Spirituality: A Constant Awareness of the Presence of God

What is sprirituality? I believe it is "the constant awareness of the presence of God." Spirituality is a sense that the creator of the universe dwells in and around me. Recorded in Psalms 51, David portrays this beautifully. This is written after David is convicted of the sin of adultery with Bathsheba and a cover up that led to the death of her husband. He passionately calls on God:

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit
within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Psalms 51:10-12

This sense of the presence of God is the fuel for resilient living. Sensing the presence of God is powerful. One of my first experiences with this power is when I was about six years old. The context for this experience is as follows.

My father was killed in a one car collision when I was almost three. My mother was unable to care for my sister, brother and I due to her poor physical and emotional health. We spent the next 18 months in foster care. She became pregnant during this time and had another child, my sister. She married, but soon separated. She could not take care of herself, much less four children under the age of six. Feeling threatened by the child protective services, she gave us to her sister. Our aunt was an alcoholic and sexually out of control. This was to say the least, a very abusive environement.

Now the experience. My aunt was very sick. One Sunday morning I can remember she decided to take us to church. She dropped us off at a church very close to where we lived. The only thing I remember is going to Sunday School. I will never forget what happened in the class. We were in a circle and the teacher asked me my name. She told me how glad she and the class was that I was visiting. She then sang a song to the tune of Happy Birthday. "Were glad you are here, were glad you are here,...." That is about all I remember of the song, but I will never forget how I felt. A sense of love embraced me. It was a feeling of enormous love and hope. I believe it was the presence of God.

This was the first and only time I remember going to church while we lived with my aunt. A few weeks later, she died of liver failure.