Practicing love and kindness is very much like something I've been working on in my life and that is the act, thought, and belief that everyone deserves my grace, just as God has shown on me. I have been working on the realization that anger and judgment are extremely detrimental for me and just as God has been kind to me and given me his grace and forgiveness I must learn that for others. This is a very similar idea of showing others love and kindness of which we studied earlier in the term. I feel both ideas are interchangeable and one that I make efforts to practice every day. Not only are anger and judgment bad but justified anger and judgment are even worse for my overall health. It's something I must work on a daily, sometimes hour by hour. Though some might feel it's impossible to show love and kindness to those we might not like it's for us, the person showing the love and kindness, that gets the benefits.
The mediation and quieting of the mind is another idea that I've been practicing on a daily basis and plan on continuing. I have set ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes in the evening to practice some quiet meditation and prayer. For me they go together at this point and if they need to be separated at some point I'll cross that bridge at that time.
Mike Scales
It sounds like you have struggled through the practice of the exercises, but that you are still progressing in your own way. I think for many spiritual people who are also religious prayer and meditation go together. The ultimate goal is to quiet the mind, focus and to feel better coming out of the exercise than you did going into it. However you can come to those achievements is up to you and if it's working then congratulations! Of course there is always room to progress in everything we do, but I can definitely tell you are making a valiant effort and progression has already begun. Great job!
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteTen minutes in the morning and ten in the evening is an excellent idea. Small things come in big packages. Meditation has allowed me to break away from the everyday hustle and bustle and just have a moment of calmness. Sometimes I get so into my everyday routines and forget the most important thing which is me. I am beginning to enjoy mindful meditation a lot because I can become more aware of the present moment. It’s good to enjoy the beauty of the Now and not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow has a place of its own
Hi Mike,
ReplyDeleteYou sound so grateful to be alive and that is so motivating for people that are depressed and suffer from low self-esteem. God is great and he has done so much for many of us, but many people don't know how to say thanks or just simply forget. I think this class, although it doesn't talk about God or the Bible specifically, can really help in pushing people closer to God, and to help them accept God into their hearts. Very inspiring post!
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI am happy that you realize how anger can be detrimental to your health. It has been said that anger causes inflammation in the body. Learning to release anger can be hard, but like you said it is a daily task and sometimes even hourly.
You also mentioned that you feel as though prayer and meditation work together and I agree with you. The bible tells us to meditate on the word of God, and as a yoga instructor I have learned meditations that utilize scripture as a mantra to focus on.
Wish you all the best,
Natalie