***Rev. Rose Houston is currently the transitional spiritual leader of Unity Spiritual Centre Girard and is a frequent guest speaker at Unity Chapel of Light.  She has graciously been sharing the articles that she has written for Girard with us.


The Strength to be Free in 2023 ~ What is Spiritual Strength?

Our co-founders, Charles and Myrtle identified 12 gifts of God that are built into our body, mind, and soul, and they named them as our Faculties of Mind. A more modern term is our 12 Abilities. One of those is the gift of Strength. After Faith, it is a foundational block for the other 10 Faculties of Mind. The spiritual character of Strength involves our capacity to dig deep and find the greater meaning in life; to align ourselves with a purpose that extends beyond ourselves; and to find relationship and unity with something greater such as Nature, God, or the Transcendence of Being. Properly used, this gift gives us strength in mind, body and emotion opening the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. The battle for wholeness starts in the mind—a new way of thinking. Many of us have believed negative things about our ability to change or exercise self-control or make healthy choices. We believe we will never be successful.
 
We need to have our minds changed.
According to 2 Corinthians 10:3, we can:
“…, demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and… take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 

According to this verse, we can learn to separate God’s Truth from the unhealthy or negative thought patterns we’ve fallen into or the lies we have believed.
 
5 Ways to Strengthen Our Relationship with God

1. Humble Ourselves and Pray using Unity’s method of prayer – affirmations and denials. Meditate in the Silence every day.
2. Read and Study the Bible and other spiritual material.
3. Join a Group of Like-Minded people who are committed to this intention.
4. Take care of ourself first and help others as much as we can without depleting our own reserves.
5. Seek Out our Spiritual Gifts And develop them to use to lift ourself and all whom we meet on our path to greater understanding of “Christ in You Your Hope of Glory.” … Colossians 1:27

• When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up; review what made you happy? Perhaps it was singing, hitting sticks for percussion, baking with your grandma, sewing your own doll clothes? whatever it may have been, perhaps that's an area you could develop as a hobby or perhaps even a career.
• What do you enjoy doing now? For example, doodling, being in nature. a deep interest in animals. Maybe, you like to read books. How do these things fit into a new way of being? Notice I did not say career although that may happen.
• Books that help identify your talents and gifts like this one:

• StrengthsFinder 2.0 ~ Based on the work of Donald O. Clifton, the grandfather of Positive Psychology, this book gives an in-depth description of 34 different talent themes. After purchasing, you’ll gain access to an online assessment that will reveal your top five talents. Gaining insight into your natural gifts will give you a new language to understand how you best achieve success and will help you brainstorm new pathways for growth and development.
• Written by The Gallup Organization along with Tom Rath.
  Read this if … you’re looking for new vocabulary to talk about your individual uniqueness. This is the perfect resource if you want to uncover your talents and strategize on how to develop them further. It will help you understand how each of your top five strengths plays out in your life on a personal level. Write up taken from the Internet.

By Investing in the time to try some of these suggestions is one way to take care of yourself. I challenge you to begin taking time for YOU in order to explore the faculty of Strength that will catapult your life into a new way of thinking, finding,  and appreciating the gifts of Spirit.
 
Love & Blessings,
Rev Rose