Social Influence On Spirituality

Spirituality is about seeking a meaningful connection with something bigger than oneself, which can result in positive emotions, such as peace, contentment, gratitude, and acceptance. Still others seek meaning through their connections to nature or art. One's being can have two major social influences: societal and relational. These multifaceted societal parts include: class, race, gender, sexuality, physical and psychological ability, religion/spirituality, age. Like one's sense of purpose, his/her personal definition of spirituality may change throughout your life, adapting to one's own experiences and relationships. Relational are the intimate relationships, which influence and shape an individual's identity and perception of self. These

multifaceted relational parts include family and friends. Spirituality is just a single facet of the diamond that is one's soul. In the first chapter of his book, Celebration of Discipline, Richard J. Foster discusses how the spiritual disciplines are viewed as a door to liberation.
One interesting notion Foster highlights is the second point he makes in those who have heard the distant call and felt the desire to explore the world of the Spiritual Disciplines. This difficulty is a practical one in the fact that we simply do not know how to go about exploring the inward life (Foster, p. 3). The culture of our society and the habits of our generations simply do not know "how to 'do'" the disciplines of the spiritual life. In the time of the first century and earlier, people were called to such Disciplines as fasting, prayer, worship, and celebration because they were practiced frequently enough by the general culture that the "how to" was common knowledge (Foster, p. 3). Foster is clear and quick to caution, that "to know the mechanics (of the Disciplines) does not mean that we are practicing... [them] (Foster, p. 3). I can affirm this initial challenge amidst my own practice.
My initial encounters with the Disciplines were difficult because I did not understand what I was doing. Even though I desired encounters with God, it was nothing more than a "brief dabbling" (Foster, p. 3). "As Thomas Merton says, 'we do not want to be beginners. But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything else but beginners, all our life!'" (Foster, p. 2). I was, and still am, a beginner of the Disciplines. There is always room to grow. I see my desire to pursue God's transforming ability as similar to the act of enjoying time floating along the lazy river at the local water park.
On a hot day one pursues the time to relax, settling in an inner tube floating along the surface of the refreshing and cleansing cool water. Near the start of my spiritual journey I had "become weary of the frothy experiences and shallow [contents of] teaching" (Foster, p. 2) that was presented. The societal and educational norm of the invisible Native American perspective played a key role in how I perceived concepts of self-identity, both culturally and spiritually. There was more to my essential being waiting to be uncovered. I longed for opportunities to submerge myself into situations in which God could work. As I uncovered various spiritual disciplines I slowly began to understand God's graces and how the gift of the Disciplines of spiritual life was a means of receiving God's grace.
Foster shares with his readers an instructive analogy from the apostle Paul to the Galatians: "he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life" (p.

7). I could very much relate to this analogy as it pertained to my practice of the spiritual disciplines. The disciplines really can have no long lasting effect on the harvesting of one's soul. "A farmer is helpless to grow grain; all he can do is provide the right conditions for the growing of grain. He cultivates the ground, he plants the seed, he waters the plants, and then the natural forces of the earth take over and up comes the grain. This is the way it is with the Spiritual Disciplines -- they are the way of sowing to the Spirit. The Disciplines are God's way of getting us into the ground; they put us where he can work within us and transform us" (p. 7). By themselves, or by one's self, only so much change and growth can occur. "God has ordained the Disciplines of the spiritual life as the means by which we place ourselves where he can bless us" (p. 7). Without the spiritual disciplines, there is a limited amount of room to grow, a limited amount of fertilizer. There is so much potential left

untapped.
The second idea from Foster's text states how "God intends the Disciplines of the spiritual life to be for ordinary human beings: people who have jobs, who care for children, who wash dishes and mow lawns... [More personally relative]… Disciplines are best exercised in the midst of our relationships with our husband or wife, our brothers and sisters, our friends and neighbors" (Foster, p. 1). These disciplines are a means of God's grace for every human soul. This idea deems a relational challenge to my current spiritual practices but is not an impossible struggle.
It is without doubt that amidst the practice of any spiritual discipline one is longing for the pursuit of spiritual growth and a closer more open relationship with one's Creator, or higher power. As humans we find support, comfort, and motivation from others experiencing similar life circumstances. Christians need support and comfort and often find this through Christian accountability. Relating is an important factor. The idea that there is a balance of trust and accountability in the practice of spiritual disciplines within the personal relationships of a Christian community is important. "When the inner spirit is liberated from all that weighs it down, it can hardly be described as dull drudgery. Singing, dancing, even shouting can characterize the Disciplines of the spiritual life" (Foster, p. 2).
Furthermore, I never realized the accountability of fellow Christians be a part of the practice of my spiritual disciplines.

My personal upbringing and family history had me in the challenging situation of not understanding how to consistently and physically accept trust and support. The disciplines I exercised were never shared in the midst of my relationships. I was never one to openly share my experiences in group settings. If someone asked a question of me, I would share but wasn't going to willingly do so. My practice of music was an invisible thread of faith that connected me to my relationships, primarily that of my mom. I knew the accountability of having a relationship with my mother was there but it was shown through our faith in how God reached out to us through music and

prayer.
It is helpful when there is a sharing of a common bond or if people have been through similar experiences. By realizing how the idea of relational accountability is an important challenge to my current practice of the disciplines, it serves as a motivator. It helps me become more open to sharing certain bits of myself more freely. Foster shares in his text that "there is no longer the tiring need to hide our inner selves from others... Just as the natural motions of our lives once produced mire and dirt, now they produce 'righteousness and peace and join in the Holy Spirit' (Rom. 14:17)" (Foster, p. 9).
The nature of spirituality, the nature of identifying as a child of God is multifaceted. There are a lot of dimensions and a lot of ways in which one strives to put oneself in the situation for transformation. The human soul and its seed of spirituality, once planted and nourished, can only reach out for the relationships of accountability; and ultimately yearn up and out for the evolving growth and transformation so God's creation may ultimately continue contributing toward and celebrating all of creation.