Dear Heavenly Father:
Please help everyone who is suffering. Please help everyone to find sustained health, happiness and wholeness. Please help everyone to gain freedom from suffering. Please help everyone to find health, happiness and wholeness.
In the name of thy son, Jesus Christ whose love we wish to emulate
Amen
When I was praying this prayer, I was thinking of all the people who are in the grip of the terrible storms in the East and this helped me because I could imagine some of the things that they were suffering.
We were also asked to complete an integral assessment this week to identify what areas that we need to work on. I have several areas that need attention. The first and most obvious is my biological. I need to lose weight and exercise. This is an area that I identified early in the class and have been working on for the last six weeks with some success. I take a daily walk and eat healthy. The next area that I also identified earlier in this class was psychospiritual. I need to strengthen my relationship with God and pray more and study his words. This I have also been working on and that is one reason why I decided to turn the loving-kindness exercise into a prayer. Another area which is not in balance is my interpersonal sphere and it is also an area which was previously identified. My interpersonal sphere is small and is pretty much limited to my family and my church family. My son takes walks with me and we have developed a stronger bond by doing this. Something I would like to try with my husband is the intimacy and spiritual union practice (Dacher, 2006). I think this would be a great thing to do on Valentine's Day!
Reference:
Daucher, Elliott, S., (2006), Integral Health, The Path to Human Flourishing,
Basic Health Publications, Inc., Laguna Beach: CA, Chapter 9, pg. 92.
Hi June,
ReplyDeleteI loved your idea of turning this activity into a prayer. I find it so much easier to concentrate when I pray than when I try to meditate. I am definitely going to try it. I was 1 of those unfortunates you were praying for. I live on the Northeast coast. We have been sitting in the dark freezing to death since 7:00pm Friday. We got 3 feet of snow and coastal flooding. It's just been great. I did have some quiet time to practice meditating, so I guess having no electricity has it's benefits.
I also thought your idea for you and your husband for Valentine's day was so touching. If your anything like me chocolate is gone in an hour and roses are dead in 3 days, but do something that strengthens your spiritual bond with your husband wont soon be forgotten.
Myself I need to work on my psychspirituality, I have a hard time forgiving people and I know I need to for my benefit and not for theirs.
Lanie
June,
ReplyDeleteYou and I come from similar paths. I use to pray all the time but, for some reason, I seemed to have gotten away from the actual format and have designed a conversation with God. I like it better. I still contemplate the the messages of traditional prayer, but when I see a spectacular sunrise, the words of the Our Father do not seem to fit. I feel more Praise and thankfulness for being able to witness such beauty.
I also struggle with the biological me. As my psycho spiritual side strengthens, the biological issues will not seem such a chore. Since I have started our fitness routine, I am starting to see a much more energetic me. I am looking forward to Spring and the opportunity to feel connected and rejuvenated.
Good luck with your journey.
Laurie
June,
ReplyDeleteI loved that you turned this exercise into a prayer. When I was reading it in the textbook it kind of sounded like a prayer to me as well. I also struggle with my biological and it is something that I have been working hard with. Keep positive and my dedication and determination up is the number one goal for me. Good luck to you!
Rachel
Hi June, I truly like how you used this exercise and put in in a prayer, this is something I try to do on a daily basis. I too want those I don't know to not suffer and wish them happiness, health and optimal wellness. I think too often we get wrapped up in our own lives and forget about the others in this world that are suffering and need our prayers. You sound like you have truly reached into your soul when doing your own assessment of how you are and what you need to improve on. You have also taken advantage of this class to move onto improvements in your own life; in which it sounds like you are suceeding. I wish you well on your journey to optimal health and wholeness! Good Post! ~Kat~
ReplyDeleteHello June. I love how you changed the loving-kindness exercise into a prayer. I have a hard time with this exercise but when I read your prayer I too could imagine many people who were in need. I will have to try turning some of the exercises into a prayer. I definitely need to work on my spirituality and I think this would be a great start.
ReplyDeleteMiss June,
ReplyDeleteMay I say God Bless You! I too am 66 and loving every minute of it. For my biological I have been taking belly dancing classes. It's fun, works all of my core muscles and while I haven't lost pounds I have lost inches. I too pray everyday for my family and also my fellow man. A special prayer goes out for our young people because so many appear to lack guidance and social skills. I love that we have technology but find that it's making our kids robotic. I wish you the best as you achieve your goals. Keep on sending up the prayers, no doubt that the blessings will be showered down upon you.
Warm regards,
Iris