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