All my life, I was taught to believe a certain way. I was taught that White Jesus was the only thing I could turn to, and I had to in very specific ways at very specific times.
If I wanted something, I had to ask him if it was his will.
If I was scared of something, I had to ask him to give me confidence.
If I fell out of sync and didn’t know what to do next, I had to ask him to pick me up.
It was all in his hands. I was just a human whose job was to lay it out all for him by slapping my hands together and praying it all to happen.
Honestly, it felt easy. It was a simple way of getting through even the shittiest of days. But somewhere along the way, I learned that simple and easy don’t always equal the results you want. Nor the results you deserve.
When you grow up knowing one way of being spiritual, it’s automatically implied that any other way is wrong. I’m here to tell you that it’s actually the opposite. There isn’t a single right way to be spiritual. But there is a wrong way. And honestly, that wrong way is the default some of us were taught.
Challenging this might feel like a big ol pain in the ass. But it’s not impossible. And it might even be a bit more seamless than you imagine.
You’ve Challenged other Things Before
Don’t act like you haven’t. We all have. If this were your first rodeo, you wouldn’t even be thinking about starting here.
We grow up believing facts as black-and-white terms. It’s wrong to lie. It’s right to stand up for your friends. Chocolate is bad for you and eating all your veggies is what will turn you into some badass superhero.
But through experience, we learn that hard black-and-white leaves many gaps. And if you add in new knowledge, then damn… those gaps get a little bigger.
Think about it: everything else evolves with a little proof. Research proved that car seats might be a little safer for children than just dumping them in the back of a car. Foodie scientists unlocked, then locked, then unlocked the truths about eggs. (Are they healthy or not? It’s kinda up to us). And once upon a time we thought cocaine would be a great idea to add to soda. I’m pretty sure we’ve moved on from that, too.
The truth is this is how we grow. We take what we once learned and apply new information gained from research and experience… aka proof. Why would your spirituality be any different? Why wouldn’t you go “Well, things haven’t exactly panned out doing it this way, maybe I should try something slightly different”?
Definition of Spirituality
Here we go. This is the core of it all, right? I mean, you’re taught that there’s only one way to pray: Hand it over and be done with it.
But that isn’t spirituality. That’s not connection. It’s not spirit. It’s barely even a fucking belief.
Being spiritual means to believe in something bigger than yourself. And that could be God. It could be the entity of the universe. It could even be a version of the Jesus you learned about.
It’s about connecting with whatever that entity is and walking with it, mind, body and fucking spirit. It’s about letting go of whatever anyone else seems to think your spiritual walk is supposed to look like and simply walking it the way that feels damn right.
You Have Responsibility, too
Maybe your experience isn’t the same as mine, but this was the missing piece I saw so many people drop the ball on. All these churchgoers threw their hands in the air and said, “I give it to you, Jesus!” And they did. They gave it all up. Nothing was on their shoulders at all. It was in his hands and that was that.
So whatever came their way, it was his doing. And they’d accept it.
Look, you weren’t given a human form to walk on this earth mindlessly. You were born here for purpose. Which means you’ve got responsibility, too. You get to be involved in creating your life, and you can’t do that by throwing your hands up while dropping your end of the deal.
Redefining Your Spirituality
I believe there are many things much, much bigger than us. Sometimes I call that the universe. Sometimes I call it God. I’m not going to tell you what you should call it because the name of it doesn’t fucking matter.
What matters is that you have a connection.
Is that there? Are you able to feel it? Are you able to move with it?
Even if it doesn’t look like White Jesus?
Challenging the beliefs you grew up with isn’t always easy. But if you can connect to something bigger, regardless of what that is, then a new, real spirituality is already within your grasp.
Looking for a new way to connect with a higher power? Fab.
I’d love to chat with you.