Give Me That Old-Time Spirituality

I grew up as part of a family active in church. There, people told me what to believe. And I did believe. But later in my adult life, I became disillusioned with formal religion as it was taught to me. In my community relations job, I had become painfully aware of basic needs being unmet all around us. But for the most part, churches didn't know or else didn't care. I no longer felt religious, but I still believed in God. What's up with that?

It wasn't until I got into A.A. that I learned religion and spirituality are different. I can be spiritual: love God, pray, seek to do God's will, and don't judge others' spirituality. I believe there is one God, but how I perceive Him is up to me. We choose our own higher power. I had never seen spirituality from this perspective.

Where you find your higher power doesn't matter. Just find it!

One of my favorite books is Awakening in Time, by Jacquelyn Small. She writes, "When we honor the higher power's principles of love -- of truth, goodness, and beauty -- we are using our energy as a creative positive force, and we feel serene. When we violate its laws of love and wisdom which are in fact our nature, we feel isolated, heavy, uninspired, and out of sorts.... In order to connect with our higher power, we simply need to be still and listen. Our intuition already knows the sound of its voice."