Since we learned in our last lesson that we are connected to every living and non-living thing, that we are part of God and God is part of us, and that in a sense, we are God, we are part of the sacredness of everyday life.  There is no division between the sacred and the secular.  Everything we do and everything we are is sacred.  Every person, place and thing is sacred.  "Sacred" means set apart, respected as holy, special, divine, dedicated to some purpose.

In the past, people have made a distinction between the sacred and non-sacred, secular or non-spiritual.  Examples of this would be:

Going to church is sacred, going to your job is secular and has nothing to do with spirituality.
Praying is a sacred activity, playing a game is a non-spiritual activity.
Giving to the poor is a sacred duty, saving your money to buy a new car is a secular, non-spiritual activity.

Since we now know that everything we do and everything we are is sacred, we cannot make distinctions like this.  There is spirituality in everything.  Going to your job, playing games, and buying a new car are just as important spiritually as anything else you do.

How can we live our lives and honor the sacredness in daily life?  We can think carefully about everything we say and do before we say or do it.  We can try to realize what is special or sacred about that person, place, thing or event.

Let's learn more about this by looking at some examples.

People say that churches or temples are sacred.  That is because they have been set apart for the purpose of worshipping God.   People go there to pray, to try and contact God, to listen for his voice to speak to them, to sing to him, to experience his love.

Is church the only place you can do these things?  What you decided that every time you get in your car, you are going to talk to and listen to God, and try to experience his love?  That would make driving your car sacred, because you have set that place and time apart as special.  What if every time you go out at night and sit down under the stars and look up, you feel close to God and you spend time talking to him and trying to experience his love?  Then going out at night is a sacred experience for you.

What if we make everything we do sacred?  When we go out to play with our friends, what if we set that time aside to play fairly, treat our friends with love and caring, and make less popular kids feel accepted?  What if we have decided we are going to do this as part of our own plan to promote world peace, love and understanding?  It all starts in your own back yard.

How about going to the grocery store with Mom?  You may or may not like to do this, but it can be a spiritual activity.  Going to the store is a chore Mom probably does all the time, and would appreciate some help with.  Anytime we set aside time to help someone else, it makes that time sacred.  Apart from the purely spiritual motivation of helping Mom, how about asking her if you can pick out some canned goods to donate to the local food bank?  How about asking her if you can pick out some food to cook a meal for a local homeless family?  How about when you are in the store.  Are you tall?  Perhaps you can help short people by getting things off tall shelves for them.  Perhaps you can helps an elderly woman put her groceries in the car.

How about watching television?  Can that be a sacred?  Yes, because everything we do in life shows us the lessons we need to learn.

Make a list of things you do on a daily basis.  Out beside each one, think about how each one could be considered sacred, and write it down.

When you do this, it will change the way you think and behave.  Everything you do effects someone else, and it effects you.

How about laughter?  Is that sacred?  Of course, perhaps more than anything else, the ability to feel joy and express it is one of the most sacred gifts.  It expresses the heart of God.

How about breathing?  Is that sacred?  Of course, the process of breathing has been set apart as one of the things that sustains your life.  Every time you breath in, you are accepting a gift the universe has to offer, and every time you breathe out, you're sustaining the plant life of this planet, not to mention your own life by getting rid of waste products your body doesn't need.  Your breathe is an integral part of the cycle of nature which the intelligent force of this universe has set up.

How about eating?  Is that sacred?  Of course, eating is the process that has been set apart as one of the primary means of sustaining your life.  Your eating should reflect your love for and respect for your body, the environment, and the universe as a whole.  If you don't eat correctly, yo will damage the body you have been given and prevent it from being able to heal itself.  Eating is definitely a sacred activity, one that you should give a lot of thought to.

How about cleaning your room or the house?  Is that sacred?  Although this is a chore that none of us seem to like to do, the time you spend putting things in order can be set apart as a service to the universe, your parents, and yourself.

What about seemingly random things, like picking up a rock and throwing it across the yard?  Well, why did you do it?  Perhaps you like the sound of the rock hitting the grass or street, or like how your body feels when it are throwing something, or like the sound of it whizzing through the air.  In that instance, you were spending time experiencing the sensations of manipulating matter on this planet.  That is an important thing to do, and learning to enjoy the sound and feel of it is OK.  What if you accidently broke the neighbor's window while you were throwing it?  Well, of course you should apologize and try to make it right, but in everything we do there is a lesson and even though it is something you should try not to do, don't discount it as being non-sacred.  That time was set aside for you by the universe so you could learn a lesson, and that's a good thing.  In fact, everything that exists in the universe exists to teach us lessons.

We will talk about the sacredness of the unpleasant things that happen to us in the next lesson,
The Sacredness of Negative Events.
 

After you have finished your list, sit down and think about everything on it.  Pick something from your list and pay special attention this week to giving that particular thing a special feeling of sacredness when you are doing it this week.
 

You do not have to "go to church" to have a sacred experience or to worship God.  You can make up your own meaningful worship experiences, which we will learn about in Making Your Own Worship Rituals.