Spirituality In The Common Things

By Indu Shanmugam
Published 07/7/2008

Indu Shanmugam

Indu Shanmugam is a 20-something, college student from Oregon, USA. She is majoring in English literature and language. She also studied Theology for a short period. She wants to be a teacher. As a literature enthusiast, she enjoys literature of all types and from writers of various backgrounds from the classics, French realists, Christian writings like C.S Lewis and South Asian literature. As for her own writings, "I am still trying to find and develop my own voice." She sees the art of the written word as a way to speak about Christ and explore truth. Before she met Jesus Christ, she has been searching for the meaning of life through experimentation of other religions, philosophies and ideas. At the age of 17, she accepted Christ after a powerful encounter with God through a miracle. God's presence and deep truths in the Bible fuel her creativity. She is involved in church activities and has a love for the church and would like to see every believer grow, become closer to God and live fruitfully. She loves traveling, sipping bubble teas, theatre, music, films and hanging out with friends and has a weakness for cheesecake.

Sometimes you get a realization of truths that most people take for granted at the most unexpected and most ordinary things. I always hear church VBS, youth camps, church conferences and specifically designated church events advertise, "Come here to find God, grow in spiritually and be fullfilled..." and basically anything along those lines. It´s as though you are expected to have a road to damascus sort of experience at these places or else you are missing out on something. Christianese jargon, hype and other clichés surrounding these environments.

I have nothing against them. However, there tends to be a subtle implication that a person can exclusively experience God only at these "Christian" events. Some people actually believe that. I will strongly say that if anyone is a believer, he or she will experience God just as much in the daily ordinary life just as much as these events that are specifically categorized as "Christian".

A true believer is a new creation and is reconcilled with God at conversation. There is no need for "extras" or any other embellishments to spirituality. Then, the true nature of grace is overlooked.

If you love God sincerely, you´ll experience the spiritual or godly at any place or time.

Sometimes, I had the most powerful spiritual realizations in my own prayer time, while in an Economics class or socializing with my friends and the ordinary. God works in mysterious ways and navigates through the medium of the ordinary. This includes the daily situations of life that maybe considered less-spiritual, plain or unimpressive.

There´s a mysterious beauty in the ordinary. I like to be still and appreciate the beauty of the truth in the ordinary. This is the psalmist in me that observes, reflects, questions, ponders and seeks out truth.

Indu Shanmugam