I grew up going to church every Sunday and saying my prayers each night. At some point in my teenage years, I learned more about the history of organized religion and felt a little bit like the services I'd been attending had left out a few things and even misled at times (i.e. when was Jesus born?). What I loved about church was the community in it. The coming together of people to spend time with one another and being there for one another as a village.
I spent a long time not really sure what I believed as far as spirituality. I had pretty much landed on the fact that God in whatever form was probably not something I ascribed to, but I did still feel like there is something bigger than each of us and that was connecting us together. I was glad when I found Brené Brown's definition of spirituality:
“Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning, and purpose to our lives.”
Staying connected to love and compassion for myself and for others is always what made me feel like I was tapping into something bigger than myself. Within this frame I feel like I have room to explore the intangible connection that I know I feel.
Mystery is inherent in spirituality. It's what makes it so magical and also hard to explain to someone who needs to see it to believe it. It's mystery also means there are likely many answers to this question of what is this higher power. I'm only sure that love and compassion are at its roots and it is when any religious or spiritual practice becomes disconnected from those that we lose the connection.
Being a Force for Good 