Spiritual Relationships
A spiritual relationship is a positive, open, and healthy one that reflects the kind of connection God wants to have with us. That is to say, as we build positive, open and honest, life-affirming and healthy relationships with friends, family, co-workers, children, our spouse or loving partner and others who come into our lives, then we begin to see more and more of who God is and we are drawn closer through those relationships to God. In addition, as we grow in positive and healthy spiritual relationships with other people, we become an example of how God loves and cares through our loving and caring for them. This is true for all of the many kinds of relationships we experience in life, from close supportive and caring friendships, to family relationships, to work-place interactions, to romance, to marriage, to parenting and on and on. We tend to grow most effectively on our spiritual journey in direct proportion to the health of the relationships that we share.
Where do we find and/or how do we build positive and healthy spiritual relationships?
We find healthy spiritual relationships anywhere and everywhere, but like any aspect of spiritual development, relationships have to grow rather than just appear. And, healthy life-giving relationships require connection, vulnerability, honesty, openness, a willingness to refrain from judging, respect, and trust. The creation story of the Jewish scripture book of Genesis tells us that by design, we are a unique reflection of the creative and sustaining energy (love) of God, and that our purpose in the creation is to be loved (connected with the creative and sustaining energy of God) and to love (reflect that energy in our interactions with all things in the universe, especially other people). Anything that moves us away from building healthy relationships leads us away from God and toward a harmful and negative way of living.
Let’s discuss the ways in which we can effectively build specific kinds of spiritual relationships with the different kinds of people in our lives. For instance, think about your work relationships versus your romantic partnerships. How are they different? How can you improve each? What about your relationship with your children, or your parents? How do you feel about family members or your siblings? How is your marriage going? And are your friendships satisfying?
There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s get started.
Sensible Spirituality
A down to earth, non-religious, how-to-guide for living with your whole heart and mind
While there are a multitude of books about personal development and spiritual growth, author and storyteller P. Michael Davis goes down a different path by offering a real-life conversation about how to build and maintain a positive and spiritually healthy life.
His approach is thoroughly non-religious, entertaining, and devoid of jaw clenching seriousness. He will walk you through the whys and how tos of spiritual awareness, spiritual relationship building, spiritual love, and spiritual parenting for children and adolescents.
Sensible Spirituality is available, by clicking the book cover above, in kindle, paperback, and audio book formats at Amazon.com.