Jan. 26, 2019

Being Spirit

Where did we come from? How did we get here? Who is responsible for our existence? These and other such questions have been asked over and over again throughout the countless generations of human existence. Science has tried to give evidence to such questions. Theories have been placed into our thinking to give us answers. Yet generation after generation these and other questions continue to be posed. Because this is a reflection, I am simply offering something for the reader to consider. The answer to these and other questions may lie in our ability to see beyond our physical selves, perhaps peering into what has been termed spirit.

I often wonder if our physical existence can hinder our ability to see and experience our spiritual existence. Spirit has been described as “breath.” In the Genesis account of creation God “breathes” into what he has formed from the dust of the ground and mankind became a living being. Jesus refers to the Spirit as “wind” in the gospel of John chapter three as he spoke to Nicodemus. Becoming aware of ourselves as “spirit” may open up a whole new way of understanding.

In the bible account found in Jeremiah the first chapter and the fifth verse, he records a spiritual understanding that God knew him before he formed him in his mother’s womb. As I have considered this thought, I have often asked myself, “where did you know me?” You know how it is, one thought cascades into other thoughts and before you know it you are lost in an overwhelming array of more questions. But what if our existence before we were born here on earth was in a spiritual state. A spiritual state? How does one describe a spiritual state of being? Good question. It occurs to me that I (whatever “I” means) exists within my physical body. I think, and my thoughts have the ability to make my body move and function. Of course there are functions that I don’t really think about that just happens automatically, like breathing. I have served as a hospital chaplain for many years and I have witnessed numerous people nearing their life’s end. When it did occur, the breath left their body.

If this breath is synonymous with spirit, then it stands to reason that when the breath leaves the body and it no longer moves because the body is dead, then perhaps it is the spirit that makes our body alive. In the bible passage of Acts 17:28 the Apostle Paul tells those on Mars Hill, near the Acropolis, quoting from one of the Greeks ancient sources that In God we live (breathe) and move and have our being. He said this after introducing God to these Greeks who had a monument to “the unknown god.”

If our breath comes from our Heavenly Father and we are made in his image and likeness, and if Jesus is the only begotten of the Father and he is the first born among many (that’s you and me), and if it is true that God knew us before he formed us in our mother’s womb, then I submit that our birth is first of all spiritual. In the gospel of John, the first chapter, it indicates that the Logos or the Word was turned toward the Father. John identifies the Word as Jesus Christ. The scriptures also indicate that God is Love. I hold up for your consideration that if our beginning was a spiritual birth and this spiritual birth was founded in God who is Love then I submit to you that we all are offsprings of Love.

When we loose sight of Love, then we loose sight of ourselves. When others reflect anything other than Love to us, or we reflect anything other than Love to others we are not being who we really are. We are Spirit beings. The sooner we are awakened to this reality, the sooner we will be able to live and love the way we were designed by our Heavenly Father. You and I are the offsprings of Love. It is in this spiritual reality that we live and move and have our being. Any other notion will cause us to live beneath our privilege!