Spirituality Information

The Traitor Within


Life is like an obstacle course in which we run like an Olympian athlete and at times getting nowhere. We exert a lot of energy trying to avoid life's ditches, jump over the potholes, leap across stumbling blocks, miss the dangers, and somehow sidestep the troubles. Of course, we could significantly improve our quality of life if we took the time to seriously think through our responses to situations. A load of troubles can be alleviated by a little forethought, a little preparation, and a little contrivance.

Some of the experiences we suffer we bring upon ourselves because we do not take the time to think through what our next move will be. We drift into so many agonizing complexities through our own thoughtlessness, hasty judgments, impulsive reactions, rash decisions, and failure to consider the cost.

We can also diminish some of our suffering if we could understand and accept the fact that most of our conflict is really mental. Our most insistent and insidious enemy is our own reactions to human situations. Our personal pride often prompts us to fear, shrink from, resent, or combat certain conditions, circumstances, or people. We do not want to love them or do not see how we can. Consequently, we draw back into our inner quivering, impotencies, aversions, and rebellions.

If we could only understand that there is no enemy, no conflict, except that which rages within. Our self-concern, self-importance and our almost unconquerable desire for self-justification causes more dissension and stress than any other element in the human makeup. It is the human traitor within ourselves that bars us from yielding to the will of God. It is time the traitor be exposed. God is waiting to take His rightful place in your life.

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available in July.


MORE RESOURCES:

Religion vs. spirituality in Indonesian literature
Jakarta Post, Indonesia - 2 hours ago
In what is often said to be the Age of Uncertainty, many people are desperately seeking spiritual enlightenment. It is not surprising that a small survey ...


Hafez poetry is imbued with spirituality of Quran: Khorramshahi
Tehran Times, Iran - 4 hours ago
TEHRAN -- Hafez poetry is imbued with spirituality that emanates from the Quran, Hafez expert Baha’eddin Khorramshahi told MNA on the occasion of Hafez ...


Spirituality and Credit
CBC.ca, Canada - Oct 9, 2008
If ever we wondered if the physical stuff we can touch is affected by spiritual realities in our heart, the economic storm that Wall Street launched on the ...


Upcoming programs focus on male spirituality
Catholic Star Herald, NJ - Oct 9, 2008
“Male Spirituality: A Spirituality of Imperfection” will be held Thursday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 pm at St. Peter Celestine Parish, Cherry Hill, in the school ...


Doors of HOPES: Racine Dominicans' HOPES Center brings a variety ...
Journal Times, WI - 3 hours ago
The HOPES Center focuses on the needs of the community today — particularly those people suffering from economic, ecological and spiritual poverty, ...


Pastor seeks to enliven church image, spirituality
YourHub.com, CO - Oct 9, 2008
It's about 9:45 am Oct. 8 and while Pastor Peter Morin of Faith Lutheran Church types away at his computer, a dull thump, thump, thump echoes next to his ...


How to Make Your Spending Spiritual
Beliefnet.com, NY - 1 hour ago
Most money advice overlooks the spiritual side of financial health. But if you miss the spirituality of finances, you'll miss the truth about money and ...


Indian spirituality meets musicality
Decaturian, IL - Oct 8, 2008
Rupayan, a spiritual music group touring America, gave audiences in Kaeuper Hall a taste of India without even leaving Decatur’s borders. ...


Out of the Magick Closet in Portland, Maine Comes an Internet ...
MaineToday.com, ME - 7 hours ago
Portland, ME, October 10, 2008 - In an area where there is more competition for the spiritual and new age dollar than it seems the region could support, ...


Witchcraft still practised by African Christians
Spero News - 19 hours ago
Nor is every expression of traditional African spirituality to be dismissed as witchcraft. That was missionary fiction. The witch in Africa is the ...

Spirituality - Google News

home | site map
© 2006