Relationships
as a Spiritual Practice
PRACTICE
52
Weeks of Spiritual Practice
By Deborah Williams
The
purpose of the 52 Principles is to develop a partnership, a connection with
God. Connecting with God is why we are here; the soul’s desire. To be in
communication with the Creator is ideally the most fulfilling life, our best
life. The intent of the 52 Principles is God-realization through daily
practice. Practice the principles with frequency and find God-consciousness
through your own efforts. This week’s spiritual principle is Relationship.
Family
is our greatest asset. Our best is only achieved through our relationships with
others. Relationships also bring out the worst in us when we love others
conditionally. At the level of the ego (Easing God Out), we cannot love others
more than we love ourselves. That level of love only occurs when we move from
human love toward Divine Love. We love
others based on our level of consciousness. The gap between human and Divine
Love is an opportunity for change.
Relationships
cause anxiety, pain, and uneasiness for a reason. The purpose of relationships
is to make us conscious – not happy. Our intentions and responses towards
others bring to the forefront our core issues, providing an opportunity for
change, or not. Family dysfunction reinforces negative behavior patterns in our
children. Divine Love starts with self and family - like a pebble thrown in a
lake; the effects ripple outward like waves. Divine Love is life giving
nourishment for the soul, like the sunshine and the rain.
Human
love depends upon others; usually the person closest to us gets our love. Our
loved ones earn our love conditionally through reciprocity. Human love is based
on survival – survival of the ego. To protect the ego, or to protect the ego’s
position, we accuse, defend, attack, need to be right, get angry, jealous, argue;
have temper tantrums, and demand attention all in the name of love – human
love. The more we identify with the mind/ego – the more drama, discontent, and
dysfunction we experience in relationships. These patterns of behavior are the
ego’s defense to get its needs met.
Divine
Love is unearned. Love your neighbor and love your
enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly. If you do this, you will be children who
are truly like your Father in heaven. He lets the sun rise for all people,
whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those
who do wrong (Matthew 5: 43-45).
To love on this level is a Love between souls. To love your enemy requires a higher
awareness; a God-consciousness. Divine Love radiates, compassion, forgiveness,
peace, sympathy, cooperation, and kindness and the fruits of the Spirit – joy,
gladness, peace, patience , even tempered, tolerance, kindness, goodness , goodwill, and faithfulness (Galatians
5:22). Divine Love identifies with the heart and soul. Practice Divine Love in your
relationships with self, family, and others.
·
Envision positive interactions and see
the end at the beginning.
·
Encourage creativity in your relationships
– guard against boredom and repetition. Having a vision for family and friendships
eliminates boredom.
·
Take 5 minutes and reflect on your
relationships. What is unique about your partner or significant other; learn to
appreciate that goodness. Take note of others who drain your energy and decide
a course of action; limit, increase, or modify contact.
Self-Assessment
Where
are your relationships located on the continuum of human love and Divine Love?
Will
your relationships survive without Divine Love?
Who
receives the best of who you are?
Do
you treat others with love, kindness, and respect?
Does
your family find time to relate to one another?
Do
your children manipulate you to get what they want?
Do
you bribe your children or others with material objects to get what you want?
Are
you able and willing to bring 100% of who you are to a relationship?
Who
makes you a better person?
How
can you impact the world?
How
many people does it take to make your life a spiritual practice? You only need
you – you make the change to transform self and others. “You are the world.” You
make the difference; you matter.
You are one out of many.
How
do you demonstrate Divine Love in your day to day interactions with your
partner, family, and others? Develop your own spiritual practice.
Peace and Many Blessings
No comments:
Post a Comment