A friend of mine yesterday used this term, “Practical Spirituality.” She and her husband live by the philosophy that what you believe, you live by, and it affects your daily actual living and interrelating with others. And they live according to unconditional love. And it’s real. You feel it when you’re with them. You feel it after you leave them. You’ve been loved for who you are. They live out in practicality what they believe to be true.Their approach to life could probably be summed up with “G.A.T.S.”
~ Gratitude
~ Acceptance
~ Trust
~ Surrender
This is what they, like few others I’ve ever witnessed, live out.

Gratitude-for every single thing in their life as a gracious gift from our loving God.
Acceptance-of what is. Of reality. Of what can’t be changed by them. Therefore they never complain about the way things should be. There is no waste of time on debating on how someone should act. Just acceptance of what is beyond their control and being at peace with it. If there’s nothing you can do about something, there’s absolutely no good in expending energy wishing it was different. It just is. There may be a time for healthy grieving, but not toxic wishing.
Trust-in our benevolent, loving Creator. Total trust that He has everything ultimately, and that nothing is catching Him off guard. He is ridiculously trustworthy and we can relaxingly abandon all outcomes to Him.
Surrender-is what all of this leads to. Thankful, accepting, trusting surrender to our good and beautiful God, His Son Jesus, and Holy Spirit, always at work. Surrender is that letting go–to God’s infinitude–which is the only way to peace, serenity, and freedom. Let go.

Therefore, our Christianity becomes practical in the sense that it effectively guides how we live day to day, specifically how we treat others, and namely those closest to us. If you are not becoming more loving and forgiving, may I submit to you that you are not practicing Christianity, but rather some other religion, belief, or philosophy. Love and forgiveness is all over Scripture, what Jesus is all about. You cannot read far in Holy Scripture without being bombarded with love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy. (Did you know that the word “mercy” is used over four times more often in the Old Testament than in the New?)

Most of us don’t make the New Year’s Resolution to become more loving, but what could be more important? In the end, what matters more?

Followers of Christ will naturally become more loving, forgiving, grace-filled, merciful people. If not, you must be following someone else.

In the Name of Jesus, 
Soli Deo Gloria