Happy Friday!

Need a 5 minute break? Keep reading…

Spiritual Beings: Angels, demons, and Satan, oh my!

Have you ever heard someone say (in real life or on TV), “I”m spiritual, but not religious.” Individuals say this for a number of reasons, from being hurt/disappointed by organized religion (and not wanting to associate with it), to viewing their beliefs “beyond a box,” to many other reasons. Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin would agree:

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

And the truth is…each of us is spiritual, because we have lived into experiences and teachings that have developed a way of life (or set of beliefs and ethics) that drive our thoughts and actions each day. It is up to each of us to figure out what we believe, who we are, and what the meaning of this life truly is. (Am I getting too deep? It is Friday, after all. Let me take a step back.)

So what is a spiritual being? Well, us, for example. Aside from humans, most major religions (and Christianity is certainly included) have Scriptures that speak of “spiritual beings.” In the Bible, for example, there are quite a collection of narratives of other-worldly beings…angels, demons, Satan, etc. For Western thinkers, this is difficult for our minds to grasp for its lack of seemingly logical, analytical structures. However, it is important for people of (any) faith to discover what spiritual beings are and how they fit into God’s story. Thankfully, we have help!

The Bible Project is one of my favorite free online resources for understanding the Bible and Christian faith overall. The illustrations and narrations are captivating, with sound research backing up these videos; they start a conversation, where you and I can then go and think/learn more. They have an entire series on Spiritual Beings, all for free! (No, I don’t get paid to promote them.) They also have videos for each book of the Bible, as well as faith themes and church seasons, if you’d ever like an airplane view of a book or would like to understand what in the world that giant book of Isaiah is trying to say. = )

Spiritual Beings: An Intro (44 seconds)

The ENTIRE SERIES can be found here: https://bibleproject.com/explore/spiritual-beings/

^{An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,}

    ^{and the ears of the wise seek it out.}

Proverbs 18:15

1. Check-in: Where are you experiencing knowledge? How do you find/discern wise teaching for your life? Are there any spaces where you are learning that conflict with your beliefs or discourage mental health? (Either write down your thoughts or share with a trusted one.)
2. Action/Inaction: What are some ways you can seek to discover knowledge this weekend?
3. Pray with God: God, thank you for the freedom to seek knowledge. You have given me the gift of a mind that always has capacity for me to learn and to grow. Open my eyes to surprising and thought-provoking places to learn, as I continue to seek Your wisdom and guidance. In Your Son, Jesus’, name we pray, Amen.

I thank God for this opportunity to spend 5 minutes of your precious time with you. Go forth with knowledge!

~Laurel