Spirituality as defined by the Mirriam-Webster dictionary is ” the force within humans being thought to give the body life, energy, and power.” This one simple definition defines all religious beliefs and spiritual beliefs, whether they be from the Eastern Religions of Buddhism and Taoism, to the Western Religions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, to an individual’s simple belief of higher power. For an individual to have spirituality they must encompass the belief that there is an energy that is beyond them, that not everything is in ones control, and that this energy is a common bond to everything in the Universe.
For most people spirituality comes in the form of organized religion, this force that gives body life, energy and power, come from the Old Testament, New Testament, or Koran. For people that are believers of these organized religions it is a dedication to their God, a “faith” that their lives serve a higher purpose then the life they live on this planet. Their faith allows them to be faithful servants to God and their reward for their spirituality will be given to them in the afterlife. For true believers who have faith in whatever religion they believe in, this faith is a gift beyond measure. For we live in a world with many unanswered questions, who lives and who dies, who is rich and who is poor, who suffers and who is given a life of little struggle? But for the true believers the answers are simple, it is god’s plan, and to surrender to the unknowing, to let go of the things one cannot control, to believe there is an answer and it will be revealed to you in time, allow humans the freedom to not only endure in times of great pain and stress but to flourish as well.

I believe we see the power of spirituality everyday in our lives, in the people we know, the people we admire, the feats of achievement we witness. For those who are not believers of organized religion or God, that does not mean they are not spiritual. Remember, spirituality is an energy that gives life; it is a personal decision to define what that means. I believe everyone has had contact with a power beyond their understanding, has witnessed an event, met a person who achieved more than they can understand through their words and actions. A great sermon at a church may move two hundred people emotionally through its spirituality and its energy that cannot be seen. A great speech may move millions of people with a positive energy, inspire change, give people the faith to act, consider the great speeches of a John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King as an example, and consider the change they inspired.
Most people are spiritual and believe in a higher power because they witness it every day. Life is a series of tests that are very often difficult, painful and hard to understand, and yet people move forward and overcome their trials and tribulations. Sometimes these changes come individually, sometimes as group, belief in the unknown is an individual relationship, it would be beyond me to preach what form of belief an individual should have, but the force that gives the body, life and energy surrounds us every day. Embrace spirituality, it will give you a strength that you never knew you had, a compassion for others, and a sense of peace.