How can the practical world of child-rearing be
reconciled with the lofty realm of spirituality? How do the two fit together? You might feel that parenting
is way too busy an occupation to accommodate transcendent thinking, or that spirituality, with its highbrow concepts, has nothing to offer diaper changers and spill wipers. But do not forget that you and your kids are three-dimensional beings. You are body, mind, and spirit. These three
levels of your being are not isolated from each other. Together they form who
you are. You express yourself on the physical, mental, and spiritual levels, as
do your children.
To get clarity into parenting issues, to truly get a grip on them, you need
to look at all three levels. It is not enough to only take the physical reality
(consisting of people and things around you and activities you engage in) and
mental reality (motivation, planning, goal setting, psychology, group dynamics,
and the like) into account. The spiritual reality has to be included in your
view. Spiritual reality is the world where the spark of an idea originates, where intention plays a key role, and where ideals are landmarks.
But most of all, it is the realm where Love is recognized as the essence of
Life.
The key to reconcile the earthly occupation of
child-rearing with spirituality is in the practical
application of spiritual concepts
in the parent-child relationship. In the application of what you know to be
true, you will find spiritual growth.
My Kids Grow And So Do I is a blog that introduces a
variety of spiritual tools. They will help you apply spirituality in daily life
and thus help you brave the challenges of parenthood.
Practical spirituality can be brought to bear
on many issues facing families today. With practical spirituality, it is no
longer necessary to separate the explorations of your inner life from the
demands you face as a parent. You do not have to leave the kids to their own
counsel in order to retreat into your inner space. On the contrary. When you
see in parenting an opportunity to apply what you know to be true spiritually,
your children’s needs will not impinge on your own. Instead, their needs will
become calls to turn within and consult your inner wisdom right at the moment
you need it most.
The single most important step toward
expressing spirituality in practice is to become aware of the intent that forms
the basis of your life. Once you know your life’s intent, here called
the spiritual ideal [1],
you can learn to express that ideal in thoughts and attitudes as well as in
decisions and activities.
This blog deals with the practical
application of spirituality in the parent-child-relationship. The posts discuss how spiritual tools, presented here, can help you deal
with common situations like disagreements, fights, demands, tough choices,
illness, and more. You will see how you break down nebulous spiritual concepts
into practical objectives regarding the relationship between you and your
child. You learn how to consciously connect who you are with what you do. When
your heart’s intent becomes visible through the work of your hands, you are on
your way to wholeness.
The posts will urge you to apply the tools presented. When you engage actively in applying spiritual concepts in your daily life with kids, you will bridge the gap between thought and
application, between theory and practice. For in the application of what you
know to be true, you will find the key to spiritual growth.
[1] The concept of spiritual ideals and the
setting of ideals can be found in books about the life and work of Edgar Cayce.
Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) was an American psychic who, in the course of forty
years, gave over 14,000 readings to thousands of individuals in response to
questions about physical ailments, mental concerns, and spiritual needs. His
readings are preserved and studied by the Association for Research andEnlightenment, Inc. (A.R.E.), 215 67th St., Virginia Beach, VA
23451-2061, a membership organization.
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