Basic steps toward spiritual enlightenment

1. Spiritual Growth: the Spiritual Challenge of Modern Times
To grow spirituallyinaworlddefinedbypower,money,andinfluence isaHerculeantask.Modern
conveniencessuchaselectronicequipment,gadgets,andtoolsaswell asentertainmentthrough
television,magazines,andthe webhave predisposedustoconfine ourattentionmostlytophysical
needsandwants.Asa result,ourconceptsof self-worthandself-meaningare muddled.How canwe
strike a balance betweenthe material andspiritualaspectsof ourlives?
To grow spirituallyistolookinward.
Introspectiongoesbeyondrecallingthe thingsthathappenedinaday,week,ormonth.You needto
lookcloselyandreflectonyourthoughts,feelings,beliefs,andmotivations.Periodicallyexaminingyour
experiences,the decisionsyoumake,the relationshipsyouhave,andthe thingsyouengage inprovide
useful insightsonyourlife goals,onthe goodtraitsyoumust sustainandthe bad traits youhave to
discard.Moreover,itgivesyoucluesonhow to act, react, and conductyourself inthe midstof any
situation.Like anyskill,introspectioncanbe learned;all ittakesisthe courage and willingnesstoseek
the truths that lie withinyou.Here are some pointerswhenyouintrospect:be objective,be forgivingof
yourself,andfocusonyourareas forimprovement.
To grow spirituallyistodevelopyourpotentials.
Religionandscience have differingviewsonmattersof the humanspirit.Religionviewspeople as
spiritual beingstemporarilylivingonEarth,while science viewsthe spiritasjustone dimensionof an
individual.Masteryof the self isarecurringtheme inbothChristian(Western) andIslamic(Eastern)
teachings.The needsof the bodyare recognizedbutplacedunderthe needsof the spirit.Beliefs,values,
morality,rules,experiences,andgoodworksprovide the blueprinttoensure the growthof the spiritual
being.InPsychology,realizingone’sfull potentialistoself-actualize.Maslow identifiedseveralhuman
needs:physiological,security,belongingness,esteem,cognitive,aesthetic,self-actualization,andself-
transcendence.Jamesearliercategorizedthese needsintothree:material,emotional,andspiritual.
Whenyouhave satisfiedthe basicphysiological andemotionalneeds,spiritual orexistentialneedscome
next.Achievingeachneedleadstothe total developmentof the individual.Perhapsthe difference
betweenthesetworeligionsandpsychologyisthe endof self-development:ChristianityandIslamsee
that self-developmentisameanstowardservingGod,while psychologyview thatself-developmentis
an endby itself.
To grow spirituallyistosearchfor meaning.

2. Religionsthatbelieve inthe existence of Godsuchas Christianism, Judaism, andIslamsuppose thatthe
purpose of the humanlife isto serve the Creatorof all things.Several theoriesinpsychologypropose
that we ultimatelygivemeaningtoourlives.Whetherwe believethatlife’smeaningispre-determined
or self-directed,togrowinspiritisto realize thatwe donot merelyexist.We donot know the meaning
of ourlives atbirth;but we gain knowledge andwisdomfromourinteractionswithpeople andfromour
actionsand reactionstothe situationswe are in.As we discoverthismeaning,there are certainbeliefs
and valuesthatwe rejectandaffirm. Our liveshave purpose.Thispurpose putsall ourphysical,
emotional,andintellectual potentialsintouse;sustainsusduringtryingtimes;andgivesussomething
to lookforwardto---agoal to achieve,adestinationtoreach.A personwithoutpurpose ormeaningis
like adriftingshipatsea.
To grow spirituallyistorecognize interconnections.
Religionsstressthe conceptof ourrelatednesstoall creation,liveandinanimate.Thuswe call other
people “brothersandsisters”evenif thereare nodirectbloodrelations. Moreover,deity-centered
religionssuchasChristianityandIslamspeakof the relationshipbetweenhumansandahigherbeing.
On the otherhand,science expoundsonourlinktootherlivingthingsthroughthe evolutiontheory.This
relatednessisclearly seeninthe conceptof ecology,the interactionbetweenlivingandnon-living
things.Inpsychology,connectednessisacharacteristicof self-transcendence,the highesthumanneed
accordingto Maslow.Recognizingyourconnectiontoall thingsmakesyoumore humble andrespectful
of people,animals,plants,andthingsinnature.Itmakesyouappreciate everythingaroundyou.It
movesyouto go beyondyourcomfortzone andreach out to otherpeople,andbecome stewardsof all
otherthingsaroundyou.
Growth isa processthus to growin spiritisa day-to-dayencounter.We winsome,we lose some,but
the importantthingisthat we learn,andfrom thisknowledge,furtherspiritualgrowthismade possible.
Want to grow spiritually?Clickthe linkbelow.
https://bit.ly/377pjsT