This Christian Life

Spirits In A Material World, II

NOTE: I’ve been thinking a lot about this subject lately. I don’t think I was done thinking about it in my last post (Spirits in a Material World). I’ve also had the chance to discuss it with a few people which has helped me process it a little. Thanks!

I’m not quite sure I fully stated everything I was pondering about in my last post. There, I stated that the older I get, the more I wish to “see” with spiritual eyes. That much might be true. But throughout the entire post, I’m implying that to live in the physical world is wrong—almost sinful.

Let me try to explain which will hopefully make light of a distinction between what I said previously and what I truly believe. I believe we are spirits in a material world. But that’s exactly the point. We ARE “material.” We were created to be BOTH spiritual and material. God created us to be both at the same time.

God gave us feeling. Touch. Senses. He gave us ice cream, cool pools on a summer day, wine, roller coasters, and sex. Being part of the physical world is a benefit—an addition. It’s something that angels will never experience. Something we can revel in. Something we find joy in.

Don’t get me wrong. I also believe the physical world pulls us down. That temptation often manifests itself in the material. When we live only in that world, when we long for the physical moment and forget that it’s not our primary existence, we fail. That’s where Madonna gets it wrong and Sting gets it right. Her primary focus is being the “material girl” and he focuses on the spirit.