Spirituality

A common phrase that people use to describe their faith is "spiritual but not religious". I have never until recently stopped to really consider this turn of phrase. I think that there are lots of ways this expression could be taken. A few that come to mind include:

• They believe that some supernatural force was responsible for creating the universe and all living creatures within it, but they do not really understand the who, when, how, what, or why.
  
• They believe in the golden rule which they assume is really what all man-made religions are all about.
  
• They sense that all of the life around them was not created by accident, that there must have been a creator, but they do not believe in a creator who wants a personal relationship with them.
  
• They cannot find any way to make sense of all the disparate and contradictory religions, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddist, ..., so they feel they cannot embrace any single one, but somehow feel that there must be a kernel of truth in there somewhere.
  
• They believe in the God of the Bible but have chosen to set Him aside.
  

I could go on listing things, but the last item on my list above really gives me pause. What an absolutely scary thought with even scarier implications. The Bible says that everyone of us will be subject to His judgment upon our deaths. Those who are separated from Him will spend all of eternity in hell. There is no other possible outcome, no get out of jail free card.

Yet, how often do I, who call myself a Christian, set God aside because I am focused on myself? How easily the smallest thing can cause me to forget about Him and think only of myself. Often it seems I am neiher spiritual nor religious.