Spiritual!
Now there’s a word for you! Spiritual! I’m betting that there are almost as many definitions for that word as there are people who contemplate it; seek it; live it; share it; believe in it! I’m also betting that we could have some pretty heated discussions about which definitions are in fact the most correct!
For me growing up as an Assemblies of God PK, the definition that more often than not filtered through congregations expressed itself in highly emotionally charged worship services that focused on speaking in tongues, prophecies, interpretations of prophecies and long-winded sermons followed by doubly long, service-ending altar calls! What wasn’t really a part of that definition of so many years ago, was any emphasis on service to humanity.
Later on after I chose the Southern Baptist path to spirituality and became an aspiring young preacher boy at Hardin-Simmons University, the primary definition proclaimed by many of my fellow students included an almost mind-numbing, constant repetition of “Praise the Lord” for anything and everything that happened. Get an A on a test – Praise the Lord! Get an unexpected $20 in the mail – Praise the Lord! Lose you on-campus job – Praise the Lord! Break your leg – Praise the Lord! Get a date – Praise the Lord! It seemed that many felt that the more they could attach a hearty “Praise the Lord” to any life event that occurred, the more spiritual they were.
In all fairness, many of the guest speakers on campus as well as a host of professors countered this myopic, rose-colored proclamation of “spiritual” with more down-to-earth interpretations.
My intent is to avoid parsing the word, “spiritual” by outlining the many possible definitions. I want instead, to share a definition I heard some 40+ years ago from a beloved college professor. His definition was as follows: “In order for one to be deeply Spiritual, one must be essentially Practical!”
Think about that one! Spirituality measured by Practicality! What a novel concept! No talking! No building! No flash! No mystical mojo! No hidden path! Just practical service to others. What might happen if we were to adopt this particular definition for one single day? In our churches? In our personal lives? I wonder . . .
Peace!
Mark E. Hundley
