develop my spirituality

Hubby and I talk quite a lot about spirituality and religion and this gives me the opportunity to voice my feelings and then reflect on whether I feel authentic in that voice.

Overall I would describe myself as a Christian as generally I believe in the teachings of Christ, however I don’t believe Jesus Christ is literally the son of God. (Hubby laughed because when I said that aloud I spilt a jar of sugar everywhere!) I think there is a place for prayer but not necessarily within a church. I disagree with the confines of religion as an institution.

I’ve been thinking about this more recently as many of my friends with babies are planning baptisms/christenings. None of my children are christened and I don’t feel it’s something I want to do. I want to educate them and allow them to make their own choices. I’m not afraid they wont go to heaven, to me their souls are innocent and their hearts are loving and that is enough.

I also feel more of a connection with nature when I consider spirituality. I feel there’s something bigger but I don’t feel a burning desire to know what that is. My desire is to live in a way that feels right in my heart, coincidentally that is, in most respects, a Christian lifestyle. Sometimes life seems so perfect it’s hard to believe there is no God.

...signed himself in when I was writing a lengthy entry for this goal and lost it – ooops.

The gist was that my spirituality has been bought to the forefront of my mind by several things – a book I read recently (Girlfriend in a Coma) and my choice of school for Jimmers.

I’ve been thinking about the church schools on offer. The closest school to us is a Catholic one and another nearby is C of E. Hubby is C of E, I suppose I would say I am (spiritually but not religiously if that makes sense). I have ‘faith’ in the principles but do not agree with many aspects of religious institutions. On the other hand there are lots of ‘practices’ I like – hymns, grace, nativities, harvest festivals and the like.

I really was to firm up my beliefs and renew my spiritual connections.

...some help with this one I think.

Where to start? Here’s my beliefs so far:

• I believe in a greater power.
• I believe Jesus was a good man with great ideas but I don’t believe he was the son of God.
• I believe in the love and compassion of humankind.
• I believe in certain elements of ‘if it’s meant to be’ but not in fate or destiny.
• I believe you make your own bed.
• I believe children are our future.
• I believe in the unknown and the uncertainty of our lifetimes.