Courage
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 Courage.
What
does courage look like? Courage is defined as strong, valiant, and unbending to
the world’s influence. Courage is a test of character. Lack of courage is a
character flaw. If you do not have courage you cannot do what is required, you
are frozen. It takes courage to do what is right, it takes courage to examine
your thoughts and behavior and discard what is not working regardless of
disappointing others. When you stand for right action or rightness, you submit
to the Higher Self – the soul.
The
essence of all our feelings can be reduced to two emotions; love and fear.
Courage moves us to respond with love, opposed to responding in fear. Find the courage to look at what you do; the
good and not so good. No one is perfect, we all have shortcomings. You cannot
change the not so good, if you are unaware. Examine what you do, so that when
it is done to you (blessing or curses) you will be able to identify it without
question. Have the courage to let go of the things that are not beneficial to
yourself and others.
Freedom
and peace requires courage and it takes courage to be faithful; you cannot be
strong by yourself. It takes courage to decide to practice spiritual principles
when others think it is a waste of time. What we value, strengthens and
motivates us to move forward. It is courageous to trust God and let go of a
false sense of control; God is our stronghold (Psalm 31:24). Develop the
courage to honor Truth, and stand for rightness. You cannot buy courage and it
cannot be given to you. Courage is developed from within. The fear of being
wrong, alone, not knowing, and lack of control, damages our ability to move
forward. To be vulnerable and to move
forward anyway is courageous. Have the courage to grow without question,
hesitation, or complaint.
Self-assessment
is a courageous act. Have the courage to ask the question, “Who am I and why am
I here.” Get comfortable with asking questions. It takes courage to examine
what is true by doing your own independent investigation of the truth. Courage is asking the hard questions, and
patience to wait for the answers regardless of challenges and hardship. Reality
shifts as awareness expands. Courage is bringing all of who you are to the
moment even if you have reservation. The alternative to personal growth is
stagnation.
Self-Assessment:
Do
you have a model of spiritual greatness?
Who
do you admire and why?
What
do you do in response to fear?
What
decisions need to be made to move forward?
Are
there things you cannot forgive yourself for doing?
What
is it that you believe is wrong with you or others?
What
is it that you refuse to admit about yourself?
What
does loving the light out of others look like?
Do
people know your authentic Self?
Are
you kind?
Do
you demonstrate your truth or deceive others?
Do
you stand up for wrongdoing?
Are
you aware and responsive to the feelings of others?
Courage Practice:
- What will it take to move forward to an abundant life? (Abundant is not the bank account, house, car, investments, but something more.) Write the word “ABUNDANCE” on a sheet of paper and circle it. Then draw six lines from your abundance circle and list six things that will make your life abundant and happy at this moment. (Abundant is not the bank account, house, car, investments, but something more.) Then, under each item, write actions you could do right now, and have the courage to do them. Begin to move forward on all levels of life and document your experience. The following is an example of an Abundance Circle: loving relationships, spiritual development, publishing book, physical health, and the distribution and success of Adinkra Note products.
- Assemble a small group and begin to have a dialogue about the spiritual part of who you are. Ask the question “Who am I and why am I here?” Share your meaningful coincidences. Have conversations that are deeper than the weather, politics, Facebook, entertainment, and celebrities in the news. The goal is to discover a deeper reality. Have conversations with family members and friends. Reveal your feelings about friendship, family and God.
Do you know someone who lives authentically, shines their light on others, and shares their gifts? Describe that person’s core qualities. Find the courage to live an authentic life; live out loud. Don’t die with your gift inside you.
Have
the courage to discover the source of your pain. Have the courage to admit that
you know what you know even when others disagree. Have the courage to be kind
to others. Have
the courage to live an authentic life. Have the courage to grow without
question, doubt or difficulty. Have the courage to love and never grow tired of
doing good (2 Thessalonians 3:13). The purpose of life is to develop the
divinity within – find the courage.
Courage is a test of
character. How do you exercise courage? Develop your own spiritual practice.
Peace and Many Blessings
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