When Does Spirituality Begin?

It’s 4 a.m.  I have to teach in a couple of hours on Urban Spirituality into a Muslim slum in Manila and into South Africa as it is devolving into violence over land rights . Meanwhile, I have family: a wife having her first sound sleep since I went traveling ten days ago; a daughter in the struggle against political corruption; another celebrating graduation; and a son pouring this millionth? cup of coffee while wishing he were writing poetry.  How do these things connect? Where did one get poetry in his spirit? and another art? and another the desire to be an activist policy-maker? When I ask my classes, “Where does spirituality begin?” they start answering that it began when they received the Holy Spirit at conversion, overwhelmed by his incoming presence and deep sense of his love. And this is true.  The entrance of God’s Spirit, brings our spirit alive. But did you have a spirit prior to that? Yes, our human spirit, deadened by sin (either our sin or the sin of others). And was that spirit impacted by your parents and grandparents? Now that sparks a discussion!! In one class it was a discussion between a student of German descent, one of Mexican descent (who from this class figured he was actually from high level Spanish ancestry), one of Japanese, and one African-American.  So how does a Japanese heritage affect ones spirituality in contrast to African-American?  Why does one meditate and one dance when the Holy Spirit comes on them? And why does a German heritage mean one experience the Holy Spirit alone in silence with a logical mind? So spirituality is inherent in our family history? Scriptures tells us that before we were formed in the womb he knew us.  The scriptures indicate that sin impacts families to the 3rd and 4th generation (My grandmothers prayers deeply impacted my life, and do you have Da Nair to blame for your spiritual struggles when you meander from the way?) and in some cases covenants impact us to the 10th ( David was the 10th generation from Boaz and Ruth).  So my other grandmother who we thought of as the battle-axe was the secretary/organizer of the Women’s political movement of her day, while her husband was a quiet gracious national educator, and his grandfather the great astronomer who started the orchestras of New Zealand, so at least one of my kids would likely organize across nations. And our grandfather, Sr Lourival could create humour and jokes wherever he went, so one would be the life of the party. But does it begin before that?  Well, this month’s Scientific American has 12 articles that seek to analyze what differentiates the human spirit from animals.  Of course, it doesn’t use Biblical words. It is Scientific.  But science has tracked back to the first Adam and first Eve a few hundred thousand years ago.  So spirituality began then? Well no!  Scripture tells us that he knew us before the beginning of time.  We were in his mind when he first spoke 13.4 billion years ago in the Big Bang (so science says) the waves of his voice echoed across the universe, and combined in so many ways and eventually evolved each of you in the way he foresaw. So before time he planned one as a poet, and one as a spacial art specialist, and one as a broad-scale organizer with an eye on policy making, and one spouse as a lego designer cum creative nerd, and another boyfriend as a seeker of inner beauty through his artwork, and somewhere a wife for my son who speaks also in poetry but can help him be grounded while he creates – somewhere… We are birthed in him, and our spirits find no rest, unless after receiving his Spirit at conversion, we daily dwell in him, beginning in those few minutes with him in the word and prayer before dawn. And in repentance at the cross with our better half before we sleep. And that requires desperation, seeking and finding – and in this, the Holy Spirit comes and overwhelms us with his presence. These are the beginnings of spirituality.  We can embrace them, or ignore them and end in chaos.