Ways To Mature Spiritually

Posted by: Sober Chick on: January 4, 2012

• In: Emotional Health | Growing In Christ | Renewing The Mind
• 16 Comments

I recently read a book written by Robert J. Wicks, “Prayerfulness, Awakening To The Fullness Of Life”.  He makes a list of ways we can mature spiritually and how to appreciate each day if we put these into practice in our daily lives.  I wanted to share them with you as they are exactly the things I want to achieve in my own life.

~  gain a clear awareness of what you are experiencing, thinking, or feeling without judging yourself or others;

~  develop a sense of intrigue about yourself and others without projection (blaming others), self-condemnation, discouragement, or expectations;

~  gain more interest in discovering the presence of grace—namely the wonderful gifts of God—rather than merely focusing on your own accomplishments;

~  gain an appeciation of being in the now and willingness to return to the present when you are drawn into the past or begin to be preoccupied by the future;

~  develop a spirit of “unlearning” and a willingness to see life differently that is inspired by the Lord’s call to “make all things new”;

~  gain a non ego-centered approach to life that recognizes it isn’t all about me;

~  gain a willingness to recognize, embrace, and flow with change;

~  gain a spirit of receiving life as it is without reaction or rejection;

~  develop a gratitude and an openness to being nourished by God in everyday life;

~  gain a focus on those activities that create well-being instead of suffering for others…and ourselves;

~  gain an appreciation of the beauty of patience and enjoying the process of life rather than solely looking forward to completions or successes;

~  develop an interest in letting go of the “secular training” we have received in grasping, being envious, angry, and unkind, and instead an openness to sharing without an expectation of getting anything in return, being intrigued by our responses so we can learn from them rather than responding by being defensive or self-indicating, and slowing down rather than straining toward goals (even perceived good ones);

~  gain an avoidance of comparing ourselves favorably or unfavorably with others;

~  develop a greater desire to be sensitive to how our words and actions affect others;

~  gain an openness to “spiritually touching” all of our denials, loneliness, shame, and negative feelings about ourselves with compassion, rather than running away from them;

~  allow information, negative and positive, familiar and unfamiliar, to flow to us without being obstructed or modified by our ego or fears;

~  develop an increased desire for transparency and being persons without guile in the way we live so we can help purify—rather than contaminate with our defensiveness—the spiritual atmosphere in which we and others live.

“Practicing, not just knowing about, these characteristcs results in your getting all out of the life that God gives you as a gift.  In addition, and of possibly even more importance, doing this will help you face life’s difficulties, gray periods, or sad experiences and deepen you in ways you may never have dreamed possible.  This will be a gift to those with whom you come into contact as well.”

This may seem like a long list but they are completely attainable by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.  So let’s pray for God to work in our lives to achieve these beautiful qualities every Christian should have and to grow spiritually mature as God’s Word tells us to do (Hebrews 5:12-14).

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