Spiritual friends enrich self concept
Our sense of a spiritual self or identity is a very important part of our self concept as women. How well developed it is, how much we nurture it or even whether we are aware of it or not, varies from one woman to another.
I have spent a lot of my time searching for a deeper sense of connection with my spiritual self. The road has not always been clear. I was lost in the desert for a number of years just drifting.
However, I have been blessed since then to feel very spiritually at home and deeply connected to something beautiful. When I experience this I truly feel whole and at one.
What has become very clear to me, during this time, is how valuable it is to have friends in my life who are on a similar spiritual journey or path.
When I surround myself with and belong to a community of like minded friends, my inner world is more easily enriched.
For example, part of my spiritual journey was to establish a set of spiritual guidelines by which I would live my life. It is these aspects of my spiritual life that friends can support me in.
With them, I don’t have to explain myself, I don’t have to be judged negatively for what I believe, and I can just be. It is so nurturing.
For instance, I didn’t always choose easy values to keep. I live in a society that celebrates drinking alcohol, and drinking alcohol to excess. I decided as part of my spiritual practice to stop drinking alcohol!
Good one Rach! There is nothing like swimming against the stream and making it hard for yourself.
However, this is where spiritual friendships can make life so much easier. I found a group of friends who were following the same set of guidelines and didn’t drink alcohol either. They help motivate, inspire and monitor me on my journey.
I do the same for them.
It is so wonderful to meet with them and for no-one to discuss alcohol, to ask me, “why don’t you drink?” to offer me a drink, to try and persuade me to drink, to extol the virtues of red wine to me, and for no-one to be drunk or intoxicated.
My spiritual values around not drinking are not an issue and therefore I can simply be myself. Bliss! My focus can be on more important issues.
It is absolutely wonderful not to have to explain myself; such is the joy of spiritual friendships. They help me maintain a positive self concept.
However, this blog is not about whether people should drink or not but on the value of friendships in nurturing our spiritual selves.
I’d like to give another example. Only this week a friend called me. It was a Friday afternoon. He was really exhausted after a very busy day at work and said he didn’t have the energy to go to our group that evening.
I was able to tell him how, the previous week, I’d been really tired and had felt like not going either.
However, because I had promised to go I did turn up. I told him I was very surprised to find that while I arrived really tired and listless; I left feeling refreshed, energized and far more content.
By being able to tell my friend this story he felt inspired to put in a bit of extra effort. It was sufficient for him to rethink what he was going to do. “You are right you know,” he said, “last time I went I was tired and I felt so much better afterwards. Maybe you’ll see me there after all!”
Such is the positive and helpful support given by spiritual friendships. They can help you to continue to develop your spiritual sense of self even when the self is tired!
Who do you surround yourself with? Do they reward you for the efforts you put into developing your spirituality and self concept?
Do you choose your friends wisely?
Self concept 
Reader Comments (2)
Michelle Denise.
http://www.egobucket.com
He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses much more; He who loses faith, loses all.
Fran.