Balance as a Spiritual Practice

PRACTICE

Balance as a Spiritual 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. With practice, you will begin to encounter your experiences in a spiritual context as you begin to practice and master spiritual principles. This week’s spiritual principle is Balance.

Physical balance requires moderation, regularity, rest, and activity. Rest and activity are instinctual in lower animals. Humans override balance when moderation and regularity are replaced by excess and inconsistency. We set our own work and sleep schedules, and with modernization, our fast pace lifestyles often cause imbalance in our rest and activity, challenging our instincts and natural rhythms. Research indicates that there are physical benefits to a balanced lifestyle. On average, 7-8 hours of sleep, normal weight (not > 20% overweight and not < 5% underweight), physical exercise, moderate drinking, and no smoking are good indicators of longevity. These habits add years to our lives by retarding the aging process, and preserving order and balance.

Being balanced requires a full range of feelings, flexibility, and spontaneity. Think of balance as being measured on a continuum. To find balance, we may need to go from one extreme to the other, in order to find our center. Your center is unique and may be different from someone else’s; you are unique.  Equilibrium may require a process of exploring, developing, and nurturing the physical and spiritual Self. Follow your energy by listening to your inner voice or instinct. To be balanced is to be in tune with being and doing. Sometimes it is necessary to do nothing, to be, and other times it is necessary to take action. Try new things when you are inspired by people and projects. 

Balance in a spiritual context includes the following: love God with all your heart (Mark 12:30) through worship, love your neighbors and others (James 2:8) through ministry, share God’s message of grace with others (1 Corinthians 2:12), and teach and grow through the practice of discipleship (Matthew 28:18-20). Pass on to others what you learn. Why else would you have experiences, if not to witness to others God’s grace, power, and glory? Experiencing God’s grace increases your responsibility to others. Share your knowledge and bless others with your insights. You are a witness to the grace and greatness of God/Creator. Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing, accurately dividing, and skillfully teaching the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

To become balanced in loving God, loving others, sharing God’s message of grace, and daily spiritual practice, explore parts of Self that are less developed. To assess your current status, a spiritual checkup may be necessary. Balance God’s purpose for your life and examine the strength of your faith. Don’t allow people to lead you down a path that results in imbalance. Practice spiritual principles regularly and evaluate your spiritual health. Identify a spiritual partner and grow together through fellowship. Iron is made sharp with iron, and one man is made sharp by a friend (Proverbs 27:17).

Self-Assessment:

What are the implications and applications of spiritual practices for self, family, and community?
How do you maintain a balanced physical and spiritual life?
Do you share your experiences with others as a teaching tool?

Responsibility Practices:

• Record your life lessons in a journal and review them periodically. Write down and share your faith in regards to your challenges, joy, pain, blessings, and disappointments. Thoughts become clear and meaningful when we write them down. A journal is beneficial to you and others. 
• Develop a small reading group. Pray, encourage, and support one another.
• Balance your time with the people you love. List all the significant people in your life and schedule quality time with each person. See or call that person(s).
• Balance your time and be busy doing what matters.

Blessed are the balanced, they shall outlast everyone. Balance regulates internal and external peak efficiency. Being balanced is a combination of relaxation, play, and nurturing. Regularity and good habits decrease the aging process and keeps aging at bay.  Develop a process to balance your physical and spiritual lifestyle.

How do you balance God’s purpose for your life? Develop your own spiritual practice.

 

Peace and Much Blessings

 

 

 

 

 

 

Responsibility as a Spiritual Practice

PRACTICE

Responsibility as a Spiritual 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. With practice, you will begin to encounter your experiences in a spiritual context as you begin to practice and master spiritual principles. This week’s spiritual principle is Responsibility.

 
One of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, a celebration of family, and community in the African American culture is collective work and responsibility…to make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together. Am I my brother’s keeper?  Yes, I am my brother. Whatever we accomplish, we did not get their without other’s assistance. The following short essay by William M. Elder, titled Responsibility, from Montapert’s The Supreme Philosophy of Man is succinct and eloquent in our responsibility to God, self, and others:

I am responsible for the 24 hours of every day. How I use them and whether I abuse them concerns others as well as myself. Time is God given; I cannot do with it as I please. It belongs to all and I must share time with others. I am responsible for property, for money and for those things bought and sold, used and enjoyed, given and received. I did not create them; others have helped me to obtain them. I cannot use them alone; others are concerned. I am responsible for the development of my mental powers. My mind is my kingdom of opportunities. I am responsible for my religious development. I am spirit as well as flesh. Into me God breathed the breath of life; I am His breath. In Him I live and move and have my being. I am responsible for others. I cannot live in a vacuum. I must live among people my own age, among those who are younger, in the presence of those who are older. We live together; therefore we have responsibilities toward one another. I am responsible for seeking to help to find my way through life. My help is friends, in literature, in the Bible, in communion with the Divine. All these will help me and I shall help others. I am a responsible human being.

We are responsible for our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual development; in addition, we contribute to the development of others even if we are unaware. We are responsible for building and destroying others. Responsibility provides us an opportunity to leave every person, place, and thing better than we found them. Others should feel and be better for knowing us; joy, peace and love vs. sadness, anxiety and hate. Be responsible enough to say “I made a mess, and I am cleaning it up.” Improving ourselves equals improving others. Every choice affects others and we either accept responsibility or we do not, but we are measured by both.

 
To be responsible means to define yourself, and choose the experience you want to create. Do not hold others responsible for your experiences. Assume responsibility for your experiences and how you respond to all situations. When you hold someone else responsible, you give your power away. Do not step out of your power. Use your experiences as teachable moments. Don’t allow your experiences to keep you down, they are temporary. Do not forget who you are. You are spirit in a body, having a temporary human experience. Know that you are here on the planet for a reason; you are significant. You may be the only goodness/godliness, sermon or sacredness that a person may encounter today. Your responsibility is to shine your light or gift, which is why you are here. You know what you know to help someone else; be responsible for that.

 Self-Assessment:

Who did I encourage today?

Who did I serve/help today?

Did I create negativity?

Did I judge someone with negative or unkind thoughts?

Was I deliberate in showing kindness to others today?

Did my responsible choices today, make me more loving, compassionate, and humble?

Do I claim responsibility only when I get caught?

 Responsibility Practices:

·         Appreciate others by expressing gratitude for someone in your life.

·         Write down daily or review mentally the good and the not-so-good you participated in today (joy, sorrow, hate, love). Find ways to self-correct going forward. Be aware how you affect the environment. As adults, we should clean up after ourselves, and teach those who come after us (children and youth), because they learn by observing what we do.

·         Affirm: I will clean up after myself.

Be responsible for all your intentions because they are in direct correlation to what we sow and reap; karma. If someone is causing pain to another, they are in pain. People can only respond at their level of awareness. When we know better we do better. The key is to want to know better.

 How do you demonstrate responsible choice? Develop your own spiritual practice.

 Peace and Much Blessings

Trust 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. With practice, you will begin to encounter your experiences in a spiritual context as you begin to practice and master spiritual principles. This week’s spiritual principle is Trust.

Trust is a simple process – you either trust or you don’t. Trusting self; trusting God; trusting others; and trusting the Process of life.  Self-trust is the foundation of all trust. Trusting is taking a risk and stepping outside boundaries. To trust is to know and to feel. Life is limited when you do not trust. Trust is a choice with no evidence you will be supported. Understanding the Process of trust, and developing your Process around your gifts and talents are acts of trust. Put a Process together and trust that it will work.

Self-Assessment:

Every person has a gift or talent and we seek to identify our talents to satisfy the longing of our soul. We are born to share our gift/talent with humanity. Our gift/talent is our soul’s calling to serve God, others, and self. What does a “gift” feel like and how will you know it is a gift?

• Your activities are gratifying
• Your desire is to help and serve others
• Your unique talent satisfies a need
• You experience timeless awareness 
• You experience joy
• You are not burdened by your task
• You share your awareness with others 

You know the things that you do better than anyone else. You have been told that you are the “best” in one or several areas. Explore your interests, and trust that God will guide and direct your path; ask and you will receive – seek and you will find. Envision the things you love to do and do them.

Trust Practices:

Here is a simple Process in developing trust in yourself, and trust that you will be supported by God. To follow through, you will need to develop a Process and believe that God is supporting you, even when there are no signs indicating that what you know/feel is the right action for you. You are required to do what feels right for you; do the best you can do; and have an honest and honorable intent. Trust your Process.

•  Have a good thought about yourself and for yourself
•  Believe it is the right thought
•  Develop a plan that includes your gift /talent
•  Give the plan to God
•  Ask for direction/guidance from God
•  Follow through
•  Give thanks for what you have and will receive
• When in doubt, repeat the Process

Identify your unique talent and commit fully to your Process; put forth a disciplined effort; do not cut corners; refrain from negative speech; maintain a positive and motivated frame of mind; do not fear or doubt; be thorough; look for the best and most efficient method; keep the end result in mind; and trust that you are supported by God.

Identify how you trust the Process of life. How do you share your unique talents and gifts with others? Develop your own spiritual practice.

 Peace and Many Blessings

Commitment as a Spiritual Practice

Commitment 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. With practice, you will begin to encounter your experiences in a spiritual context as you begin to practice and master spiritual principles. This week’s spiritual principle is Commitment.

Commitment is unwavering focus; faithful, all in, and dedication to a desired course of action. Being committed to an end result begins with developing a process, and repeating the process until you get the desired result. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it, and he will. (Psalm 37:5). It takes time to give God our best. Commitment requires that we put our butt on the line, our entire self, regardless of the amount of time is involved. Do the thing until something happens; until you see results. Believe God is working on your behalf.

We can be deliberate in our commitment to emotional, spiritual, and physical growth when we develop and implement a process. Commitment takes time and growth is a gradual process.

Moses’ development took 40+ years in order to be a vessel that God could use. God can make a mushroom in less than 24 hours, but a mighty oak tree takes decades. Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, and You Can Work Your Own Miracles, reveals that his Science of Success philosophy took 20 years to complete. Hill’s time was committed to research, theory and practice of the success philosophy without monetary benefit or recognition during those years. Like Moses, Hill, and many others, the benefits of our contributions are far reaching when we understand how our gifts not only benefit us, but it also benefits others.

Deepak Chopra highlights three levels of commitment in The Book of Secrets, from half-hearted commitment to “all-in” passion. 1) Quitting when you meet your first obstacle. 2) Going into a situation conquering a few obstacles and then quitting. 3) Going into a situation to master it.

Challenges are opportunities for growth if we remain focused on the end result. There are no easy steps to physical and spiritual maturity. Proverbs 16:3 encourages to Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place. Experience your victory through being committed until you see the victory. The real triumph is in the mind and spirit.

Self-Assessment:

How do you stay committed?

Stand for nothing; fall for anything (el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz). What do you stand for?

How far reaching is your commitment – is it just for you or do others benefit?

Who are you committed to becoming?

What price are you willing to pay for the end result in time and energy?

What are you willing to do to get what you say you want?

How long are you willing to wait for your end result?

What is your expected end?

Commitment Practices:

·         Record insights and life lessons for self and others; track your spiritual growth. Record what you learn about life and relationships. Review your journal to keep a firm grip on your commitments. Your life is preparation for greatness that benefits you and others.

·         Affirm the good and seek your inner voice of encouragement. No matter how small, create daily successes. Develop a process of self-motivation. If you need external motivation, find a coach or a support group.

·         In 15 words or less, write down or verbalize what you stand for; stand on your own first –and practice being that.

·         Trust in your greatness; greatness attracts greatness. Affirmation of greatness: I come from greatness, I attract greatness, I am greatness. Look for the evidence of your greatness; you get what you think about.

·         Incorporate character building through spiritual disciplines (love, courage, mindfulness, commitment, faith, etc.). Practice makes perfect. Develop a process and repeat the process until you get the expected results. The law of consistency is the law of breakthrough.

Commit to becoming what God created you to be. Commit to the habit of sharing your gift with others.  Commit to a daily spiritual practice. Developing a habit takes time and repetition is the mother of skill.

How do you stay motivated to your commitments? Develop your own spiritual practice.

Peace and Many Blessings