Meaning of Spirituality

I lost my grandma a few months ago in a very, very painful way (and I’m sure I’ll be posting about that soon since her birthday is coming up). A few days ago, a friend I don’t speak with frequently at all posted on Facebook that his grandmother was passing away and he was broken-hearted. We spoke for a little while about how to get through the pain losing somebody we loved so dearly.

 

Something I told him had me thinking a lot. It was more like a revelation as it came out of my fingertips as I typed to him. I believe that there is something bigger, that our spirits are connected. Sometimes our spirits reach out for something and we don’t even know it. We are flawed and our brains can’t always tell us what we want—but our spirit knows what we need. Our spirit is who we are, and it isn’t afraid to reach out to get what it needs. We are responding to something we didn’t know was even there but it ends up being perfect. 

This got me thinking about the comfort I received from people I have known, the way their spirit touched mine in such an extraordinary way. Three people really came to mind when I thought about it, and it can’t be overlooked that I knew them all from the same ministry. In addition to making me love and respect these people more, this revelation has been about how much hope Campus to City Wesley has given to people like me.

 

The first person that came to mind was a display of love.

Derrick Scott. There was always something incredibly endearing and comforting about his presence. He always had a joy in his eye when he saw people and spoke with them. Even though he always had something on his mind, I always felt important when I saw him because you could always see the respect, joy, and love in his eyes. I can remember a number of times, both at individual coffee meetings and at community nights, where the minute he saw me he smiled and his eyes lit up. No, it wasn’t romantic and I never thought that, but it was just beautiful and comforting to see the way he cared that I was there and hoped I was well. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody else whose genuine eyes impacted me so much.

The next person who came to mind was a display of acceptance and a lack of judgementalness.

Katherine Card. She was a comfort to be around because she didn’t judge, she just comforted and loved. She always had some kind of joy and peace in her eyes, too. She was sometimes distracted with school and struggled with believing in herself. But she was always sweet and loving. The way she held herself, her laughter, her eyes. She was somebody I thought about what she would think about my decisions, and I wondered if I should tell her, not because she judged me but because I kinda didn’t want to let her down. She was genuine and humble in a way that was remarkable, and it didn’t make me feel judged.

Finally, somebody came to mind that seemed to really display joy and peace.

Christina Gonzalez. She went through a lot in her past and in her heart, but she always displayed joy and peace. She was somebody who walked in a room and her laughter lifted my spirits. She was optimistic and sweet. She was very understanding and listened very intently, responded to what you said. But she brought a comfort of happiness. I can remember telling her about a heartbreak, and yet somehow the brokenness went away and I felt joy just being around her. Something about her presence just calmed my spirit and what had me feeling so broken felt so light.

 

It is a miracle to me how my spirit finds what it needs. We are all flawed, myself and these people too. But when you value your spirit and feed it the right positive nourishment, it’s amazing the impact you can make on others.

 

Derrick, Katherine, and Christina are all people who will be the first to admit their faults and fears, but their spirit is genuine and loving. I miss them and I miss the way my soul was comforted when I was with them. I never realized how important this was. I want to bring peace to others’ souls, to be the comfort that others’ souls seek.

The presence of people who value that reminds you that there’s nothing better than allowing God to work through you in that way.

 

They’re encouragement. 

And I value them very much.