Personal spiritual growth in a world defined by power, money, and influence is a very difficult task indeed.
Modern conveniences such as electronic equipments, gadgets, and tools as well as entertainment through
television, magazines, and the internet have conditioned us to confine our attention mostly to physical
needs and wants.
As a result, our concept of self-worth and self-meaning have become muddled. How can we strike a balance
between the material and spiritual aspects of our lives?
Personal Spiritual Growth Is To Look Inward
To grow spiritually means that looking inward will go beyond recalling the things that happened in a day,
week, or month. You need to look closely and reflect on your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and motivations.
By ocassionally examining your experiences, the decisions you make, the relationships you have, and the
things you engage in - this will provide useful insights on your life purpose, on the good traits you must
sustain and the bad traits you have to discard.
Moreover, it will give you clues on how to act, react, and conduct yourself in the midst of any situation.
Like any skill, looking inward can be learned; all it takes is the discipline and willingness to seek
the truths that lie within you.
Here are some pointers when you look inward: be objective, be forgiving of yourself, and focus on areas
that need improvement.
Personal Spiritual Growth Is To Develop Your Potentials
Religion and science have differing views on matters of the human spirit. Religion views people as
spiritual beings, temporarily living on Earth, while science views the spirit as just one dimension
of an individual.
Beliefs, values, morality, rules, experiences, and good works provide the blueprint to grow spiritually. In
Psychology, realizing your full potential is to self-actualize.
It has identified that humans have several needs: physiological, security, belonging, self-esteem, cognitive,
aesthetic, self-actualization, and self-transcendence.
These needs were earlier categorized into three groups: material, emotional, and spiritual.
When you have satisfied the basic physiological and emotional needs... to personal spiritual growth comes next.
Achieving each need leads to the total
development of the individual.
Perhaps the difference between these two religions and psychology is the end of self-development: Christianity
and Islam see that self-development is a means toward serving God, while psychology sees that
self-development as an end by itself.
Personal Spiritual Growth Is To Search For Meaning
Religions that believe in the existence of God, also believe that the purpose of the human life is
to serve the Creator in all things.
Several theories in psychology propose that we ultimately give meaning to our lives. Regardless if we
believe life's meaning is pre-determined or in our own hands, personal spiritual growth is to realize that we
don't merely exist.
We don't know the meaning of our lives at birth; but we do gain knowledge and wisdom from our interactions
with people and from our actions and reactions to the everyday situations we're in.
As we discover this meaning, there are certain beliefs and values that we either accept or reject.
Our lives have purpose. This purpose puts all our physical, emotional, and intellectual potentials into
use; sustains us during trying times; and gives us something to look forward to - a goal to achieve
or a destination to reach.
A person without purpose or meaning is like a drifting ship at sea.
Personal Spiritual Growth Is To Recognize Interconnections
Religions stress the concept of our being connected to all creation, live and inanimate. Thus we call
other people "brothers and sisters" even if there are no direct blood relations.
Deity-centered religions also speak of the relationship between humans and a higher being.
On the other hand, science looks at our link to other living things through the evolution theory. This
connection is clearly seen in the concept of ecology, the interaction between living and non-living
things.
It's also been stated that this connection is a characteristic of the highest human need.
Personal spiritual growth is also recognizing your connection to all things. It makes you more humble
and respectful of people, animals, plants, and things in nature.
It makes you appreciate everything around you. It moves you to go beyond your comfort zone and reach
out to other people, and become stewards of all other things around you.
Growth is a process, so personal spiritual growth is a day-to-day encounter. We win some, we lose some,
but the important thing is that we learn, and from this knowledge, further personal spiritual growth
is made possible.
How To Find Your Real Self
This is an exceptional FREE e-book. But be prepared to put your thinking cap on.
Mildred Mann will make you think very hard about the words she has written in this book.
It's short, but contains chapters such as: "You Are A Special Enterprise Of God,"
"How To Find Yourself," "Problems," and "Treatment Of Problems."
Please read and enjoy, How To Find Your Real Self.
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