My spiritual princibles
As I type this I'm about to head out to attend church so it seems fitting to get my head space in reflecting on what principles compose my faith. I think its very difficult to apply principles that our really universal, so many followers now have their own conception or understanding of god and what his involvement in ones life means. There are some things that I strive for that I believe all christians do strive for or at least say they do.
1. Practice a christ like life.
If you're a christian, Jesus is a pretty central figure in your understanding of what it means to be good. As a result you should do as he did. I don't think a lot of christians actually practice this but I try to about as much as I can. I try to avoid luxury, I try to walk a lot because he was always walking, I try to pursue good works and I try to turn the other cheek on my enemy. growing up we had WWJD bracelets that signified the question "what would Jesus do?" I think more people should really think on that question.
2. Honestly admit your transgressions to god and others
We all hold onto shame in one way or another it could be about one thing we did years ago or it could be something we do every day that we know we shouldn't. When we talk about this with others and find they still accept us there is a feeling of community and we can shake off the shame.
3. All creations of god deserve love
Often in life we look at the world in a lens of good vs evil but I try to focus on all things as good just occasionally misguided. If you believe that people are a byproduct of god then they exist for some reason and can be saved then there is no evil person, there is no enemy. Absolute respect and unconditional love should be given to everyone.
There are probably a lot of little ones I could also throw in there. Taking care of the body god gave you is a big one for me but I'm not so sure that its universal. The three I listed cover a lot of the general ground though that my spirituality has meant to me.
1. Practice a christ like life.
If you're a christian, Jesus is a pretty central figure in your understanding of what it means to be good. As a result you should do as he did. I don't think a lot of christians actually practice this but I try to about as much as I can. I try to avoid luxury, I try to walk a lot because he was always walking, I try to pursue good works and I try to turn the other cheek on my enemy. growing up we had WWJD bracelets that signified the question "what would Jesus do?" I think more people should really think on that question.
2. Honestly admit your transgressions to god and others
We all hold onto shame in one way or another it could be about one thing we did years ago or it could be something we do every day that we know we shouldn't. When we talk about this with others and find they still accept us there is a feeling of community and we can shake off the shame.
3. All creations of god deserve love
Often in life we look at the world in a lens of good vs evil but I try to focus on all things as good just occasionally misguided. If you believe that people are a byproduct of god then they exist for some reason and can be saved then there is no evil person, there is no enemy. Absolute respect and unconditional love should be given to everyone.
There are probably a lot of little ones I could also throw in there. Taking care of the body god gave you is a big one for me but I'm not so sure that its universal. The three I listed cover a lot of the general ground though that my spirituality has meant to me.
Daniel, Thank you so much for your very thoughtful and engaging reflections on your spiritual principles and the universal implications of these very significant dynamics.
ReplyDelete