Young Adults
7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness by Joe Paprocki
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Recognizing that the spiritual immune system is weakened almost daily by toxic patterns and attitudes that negatively impact our ability to live in a harmonious relationship with God and others, Paprocki offers seven enduring and reliable strategies for achieving spiritual wellness.After identifying practical ways to integrate each of these strategies into daily living, he describes seven persistent dangers to our spiritual well-being and how these dangers manifest themselves in our lives.
At its core, 7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness helps us see faith not as a collection of rules and doctrine, but as a spiritual path--a path whose guideposts for spiritual wellness are sure to lead us to a more meaningful life and to a much richer experience of our faith. |
Here are some highlights:
- KEY 1 - Seeing Yourself As You Really Are
- Be authentic and real with yourself! God helps us see who we truly are because we are make in His image. Sometimes we need to take that step of humility back and say "I am not better than another" and "It isn't all about me". We must adopt an attitude of gratitude and thank God for the person he made us to be, and stop trying to be something we are not.
- KEY 2 - Actively Seeking the Good of Others
- When we compete with one another there are winners and losers, but when all are seeking the good of others everyone wins. This can increase our joy and banish insecurities as well. When working for social justice we are not fighting the "haves", but are trying to bring the dignity of Christ to the "have-nots". Comparison is a dead end game. Imitate the love of God as we love others.
- KEY 3 - Thinking Before Acting
- We have been told to do this from a young age, but do we ever listen? Spirituality is not mindless, in fact, it takes a lot of brain power. Our emotions lack judgement, so it is important to stop and think before acting on those emotion. Discernment is the dialogue between your heart and brain and is a vital part to decision making and healthy spirituality.
- KEY 4 - Holding on Loosely
- Possessions are not in themselves a bad thing, but have a very strong potential to pull us away from a relationship with God. We hold on way too tightly to our material goods. We can try and live apart from our consumer culture through generosity and detachment. Give what you can and learn to be content with what you have. More doesn't always mean better, so try to live simply. It is difficult to balance your right to purchase and possess with the responsibility to give and share and deserves a strong focus.
- KEY 5 - Recognizing and Setting Limits
- Too much of a good thing can actually destroy us. It can lead us to be addicted or dependent and can really mess with out spiritual health. The result is often a numbness to all desires, including our spiritual longings.Be honest with yourself and recognize your limitations. Pray regularly to help you focus on what you need, or don't need to be healthy.
- Too much of a good thing can actually destroy us. It can lead us to be addicted or dependent and can really mess with out spiritual health. The result is often a numbness to all desires, including our spiritual longings.Be honest with yourself and recognize your limitations. Pray regularly to help you focus on what you need, or don't need to be healthy.
- KEY 6 - Seeking Beauty
- Human beings are drawn to beauty. Spiritual wellness requires a steady diet of beauty. Intimate relationships are beautiful and God created them to be that way. When we work with our desires for beauty we are saying "yes" to something greater. Beauty is the substance of God. We are drawn to his beauty and are invited to fall deeply in love with Him.
- Human beings are drawn to beauty. Spiritual wellness requires a steady diet of beauty. Intimate relationships are beautiful and God created them to be that way. When we work with our desires for beauty we are saying "yes" to something greater. Beauty is the substance of God. We are drawn to his beauty and are invited to fall deeply in love with Him.
- KEY 7 - Unleashing Your Imagination
- We are made for more that we are today. This means looking at the possibilities for growth and change with a hope for greater things. But to reach those gold we have to clear away the distractions and our indifference. Imagination is a prerequisite for hope. Think of all that we can be!
- We are made for more that we are today. This means looking at the possibilities for growth and change with a hope for greater things. But to reach those gold we have to clear away the distractions and our indifference. Imagination is a prerequisite for hope. Think of all that we can be!
Just like we try to eat right and exercises for the health of our bodies, we need to take time to focus on the health of our spiritual self. Check this book out! It comes highly recommended and is great for personal reflection, or to discuss with a friend. 7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness is a quick read and easy to understand. Even if you are not able to purchase the book, the following reflection guide is good to journal with or take time to a look at some important questions for our spirituality.
| Discussion and Reflection Guide |
