One of the tests for any form of spirituality is how we connect what we believe with everyday life. There are many ways to make this connection, and each Christian does it a bit differently. But the main thing is to be intimately connected to Jesus and to pay attention to His guidance.
As Christians, we know the importance of setting time aside daily to read the Bible and pray; however, if you’ve been a Christian for more than a week, you’ve discovered that it’s difficult to maintain consistency. Why is that? There are a variety of explanations, but I believe one significant reason is that it’s easy to bring a “sacred/ secular divide” perspective to our devotionals. We can quickly fall into the trap of thinking that this is our “spiritual time with God” before we move on to our “less spiritual” day at work, at school, on the shop floor, or wherever will be. Don’t make this mistake!
Remember, this relationship provides the basis for how we live day by day. For example, as a Christian, you are a follower of Jesus, and you apply the Bible teachings, especially the teachings of Jesus, to every aspect of your life. The Bible teaches things like honesty, integrity, dignity, respect, treating others with love, being generous, helping the poor, sharing your faith, and many other things. All of these affect your day-to-day living. They enable you to love and forgive, to endure suffering, and have hope when things look hopeless. As you grow in your relationship with God, you will notice changes in your life that will affect how you live.
God is not hiding; He wants to be found. He wants to interact with you 24/7. God wants to bring faith, love, hope, joy, and peace into your everyday life. It’s all yours by faith.
Finally, let me say that spirituality is not meant to be always fun. It takes discipline, and it is tough. But if you practice it, the connection between what you believe and the way you live will be apparent in many key areas: selfimage, work, leisure, relationships, family, dealing with life’s problems, and so on.
You may find the spiritual road demanding or even frightening at times. Trust God. Trust Him with your life, with everything you have, and everything you are or would like to be. This is the stuff of spirituality. You have embarked on a great journey. Now go and put into practice what you believe—and delight in it!
