Spiritual Freedom: A Conceptual Analysis

While reading the Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, I did not expect to come across a spiritual discipline that would be a perfect combination of my own idea of spiritual formation, and a wonderful way to connect with the Lord. What I mean by this, is that I was wanting to create a gratitude journal, but I wanted it to be deeper than just a list of things that I was thankful for. That is why I fell in love with the idea of writing responses to the questions that were posed in the Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, but still taking a few minutes to write a list of things that I am grateful for! A journal like this is also a great way for me to see the strong points in my day or week, and the areas where I need improvement. Since journaling has always

When America adopted the term Freedom, as far back as the country’s founding. To how we as a nation obtained freedom and the patriots who had to fight several wars in order to continue to possess it. As citizens and members of a society, we are extremely fortunate to have several different types of freedoms. Although this is a good thing in some cases, there comes to a point where too much freedom can be dangerous because there would essentially be no protection for the people. To prevent this from happening, we give up particular freedoms and swap it for safety. The freedoms that are most important to me are religion, economic, education, and gun control. With that being said, there should be the same “restriction” on each of the freedoms, no acts of violence will be condoned.

Many choose to disregard this loneliness ahead in exchange for their lighter, brighter dreams. There are, after all, still so many places left to go and so many people left to see. However, all endings in life, whether that ending concerns relationships, dreams, or death, are of solitude. Coming to terms with this is necessary in order to find peace and to live with purpose. It opens the eyes to a hidden truth— loneliness will continue to be a companion through the entirety of

As social beings, most of us feel the need to interact and enjoy the company of others. A popular definition of loneliness is that it's that feeling we get when this interaction is missing. However, loneliness is not the same as being alone or isolated. One can choose to be alone and enjoy a very blissful life. Or one can be very active in community groups, friends, and even family and still feel lonely. Loneliness is not an outward appearance, its an internal battle that causes weakness, and spiritual isolation within a person.

Silence is an important factor in life and can be encountered in different ways, silence can be seen as peace, harmony and can also be viewed as a negative effect such as depression, sadness or even as evil. Silence also gives time to reflect on life and society and when silence there is time to reflect on faith and religion, this would allow to decide on or question religion. When silence is demonstrated it implicates the importance of peace and the chance for revival.

I engulf the feeble victim in seemingly unescapable loneliness, overtaking the joys of their heart and ensnaring them in a pit of desolate solitude. The sense of bleakness will overcome the senses and suck out all the bliss they hold close. Because it appears most of humanity rely on one another for comfort and joy, the unavoidable reality of being unaccompanied is enough to drive a man mad. I describe the sense of separation that strikes a soul, sucking out every ounce of remembrance and comfort the past attempts to bring. Yesterday will never return, just as tomorrow always comes; it’s inevitable. Once I reach you, it’s a struggle to get rid of this parasite that I am, called isolation. There comes a point where the victim will decide

In the Bible, the book of Hebrews states, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (King James Bible, Hebrews. 11.1).The spiritual tones of “things hoped for”, plays a significant role throughout Olaudah Equiano autobiography, “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano OR, Gustavus Vassa, The African”. His narrative was originally published in 1789 and went through a series of revisions throughout his lifetime, finally becoming a bestseller. Equiano’s treasured writings, depicts his personal accounts from childhood, holding the status of an African aristocrat in Benin West Africa, to being kidnapped and forced into slavery in the infamous Middle Passage slave trade. While slavery attempts to divest Equiano of his hope for freedom, his narrative asserts that spirituality and literary works produce its own liberty and identity in the world.

“Till death do us part.” The five words proclaimed by the bride and groom on their wedding day that hold a lot of meaning. These words are spoken with the intent to fulfill them, but in some cases this is not happening, resulting in marriages collapsing. This is all due to the lack of communication between the individuals. Communication is the foundation of any relationship whether the relationship is romantic or completely platonic.

In conclusion, when people are experiencing loneliness, their actions, as well as their way of life is altered. Also some problems and changes are caused

Loneliness: the quality of being unfrequented and remote; isolation. Isolation breaks a being down to a fundamental level. The deepest level of the spirit can be scratched, bruised, or even broken when it feels alone. Unwanted. Unloved. It is a proven need in life. Company. Companionship. These ideas, are necessities. The body, mind, and soul need to feel desired. If they feel alone then it causes unknown amounts of damage. It can change the actions, thoughts, and feelings of a being. When we are alone, we are broken.

Spending spiritual time in silence can be difficult for many individuals because it gives them time to think and be present in the moment. Being silent also requires solitude

Practicing silence is something that I will do for the rest of my life. This is a good spiritual practice to

Social Isolation can be defined as a continual lack of contact with other people. Social isolation and chronic loneliness is one of the indisputable signals of mental turmoil, including major depression. It is the withdrawal of self from social roles directly or indirectly among individuals. Loneliness is the feeling of emptiness and desolation. This issue can immensely negative consequences on older persons such as a wide variation of premature health issues.

Loneliness is one of the most dominant emotions experienced by human beings. Loneliness is often interwoven with despondency, solitude, and unexplainable emptiness. Many argue that people are in fact alone because they are born alone and they die alone. However, birth and death are not the totality of life. Humans instinctively interact with each other throughout their daily lives, often unknowingly such as a simple smile or greeting. People are not alone because they are meant to interact and communicate with each other, make companions in situations when others are not available, and the aspect of being alone is practically impossible around other human beings.

“A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” This paradox is the basis of Luther’s concept on Christian freedom. For Luther, his reform freed Christians two fold. Christians were free from false assumptions about salvation and from the commandments of the Old Testament. To Luther, God alone could grant salvation. Despite this freedom, Christians still had to obey earthly laws. The differences of spiritual and temporal freedom seemed contradictory but for Luther it was clear that faith would free the Christian soul. Luther defined freedom for a Christian as freedom through faith. Salvation was granted by God alone. However their flesh was still bound