What Benefits Do You Get From Your Religion or Spiritual Beliefs? (Reader Comments)
Here are some of the e-mails I received in response to my last newsletter.
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“I don’t like to think I benefit from my Spiritual beliefs but like the way you reworded it as what do your spiritual beliefs provide you.
I look for my spiritual beliefs or as I like to call it “my conscious contact with my higher power” to provide me with direction and guidance on how my higher power intended me to be as a person and not how “I” if left to my own devises would want to be and/or act.
I know I can be selfish, self seeking, jealous, envious, and a whole bunch of other things that takes me away from being the person my higher power intended me to be when he put me here on this earth.
I felt in my core this was not the right way to live but did not know any other way. Once I put God in my life things changed dramatically. I stopped asking for things for me and started asking what can I do for others. That was the missing piece of the puzzle and the start for me to have an inner peace I have only dreamed about having.
Daily I ask Him to remove me of myself and to help me see where I can help another person and do the right thing.”
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“It is not that I “expect” to get anything from my spirituality but I don’t know what I would do without my belief in God, especially when times get tough. It is that peace I feel when I know that He is on my side and is watching out for me, which I feel God really is. There are so many times when I feel alone and that it’s “me against the world”, but then I remember that He is up there and cares about me. So to answer your question, it is peace of mind that I get from my spiritual beliefs.”
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“I believe as humans we have evolved AWAY from the community and feeling of belonging that we once needed for survival. Our current living conditions (most typical here in America) are individuality and a more private lifestyle as from a century ago. I think we are all consciously or subconsciously craving a community and a sense of belong to SOMETHING. I think that is part of the reason that people seek out spirituality.”
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“Probably peace of mind is the greatest benefit, if you would like to call it that. Peace of mind that wherever we go in life, or whatever we do and/or achieve, we need not question whether we have done the right thing, because we can be certain that, right or wrong in the eyes of the world, it happened because God willed it. It is all part of His plan, and whether we can see His plan or purpose is actually irrelevant. God gave me a vision many years ago that made me understand that I do not need to know where He is leading me - all I need to do is trust that it IS part of His plan.”
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“I practice “Sikh” religion and have high respect for all other religions of the world. The benefits that I derive from practicing spirituality are:
1 Exploring what life is all about
2 Leading a life that is based on values.
3 Peace of mind, when I need it most
4 Putting a check on the “Ego” by accepting the fact that the
ultimate control is in the hands of God.
5 Motivated to do something selflessly for others, considering we
all are children of one God.”
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“Perhaps we should ask what we can provide to it. When we look at spiritual giants like Mother Teresa or the greatest example of all Jesus, I think the real question should be what we can do for others. I think sometimes we become too introspective. It’s not always about US or ME.”
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“I don’t follow a particular dogma, but am convinced of the spirituality of man. As a consequence I gain a number of tangible (if that’s appropriate speaking on a non physical subject) benefits from my belief.
For example, pain tolerance. I can separate myself from physical pain and simply allow it to be. The result is that while the body is hurting I am separate and can tolerate the sensation to a far greater degree. For example, I passed a kidney stone whilst at work some years ago. I won’t pretend it was comfortable, but I got through the ordeal and came out the other side more convinced than ever of the truth of spirituality.
I am more self aware than at any time in my life and this helps me understand others’ misemotion. I see and understand they are tangled up in their thoughts and physical concerns and have no real concept of just being. This enables me to be calm when others are losing their heads.
Another real benefit is the eveness of emotion I experience. I don’t have wild fluctuation in emotion. This allows me the freedom to really experience with joy and little reservation the pleasurable areas of existence and the equanimity to face and deal with the ‘dark side’ so to speak.
I find my life is filled with delicious anticipation for each and every day.”
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Thank you for submitting your comments on this topic.
– Jeff Keller