Context for Spirituality

Spirituality is not developed in a vacuum. All of our lives are intertwined and closely tied up with one another. God does not create us to live in isolation. He created us incomplete, so we would need one another, so we could help one another, so we could reach out and touch one another’s lives. Holiness is growth in godliness, and God is not self-centred. He is a giving God, always sharing the immensity of His infinite goodness with His creatures. Though he works with each of us personally, moulding in us His own inner life, He channels through ourselves and others what we all need for our survival and our growth, so we become the woof and warp of life’s tapestry. The real work of our spiritual life lies essentially in what subconsciously takes place beneath the surface of our daily life as God uses events and circumstances as well as people to alter our thought patterns, clarify our vision, reset the direction of our life, and realign our personality to harmonise with Jesus’ own inner life.
Once we become aware of the complex way God works in our lives, it becomes clear why it is critical for us to be attuned to God’s presence and sensitive to His voice. While it is impossible for us to perpetually aware of His presence because our lives are so harried, we can still snatch brief moments of quiet time each day to listen to Him and become attuned to His unheard voice within us. It is at times like this, though not only at times like this, that we become aware of new insights into ourselves, our understanding of God, and the marvellous way He works throughout His creation.

Excerpt taken from Never Alone, by Joseph F. Girzone