| ˈspɪrɪtʃʊəlɪti, -tjʊəlɪti |

The Daily Aloy is not, strictly speaking, a “Christian site”, though it definitely contains overtones of being a good Christian and contains articles reflecting on the Written Word of God. This is because of what it believes in: living a responsible life becomes pointless without its being rooted in an eternal principle – that eternal principle of which is God, the Creator of man and of the world. We are responsible – to ourselves, to others, to the environment, to society, and even to money and material things – because we are called to be so.

You could then say that, in a way, it is a “spiritual site”: it allows us to get in touch with our spirits, our inner selves, to cast off sheer worldliness and remember that there is more to life than monetary or material riches – as many of us today seem to forget. Both definitions as written below apply equally to the TDA community: it is both about being a good Christian, and about being attuned to the soul rather than just the body.

Why is spirituality important? It helps us keep rooted, helps keep us in check, and serves as a guiding light for our daily actions and our way of thinking. It reminds us that living itself goes much deeper than we think, and makes us remember just how connected we are to others and to the world. After all, “no man is an island” is a philosophical insight, and philosophy is rooted in spirituality at least in part.

Spirituality itself, though, should also be rooted, rooted in a true knowledge of and love for God. Too detached-from-God a spirituality can ironically be spiritually damaging for someone, as they might actually already be straying from the commandments. But spirituality is so much more than just that: when you get right down to it, it’s about your relationship with your God, and how you live it out in your daily living. A love for God precedes all, and from there everything else flows: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments (John 14:15, NRSV).” True faith in, hope for, and love for God will result in a joyful and willing response to participate in His grand plan for salvation (our actions alone being inadequate for salvation notwithstanding), living out our roles as His children, modern-day apostles, and stewards of creation.

Have a blessed, purposeful, and spirit-filled week!

Definition [spiritual]

• relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things
  • having a relationship based on a profound level of mental or emotional communion
  • (of a person) not concerned with material values or pursuits
• relating to religion or religious belief

Etymology

Middle English, from Old French spirituel, itself from Latin spiritualis, from spiritus (“breath”, “spirit” – itself from spirare [“to breathe”]).

In other languages

• Bahasa Indonesia: kerohanian
• بهاس ملايو:
  • كروهانيان (kerohanian)
• Cebuano: espirituwalidad
• Deutsch: die Geistigkeit
• Español: la espiritualidad
• Filipino: kabanalan
• Français: la spiritualité
• 한국어: 영성 (yeongseong)
• Italiano: la spiritualità
• ភាសាខ្មែរ: ខាងវិញ្ញាណ (khangvinhnhean)
• Latino: spiritualitatis
• မြန်မာဘာသာ: ဝိညာဉျ (wi nyar nyya)
• 日本語: 霊性 (れいしょう)
• ພາສາລາວ: ຈິດວິນຍານ (chid vinnyan)
• ภาษาไทย: จิตวิญญาณ (Cit wiỵỵāṇ)
• தமிழ்: ஆன்மீகம் (Āṉmīkam)
• Tiếng Việt: tâm linh
• 中文: 靈性 / 灵性 (língxìng)