Copyright: © 1998 Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. This document may be freely reproduced for non-commercial purposes with credit and mention of the Lift Up Your Hearts web site http://www.worship.ca/ as the source.

Pneuma is a journal on spiritual direction and formation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. The Rev. Gregory Barker is the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Victoria, British Columbia.

"Stop that grinning! You're in church!" hissed the mother to her smiling child. Erma Bombeck was watching the scene and reflected, "I wanted to grab this child with the tear-stained face close to me and tell him about my God. The happy god. The smiling God. The God who had to have the sense of humour to have created the likes of us."

How can I be more spiritual?

You may be surprised to know that Jesus was opposed because he wasn't thought to be spiritual enough! His enemies called him a "glutton and a drunkard" (Luke 7:14). You may be surprised to know that Jesus reserved his harshest words for those who appeared most serious in their practice of religion (Matthew 23). You may be surprised to know that Paul's most spiritual moment was not when he was receiving the momentous revelations that became a part of the Bible, but when he was struggling with a physical ailment (II Corinthians 12:8-10).

How can I be more spiritual? You may be surprised at this advice:

See God in humour. God created humour -- not the dry and devastating put-down style of humour that permeates today's sitcoms but the really funny ideas and perspectives that surprise you throughout the day. The next time you hear or see something truly funny, thank God.

See God in your suffering. Usually we try to flee suffering so that we can reclaim a more comfortable experience of praise. But all through the Bible we are urged to find God's message in our suffering (Romans 5:3-4). God longs to show us that when we are weak then we are strong.

That's certainly not all that can be said about spirituality. There are so many deep truths to discover about the Holy Spirit of God. But let's start here. If you follow this part of spirituality, you may just find yourself grinning -- in the most unlikely of circumstances.