On Self Care - Opinion piece.3

Clearly I am passionate that we must make consistent habits of caring for ourselves. If we are going to progress in life, it is essential.
Positively effect our processing.
Our reasoning.
We will make decisions from a place of inner calm as opposed to inner chaos. That in and of itself would change the world as we know it.
If our thoughts are different our actions will be so.
We will mature.
Grow.
Our relationships will improve.
We will no longer look to others to make us "feel" good.
Our business interactions will evolve from narrowly chasing the dollar to strategic market placement. We will emotionally be able to come back to center without self soothing. Or requiring another to soothe us.

A key component of health is spiritual growth. In this day and age spirituality takes MANY forms and can be  an inflammatory subject. Most people fall somewhere on a spectrum;  passionate,  committed, ambivalent or apathetic. And most have an opinion about personal spirituality.

Personally, I consider myself a christian. I do not align myself with any denomination, nor do I adhere to some of the more prevalent christian mindsets. As in politics, the platforms are many and the opinions strong.  I find that I have one primary non negotiable. IT IS NOT ABOUT ME, it is about the one I serve. (another subject for another time... but when did spirituality become a humanistic, self expression? Isn't the very core of spirituality acknowledging that there is something BIGGER than US? )
Spiritual growth for me, personally, is an important part of my existence.  My ramblings on spiritual growth today are in the context of self care and are not an all-inclusive directive. I actually believe that the self care element of spiritual growth is a result of being spiritual, not the reason for.

 I am a bit largely unsympathetic to current spiritual self-help recommendations. You know the drill, my friends, messages and books that are watered down self-help using the bible or other sacred texts as a source.

Additionally, It is widely recommended that a spiritual habit of 30 minutes of "quiet time" per day (reading these watered down concepts) be adhered to for optimal spiritual growth. If you are focused and passionate an hour may be adhered to on a routine basis.

 Are you kidding me?
What have we become that we have reduced our infinite Godhead to a time, of convenience, for OUR benefit? For new believers I understand why we attempt to give them a framework to grasp the importance of spiritual habits. But we have believers that have been "saved" for years who continue to "put in their time" each morning .... and they feel like they are obedient to the point of spiritual growth.  Better yet, I do believe we have spiritual leaders who rarely, if ever, spend any time concentrated to KNOWING GOD. (forgive my generalization)
What we are producing are self focused, self righteous, immature minions who lack the ability to fully grasp the  SPIRIT. WE determine the breadth and depth and use our righteous actions as indicators of our closeness to God. Clearly, I feel strongly that this is a limited and tragic way to yield.

Is spiritual growth not a lifestyle, a pray with out ceasing, take up your cross daily, uncomfortable, on my face, hands raised, loudly singing, feet moving, body swaying dance before the one who created us all? How can we know who we are and where we will be if we do not allow ourselves to face the ONE who created it all? No limits. NOT ABOUT ME, ALL ABOUT HIM.


As in any of the suggestions for self care, the act of worship is a choice and a practice. It is NOT about feelings or planning. It is about consecrated time. With one purpose....to know.

If you are reading this and you do not have spiritual habits.... please seriously consider why you do not.
I believe that taking time to spiritually focus/seek will produce a strong foundation and renew our core. Spiritually, if our focus is outward we WILL reap the benefits inwardly. And the results will be beyond what we anticipate.



Spiritual practice is not a practice of perfection. I don't think one ever ARRIVES at complete spiritual enlightenment.
It is about the journey.
Discovering the unknown.
Experiencing what is beyond.

I know that I am growing and changing each day. That what feels broad to me today will feel narrow down the road. I am not writing from a place of knowing all, from arriving, from infinite knowledge. Instead I write from a place of openness, change, a gentle, passionate quest for a more integrated and natural existence. And spiritual growth is a place where I can be flawed, and it doesn't matter - my focus is on something so much bigger.