Being Whole by Peter Heywood - HTML preview

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Lean on Faith

Part of becoming whole also means focusing on your spirituality. This looks different for everyone depending on what faith or religion you are a part of. You might not be part of faith, but are looking to get involved with one as part of your spiritual journey. No matter where your faith might lie, leaning on faith is an important part of becoming whole spiritually.

People who attend church services, find it helpful to read their Bibles often during difficult times because God can speak to them through the passages and stories found in the Bible. If you are Christian, you might find that having weekly devotions helps you. This involves reading your Bible and spending some quiet time with God.

Some people also choose to do their weekly devotions in a group. This can be done through the church or you can find some people and create your group at your home. To lean on your faith and create a closer relationship with God, you can also do weekly group devotions and solo daily devotions.

If you aren’t sure how to read the Bible or how to start, there are many different devotion books you can purchase that can take you through the Bible. You can also buy specialty devotion books aimed at helping you lean on faith and getting to know God better.

If you are not part of a church or devotion group, becoming part of one is the first step to making sure you are growing and becoming whole spiritually. You can research churches in your area and attend a service to get more involved. Some churches even have small groups where you can get better connected to people in the church that are the same age or in the same walk of life as you.

Using Music

No matter what religion or faith you might follow, using music is a healthy way to learn more about faith. You can use Spotify or another music streaming service to make playlists or download music that you feel aligns with your faith. Make sure to have the playlist handy whenever you might be feeling down or when you think you need help leaning on your faith.

You can also play the music before stressful situations, such as when you are headed to work or when you are anxious about an event or meeting that is coming up. Filling your heart with spiritual music helps you become more in tune with your faith.

Talking to Other Believers

If you are part of organized religion, you might have a group of fellow believers that you know can help you lean on your faith better. If you have someone that you trust in this group, you can ask to meet with them and you can share why you might be struggling to lean on your faith. You can also share with them that you are on a journey to become more whole spiritually.

Other believers will be able to offer tips and advice to help you. They might also have books or things they have used in the past that can help you lean on your faith.

Setting Aside Your Emotions

In many cases, when you are struggling with faith, it’s because you have unsettled emotions. For example, you might be angry with God for something or you might not understand why your spiritual practices are not helping you.

These negative emotions can get in the way of you leaning and relying on faith. Sometimes emotions can also mislead you because you might expect a certain outcome from your faith, but things do not always turn out the way you expect them to.

Instead of expecting things from faith and letting your emotions get in the way, try to just let faith lead you. Focus more on the experience and the growth rather than the final outcome.

Participate in Services

Depending on your spiritual practice, there might be services or groups you can get involved with. Fellowship is an important part of most faiths and religions. Being around other people that believe the same things as you can help you get some perspective on your trials and how to use faith to overcome them.

Pray

If prayer is part of your spiritual walk, praying can be a good way to lean more into your faith. Many people find it helpful to pray at the same time every day such as first thing when you wake up or before you go to bed. You can also use prayer time to reflect and listen.

Some people also use prayer journals as a way to keep track of their prayers and when they are answered. Prayer journals are also nice to go back and reflect on when you need to so that you can see what trials you were facing and how you got through them.

Even though it’s a good idea to make a habit of praying at the same time every day, you can pray whenever you want or feel like you need to. Praying is a great way to connect and to let out your worries and frustrations.

Listen to Podcasts

There are many different podcasts aimed at religion and spirituality. You can listen to a few a week to grow yourself spiritually. Podcasts are great to listen to when driving or when cleaning or picking up around the house. They can give you guidance when you need it. Make sure you are reading the reviews of the podcasts to choose a good one that you can trust.