Spirituality

Purpose:

The spirit of a person infused into her or his body yields the human soul. Like the mind and body, the spirit needs care and nourishment.

The Lesson

"The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Bible, Matthew XXVI: 41

"Not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." Bible, II Corinthians III:6

"Spirits are not finely touch'd But to fine issues." Shakespeare, Measure for Measure I:1

My neighbor (who passed away last year) had this dog from the dog pound. Her name is Lucky. She's lucky to be alive. Lucky was about to be killed because nobody wanted her. She was abused by her owner and she is as crazy as a loot. Still, my neighbor adopted her.

Lucky is naturally happy, despite her history. But she has gone off her rocker and doesn't know when not to be so happy. When I visited the home, Lucky came charging up at me, her tail wagging, and about knocks me to the ground. You had better protect yourself or she would jam those big paws of her's where it hurts.

We would go into the house and her owner, a grand old lady in her eighties would say, "Lay down, Lucky!" Lucky may or may not lay down on command. If she does, she jams her foot into her mouth up to the elbow. That is, if dogs have an elbow. More likely, Lucky just runs in a circle chasing her tail. Lucky just can't control herself. Her spirit was broken by her first owner and now she is nuts.

Some adults are no better off than Lucky. They are in mental hospitals, or prisons, or in the land of the homeless. Some were abused as children. They have lost their spirit. They live in Never Never Land. And we all know spiritless adults who have been abused by their employers for years. They have become afraid of their own shadows and they have a great fear of losing their jobs. They became as predictable as robots, doing their bosses bidding, but never initiating anything new because they are afraid the boss will disapprove.

There's a place for such bosses! Jesus Christ said of those who offend these little ones that it would be better for them to tie a millstone around their necks and jump into the depths of the sea. His actual word were, "It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea." Luke XVII, 2.

Remember the poor beggar? His name was Lazarus and he went to a rich man and begged for bread. (This Lazarus was not the friend of Jesus Christ who He revived from death.) Lazarus didn't get one crumb from the rich man. The poor beggar, Lazarus, died and went to heaven. The rich man died and went to hell. He begged Father Abraham to send the beggar down to give him a little water. Abraham told the rich man that Lazarus could never cross the great gap that separated them. See Luke XVI:22.

If you love your fellow men, you will never fall into abuse. Sadly, some folks don't consider their children as fellow men. The Golden Rule says that we should treat others as we would like to be treated. That includes our children. Never abuse your children physically or mentally. If you do, you might break their spirit, say nothing of the complete unhappiness you will bring upon them.

The spirit has needs.

It can be nourished by the fine foods of art, music, ethics, morality, and humor. It helps for children of all ages to know that they are God's offspring and that He loves them just as earthly parents love their children. A person needs to know how he fits into the realm of things.

What is life all about anyway?

Life is a time to develop those talents that God gave you, to find joy and happiness in serving others, and to find God.

Nurture your children.

For The Little Children

Rachel was very sad. Daddy had given her a spanking that she didn't deserve.

She was playing with Kitty when Kitty bumped the lamp that Daddy had given Mommy for her birthday. The lamp fell to the floor and shattered. It was an accident.

Mother was at the store buying groceries. She felt something was wrong, like mothers do at times. She hurried to the checkout stand and then drove home. When she got home, Rachel ran out to the car crying. “Daddy spanked me!” Mother gave Rachel a hug and said, “I knew something was wrong. Now stop crying and tell me what happened.”

“Kitty knocked the lamp over. It wasn't my fault.”

“Oh, I see,” said Mother. “I’ll bet it was the lamp Father gave me for my birthday.”

Kitty looked up when she heard the screen door slam. Father was coming out of the house. Rachel hid behind Mother. “Little accident,” asked Mother, looking at Father.

Father said, “It's okay, Rachel. Daddy isn't mad at you. I'm sorry I spanked you when Kitty knocked the lamp over. I know you were just playing with Kitty.”

“Then why did you spank me, Daddy? We were just playing.”

Mother said, “The lamp was special, Rachel. Daddy felt bad when Kitty broke it. But we can get another lamp, can't we?”

“Yes,” Father said. “But we can't get another little girl just like you Rachel.”

He gave Rachel a big hug. Rachel was happy again.

Copyright©2001-2005 Taylor Jones, John T. Jones, Ph.D.

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