SPIRIT

GOAL

My goal for myself in coaching when it comes to spirituality is when I am with anybody, no matter who they are, that I am spiritually edifying.

It doesn't mean that I have to be sharing the gospel, although that is a huge part, it is a way- but not the only way. It also can mean helping them to see their talents and abilities, to find their self-awareness, to see the beauty within, to see their authentic self.

I want to always be helping to bring them to a higher level than they were before they came to me.

HOPE

In my Spirituality lessons @ITN It states; "People who have hope are motivated of/by what might be in the future."

Hope is the confident expectation of and longing for the promised blessings of righteousness.

The prophet Moroni taught, “Whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God” (Ether 12:4).

As I read about this, I thought of myself as a child. I relied so much on the knowledge of a Heavenly Father.~someone all-powerful, perfect, that I could completely depend on. Knowing (hoping) every need I had could be taken care of by God.

In my child's mind, this was the answer to all things. I felt he would take care of my Uncle who molested me in the late hours of the evening. I wished that he would die because then I knew he would be in another place and not able to hurt anyone anymore. The next thing I knew he was burning up in his trailer. I knew in my child's mind this was God taking care of me, and others. It was a good thing for me because I believed in the afterlife. I believed that this hope of living with God on the other side was true. I believe that this knowledge actually helped me through many traumatic experiences in my life.

Hope in God was my safety net that kept me sane.

SUFFERING

Adversity happens to all of us but suffering does not have to be a part of the adversity. The key to not having suffering is letting go. (detaching yourself). Embracing fear for what it is trying to teach you. Learn the lesson it teaches then let her go.

To overcome the natural man (ego) recognize it's natural tendencies. Then try replacing them. Tolerating that we are man/woman and not perfect, accepting that but detaching from it as well; in other words, leaning on our Faith~ our higher power, which is for me, God Jesus Christ Holy Ghost.

We can take our experiences in life and ask ourselves, "What am I to learn?" Detach from the suffering. (one way we can do this is by applying the atonement) Maybe we are to learn only about the experience.

I find my self easily at times able to detach from troubles other times I struggle, I ruminate, and have a hard time letting go. But really, the truth of the matter is, I'm not letting go and letting God take over. I'm allowing fear to rule instead of letting faith preside.

EGO... to a friend leaving his faith behind

I just want to say that I am truly saddened by this decision, of course, you would understand why. It's such a hard thing to understand how one can have a witness of the truth and then not. I just want to clarify a couple of things, one of those being you are not leaving the Mormon church, you are leaving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.. I thought it interesting that you would use the slang nickname instead of the full name to announce you leaving. I guess maybe it takes the sting out of what you are truly doing...? Or maybe it wasn't even a second thought. I also wanted to clarify your journey of authenticity. This is a word that I actually like to use a lot lately... In helping people find your authentic self. It's interesting that you are leaving the spiritual communal ritual behind as Spirituality is a process of developing self-identity. I love how Cynthia Garcia puts it; "Spirituality... is an inner journey that enables a person to discover their authentic self," the person you were meant to be. Eventually recognizing that they are spiritual beings living in a human world. As someone stated you don't need "the church" to be happy or a sense of fulfillment, There are people outside of our church who seem to have these things, I can't imagine .... But full circle this is where you hopefully come one day. Even if it be at the last day when every knee shall bow and confess that Jesus is the Christ. But, I think you know this. We all have this inner spirit that needs to be nourished. It can be done through lots of Avenues. complete fulfillment and truly finding your authentic self is found only after the ego is let go.

That may seem offensive to some but its a fact that our Ego is a big part of our lives it helps us to survive, It is Your false definition of self, Your social mask (the face you put on for the world) Your worth is dependent on external and materialistic things. The ego is rational and protective, while the inner critic is judgmental and corrective. The ego is a survivor, while the inner critic is a perfectionist. The ego asks, “What will people think if you fail?” But the harsh inner critic tells you, “You will fail and people will think you’re a failure.” The ego says, “Maybe you’re not ready for this.” But the inner critic says, “You are not ready for this because you aren’t smart enough.” As you can see, the ego tends to cast doubt, while the inner critic tends to bestow judgment. I just want you to ponder on what is driving you. The Ego is there for a purpose but there comes a time when we have Faith and truly find our Authentic self. Faith is the opposite of fear. Almost all emotions originate from either fear or love. Many past experiences can foster current fears. But this is part of the ego, an attempt to keep you from realizing your true nature. You can eliminate fear when you discover your true spiritual nature and connect with a higher power.

Faith counteracts fear. Why? Because trust is part of faith. As a child, your fears were erased when you trusted someone completely. This is what can happen as an adult when you learn to trust and have faith in your spiritual nature and the ultimate Truth. That can only come from within but don't let the world define it for you. Or CHURCH, let God and all things will work together in the end. You are loved and respected by many. Including our family. Always keep searching. with love God speed