Social Influence On Spirituality

Spirituality is about seeking a meaningful connection with something bigger than oneself, which can result in positive emotions, such as peace, contentment, gratitude, and acceptance. Still others seek meaning through their connections to nature or art. One's being can have two major social influences: societal and relational. These multifaceted societal parts include: class, race, gender, sexuality, physical and psychological ability, religion/spirituality, age. Like one's sense of purpose, his/her personal definition of spirituality may change throughout your life, adapting to one's own experiences and relationships. Relational are the intimate relationships, which influence and shape an individual's identity and perception of self. These

7). I could very much relate to this analogy as it pertained to my practice of the spiritual disciplines. The disciplines really can have no long lasting effect on the harvesting of one's soul. "A farmer is helpless to grow grain; all he can do is provide the right conditions for the growing of grain. He cultivates the ground, he plants the seed, he waters the plants, and then the natural forces of the earth take over and up comes the grain. This is the way it is with the Spiritual Disciplines -- they are the way of sowing to the Spirit. The Disciplines are God's way of getting us into the ground; they put us where he can work within us and transform us" (p. 7). By themselves, or by one's self, only so much change and growth can occur. "God has ordained the Disciplines of the spiritual life as the means by which we place ourselves where he can bless us" (p. 7). Without the spiritual disciplines, there is a limited amount of room to grow, a limited amount of fertilizer. There is so much potential left

My personal upbringing and family history had me in the challenging situation of not understanding how to consistently and physically accept trust and support. The disciplines I exercised were never shared in the midst of my relationships. I was never one to openly share my experiences in group settings. If someone asked a question of me, I would share but wasn't going to willingly do so. My practice of music was an invisible thread of faith that connected me to my relationships, primarily that of my mom. I knew the accountability of having a relationship with my mother was there but it was shown through our faith in how God reached out to us through music and