What Does Spiritual Growth Mean

Today, when attaining spirituality has become more of a fad rather than something all human beings should strive for, having been given the privilege of being called "humans", it's essential that you know what it means and what are its benefits. In order to know the meaning of spirituality, you have to first of all quell all the misconceptions associated with it.

Many people hold this belief that just because they go to church everyday and pray regularly, they have become spiritual. Following a religion and performing prayers, no doubt, is one of the ways to connect with oneself, but on its own, being religious does not make one a spiritual person. It simply means that a spiritual person can be religious but it's not necessary that a religious person be spiritual.

Next, we move on to another highly held belief regarding what being spiritual means. Some people feel, in order to be considered a spiritual person, you should give up your family life, your possessions and everything dear to you. And that you should go to some faraway mountain and pray, only then you will attain salvation and become spiritual. This again is just a misconception. To be spiritual does not mean that you cut away from everything. On the contrary, spiritualism actually makes us understand how we are part of this whole universe and that each one of us has its own place in it. It tells us that all our actions and thoughts, whether positive or negative, ultimately affect us and everybody else around us because we are all, after all, an interconnected whole!

Being spiritual means to be kind and caring for ourselves, the living beings we know and also for those we do not know. Our kindness should not only be reflected through our actions, but through our words and thoughts as well. So, there might be a person who religiously goes to church every day or meditates, but if he does not love himself or his fellow beings, if he is selfish, judgmental or has even a slightest hint of negativity in him, it means that he is not spiritual.

So spiritualism means to inculcate love, truthfulness, positive thinking, peace, kindness and happiness within ourselves. It means to realize that everybody - all humans, animals, insects, plants and all other living beings are connected to one another. So, if any harm is done, or wished upon, on any of these, the others are bound to be affected. That's why, in order to be spiritual, a person needs to be helping, caring and considerate of others and thus, choose his actions, words and thoughts consciously.

Spirituality is not something which will come to you in a flash. So no amount of praying or joining any religious group or Yoga meditation, is going to make you spiritual. It is something which you choose to be, by being helpful, caring and kind to others. The day you feel that you wish happiness and success to even those whom you once considered your enemies, the day you feel that you have forgiven those who hurt you once, the day you have only kind and good thoughts, that's when you will be considered spiritual in the true sense.