Response to Emotionally Healthy Spirituality
I have lived among Christians my whole life. Over half of the people I know are Christians. God has taught me through my experience, before and after conversion, that there is work to being a Christ follower. Peter Scazzero, in his book Emotionally Healthy Christianity, tells us that we as Christians are often struggling more than we think. Emotions touch every part of our lives and can control different aspects of us if we are not trusting the God we say we love. Jesus said in Matthew 11, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus said that He would help lighten the load, but He never said that it was going to be easy. As Christians we need to love and trust Jesus in every way so that we can deny ourselves, while still finding value in ourselves, and let the Holy Spirit work through us in every circumstance.
Emotions are, and should be, in every part of our life. We would be lost without happiness, sadness, anger, or even silliness. John reminds us that, “We love because God first loved us. (1 Jn 4:19)” Love is a grand topic, there are many definitions for the word, and yet they are all right. If someone were to dedicate themselves to the study of even earthly love they would have more than a lifetimes worth of work to do. Contemplating these things are essential to emotional maturity. Scazzero says that, “contemplation and emotional health are different and yet overlap. In a very real sense, both are necessary to loving God, loving ourselves, and loving others. (Scazzero, 46)” Godl...
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...ese things I believe the country could be turned upside down in a week. God longs for us to love Him and show others love in an emotionally healthy way. Doing that is not always easy and I think that is the point. Because it is not always easy we need to rely on the Father’s prevision for our lives and trust Him rather than our own impulses. I think that Scazzero hit the nail on the head with that idea. The Holy Spirit is alive and available to help if we would submit to the Father and trust the work of Jesus. To do this is not always easy, but in trusting in the things God says to us in our quiet times and through our Christian community we can live a fruitful life while staying emotionally healthy in our spirit.
Works Cited
Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: Unleash a Revolution in Your Life in Christ. Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, 2011.
Cunningham, M. (2012). Integrating Spirituality in Clinical Social Work Practice: Walking the Labyrinth (1 ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc.
Clinton, T. & Ohlschlager, G. (2002). Competent Christian counseling: Foundations and practice of compassionate soul care. Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press.
Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling written by Mark McMinn and published by Tyndale House in 2011 notions towards the idealization that Christian counselors need to be privy in the most recent psychological methods as well as theological theories. “This is a book about counseling processes techniques” (McMinn, 2011, p. 150). McMinn also alluded that Christian counselors benefit from having a spiritual maturity. With having these attributes counselors are better prepared to take note of prayer, Scripture, sin, confession, forgiveness, and redemption. McMinn (2011) model flows in the direction of healing while equating to a more advantageous relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ as well as with other relationships (McMinn, 2011).
Many people believe that today’s Christians are too sheltered and oblivious to the real world around them. When asked, many outsiders compared today’s Christians to “The Titanic - a ship about to sink, but unaware of its fate” or “a hobby that diverts people’s attention” (Kinnaman 120). It is important Christians to not just stay secluded in one group (church group), but to be talking to others (outsiders) so we are aware of the problems and thing that are going on in the world around us. As Christians we are called to be disciples of Jesus by reaching out to those in need, praying for those around us, and calling people to become the church. In “Unchristian” David Kinnaman outlines three main things we as Christians should include in our lives: accepting responsibility, not being fearful, helping the desperate, being prepared, and keeping a balance.
Some might say that it would be much simpler if there was no need to develop virtues and live in a world where there is no moral that is acted upon. But without moral evil in action one cannot develop of full understanding and comprehension of the characteristics such as compassion and sympathy. Though there is natural evil, it does not always illicit the same degree of certain virtues. Without facing and living through and with moral and natural evils, humanity cannot truly evolve spiritually thus moving to a more superior state.
“First, there is the call to be a Christian. Second, for each individual there is a specific call—a defining purpose or mission, a reason for being. Every individual is called of God to respond through service in the world. Third, there is the call that we face each day in response to the multiple demands on our lives—our immediate duties and responsibilities” (Smith, ...
In today’s society, there are a large number of individuals who are on the pursuit for spiritual development that is consistent with their “belief that spirituality is vital for growth and essential for dealing with life’s problems” (Morrison, Clutter, Pritchett, & Demmitt, 2009). Even moreso it’s no surprise to learn about the movement among the vast number of clients seeking to address concerns of spirituality within their counseling sessions.
If people are unable to wake up from their sleep state than nobody will not truly find any real solution to be close to God. Jesus Christ is the way to God, and people just being declared Christians will not have Jesus Christ in them. People are not realizing their spiritual state they are living in, so, the less they realize it the harder it will be to sincerely answer God’s call to become alive. People will know when they have the spirit of Jesus Christ in them.
Spiritualism is the system of religious beliefs centered on the presumption that communication with the dead, or spirits, is possible (Grolier '97). Spiritualism challenged dominant cultural beliefs of the 19th century (Paul) and is still in practice today.
...have begun the process of becoming a better person. Those who practice Christianity boast of having higher levels of joy and happiness in life no matter what circumstances they may be facing. “A person that is truly Christian, one who studies, practices and teaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ on a regular basis, has a fullness of joy regardless the difficult adversities that they may face in their life”(Smith). To help guide many people of the world in finding joy and happiness associated with becoming a christian, churches have worked hard to make it their top priority to “Strive to be an "open-door" church, actively reaching out and welcoming all persons”(NBUMC).
Religion vs. Spirituality What is the difference between a spiritually developed religious person and a spiritually developed non-religious person? Is there a difference, and by what means is the difference established? Both believe in a greater “power,” something beyond the visible or physical world and existence. Spiritually focused persons think in terms of the supernatural, whereas in religion the focus is on a deity or a holiness.
Mayer and Salovey (2001) maintained that emotions help prioritise, decide, anticipate and plan one’s actions. In order to effectively manage one’s emotions, one must first learn to identify and recognise them accurately. They should not neglect their emotions as this will reflect lack of self-awareness. For example, when someone lost their loved ones, they choose to be in a state of denial allowing themselves to be drowned in depression and sickness. They refused to get away from feeling negative and find solutions to overcome their emotions. These group of people face difficulties in recognising, identifying and managing their emotions.
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This paper will include a self-assessment of my own spirituality and how I view spirituality. Peer-reviewed scholarly articles will be included in the essay pertaining to spirituality and my belief. In the following paragraphs will also include the integration of spirituality within social work practice. I believe spirituality does various things for me in my life: it heals me, helps in a time of need, and guides me towards positive aspects of life, which many people believe the spirit does the same for them.
Spirituality can have many different definitions, depending on who is asked. It can be something as simple as looking for a higher meaning to life, or something so complex that one can base their beliefs, religion and overall life around it. There are several different ways to express one's spirituality; rituals, songs, dances, stories, and writings are all common methods of expression.