Practise Spiritual Growth
Over the past few days I have been wrestling with thoughts of spiritual growth. My biggest obstacle was how I will be able to help someone with their spiritual growth if I myself am not sure how the process works. I need to know the answers, the structure, and what the steps are that I need to take to get me from point A to point B. You see, I would like to believe that I am this happy-go-lucky person, but when it comes to the real issues in life, my type A personality comes dancing onto centre stage.
I am by no means a theologian, but would like to share with you my basic steps of how to grow spiritually and how to help others do the same:
Step 1: Know where you are when it comes to you spirituality
The first step might be the scariest, or at least for me it is. So many people say that they are spiritual but not religious. Now that’s like saying I am hungry, but I don’t need to eat. Spirituality refers to your internal convictions, value system and how you connect with the world around you, where religiosity is our expression (doing) of our spirituality. We all have some sort of belief system and different ways of expressing it, but you need to have that honest conversation with yourself about what your fears are and where you are in your process.
Step 2: Get to know God
The second step is getting to know your God. You will not expect to have a healthy meaningful relationship with your spouse if you never see them or speak to them. Your relationship with God is no different, how do you expect to know Him if you do not spend time with Him? Therefore, read your Bible on a regular basis. You can help others by praying with them or teaching them about God.
Step 3: Pray
You have access to the greatest power in the Universe; all you need to do is pray. I once had an interesting conversation with an atheist and what he said was not at all what I expected. We were talking about religion and he said the worst part for him (being an atheist) is that he has no one to say thank you to. Prayer is a very therapeutic thing, as it allows us to share our pain and have no fear for judgement. It also allows us the opportunity to say thank you for the things that are still right in the world.
Step 4: Fellowship
It is also very important to share with others. So many times, because of my mood or circumstances, I may have misinterpreted scripture and the meaning thereof. Therefore, regularly being in fellowship with others who share your spirituality may help you grow in your spiritual faith, and you will most probably help someone with their spiritual growth.
