“God is Spirit…” John 4:24
Our attention is often given to the natural side to our lives, the natural side being what is tangible, practical, and earthy. It is visible, audible, and touchable. It is reasonable, intellectual, and emotional. The natural side tends to keep individuals and families busy with responsibility and interests. It seems there is always something to do with work, school, friends, activities, entertainment, projects, and other things.
When it comes to the spiritual side of life, individuals and families may be involved in a local church, youth group, outreach, or service. However, many of these church activities, as important and wonderful as they are, are still very natural. God is a spirit, and the way to interact with God is through our spirit, or our heart. It isn’t too different from the way we interact with one another when we open up and share from our hearts with each other. However, when we open our heart to God, we listen from our heart, we hear from our heart, and we sense His presence with our heart. We do this individually, and we do this collectively in church services. We can also do this as a family in our home, when we pray, talk about the Word of God, or worship together. We can experience the manifested presence of God as a family.
When we recognize and encounter God’s presence in our home, the bonds of our family become stronger and wider and deeper. God and our spiritual experience has become a part of our lives together. We include God in our family decisions. We ask God to help our family members face challenges together, and we praise God when we experience victories together. We encourage each other to pursue God’s plans and purpose for their life and for our family. When we embrace the spiritual side of life, we invite God to do the miraculous in and through our lives.
Our children learn to know God, not just by natural methods or a church environment, but also by encountering the presence of God through spiritual experiences with their family. They learn to pray by praying together, to value the Word by reading the Bible together, and to worship by worshipping together. Training our children is not just natural development, but also spiritual development. Then our kids don’t just know about God; they know God personally! With shared God-experiences, our marriages become stronger and richer. Life is better when God is in the house!
Application: Some feel keeping a closed heart is a strength and sharing an open heart is a weakness- not true. Be bold, and open up to God with the people you love. The bond you will share is priceless.