence of The Divine in our services but often fail to remember that there is no need for preparation. The Divine is with us always, and all moments of life are sacred. I have been in church services where something out of the ordinary seemed to occur, and we somehow felt the presence of The Divine more intensely. I cherish those moments and greatly anticipate them, but I also want to remember that we can have those “ah-ha” moments, sometimes called euphoria, in the everyday trappings of our lives. We can enjoy religious experiences but not be limited by them. As we come to recognize more and more what it means to be a spiritual being, we can enjoy, explore, and relish every aspect of our spiritual nature.
Take a moment today to set aside time to have a spiritual encounter that doesn’t involve a formal religious tradition. Invite The Divine to show up in your life at an unexpected time, and in an unexpected way.