SHOES THAT FIT OUR FEET (part one)

Today I resumed writing a column in the Denver Weekly News. I continued my series entitled Peace of Mind through Peace With God, which is a great antidote for many behavioral health issues of the day. This column today was my introduction mentioning a variety of topics.

One of the topics distinguish between religion and Spirituality. Many define both as synonymous; however, many of us do not. One of our contemporaries Carolyn Myss distinguishes between the two as follows. Religion is to Spirituality as our Clothing is to our body. It cloaks, it covers, it frames, it defines, and often hides the truth of who we are.

In the article I mentioned how our National Hero, the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., reinforces this distinction when he said the most authentic Christian he knew was Mahatma Ghandi. Remember Mahatma Ghandi was Hindu.

Another example of the contrast of religion relative to Spirituality is that we might outgrow our religion just like we outgrow a pair of shoes.

The article further distinguishes between “the word Jesus” and the WORD OF JESUS. Spirituality may be represented through the WORD OF JESUS, THE CHARACTER OF JESUS, or Jesus the Christ. Consider John 14:6 New Testament.

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. International Version (NIV). When he referred to himself in the first person singular, He did not mean himself alone, but himself as one with God through Christ.

He yielded to and practiced fidelity relative to his spirituality. As you learn his story, he was crucified by many factions of his time including individuals involved in and leaders in Jewish religion. He became a threat because His Spirituality outgrew religion.

For many individuals steeped in religion, spirituality is like wearing a size 5 shoe on a size 8 foot.

The key is to find and to wear SHOES THAT FIT OUR FEET.