Several years ago, when I finally settled on my own spiritual path, a mentor reminded me: “Life will still have challenges. And, no matter what happens, no matter what anyone says, believes, or does, you decide how you want to be.” Her wisdom sounds simple enough, though in the face of turmoil, loss, conflict, and chaos, it isn’t always easy.
Yet, no matter where we are on our spiritual journeys, we can decide how we’ll show up in life. No matter what others think, say, or do, we get to define who we are. Especially, we determine how we’ll behave and what our standards are: whether we’ll follow in the ways of God or whether we’ll get into the mud, proverbial or otherwise.
All of us have this ability because we have a divine honing device, sometimes called a moral compass, which is actually our God Compass. It’s our awareness of the divinity within us and within others also. It’s the understanding that we, and all others, are beloved creations of God, the beloved creator of all things.
Spiritual masters are guided by their God Compass, no matter what happens to them or in their world. And, as we grow in spiritual maturity, we also can hold ourselves to higher standards than we did before by expanding our thinking, adapting our behavior, and opening our hearts to new ways of being, believing, and behaving. The key is to be willing.
So, if we want to raise our standards, we can:
- Deepen our prayer and meditation practice, taking time to reflect on which habits serve us and which hinder us.
- Honor our body, which has its own inner barometer, so we can heal physical ailments such as cramps; headaches; muscle soreness, stiffness, or tightness; shallow breathing; rapid heartbeat; nausea; or anxiety.
- Notice feelings of anger, frustration, grief, jealousy, or upset as divine messengers inviting us to heal our pain and live in healthier, happier ways for us.
- Speak using “I” statements, owning our feelings and needs, as we accept that others, including our loved ones, may not hold similar values.
- Claim responsibility for our decisions, choices, and behavior without blaming, shaming, or condemning people or circumstances so we focus on what we want to achieve rather than on what we don’t.
- Refrain from wasting our valuable energy by constantly scrolling through social media; worrying about things we can’t control; creating dramas rather than solutions; and spinning gossip rather than caring for ourselves.
- Empathize with another’s experience, even if we don’t understand it.
- Respect and honor religious or spiritual practices which are different from our own.
- Surround ourselves with people who honor our journey and encourage our continued learning and growth.
- Trust our own still, small voice and intuition rather than the crowd mentality.
- Celebrate our successes, no matter how small they seem.
And, as we continue on our path, we often discover that by raising our standards, we inspire others to raise theirs, too.
© 2018 – Rev. Jennifer L. Sacks. All rights reserved.
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