Many arguments prove to be agreeing on one thing. That man was created first and tasked with a number of roles, one of which was and still is- spiritually guiding their homes. What exactly does it mean by being a spiritual beacon? It basically means that as a man, you are responsible of guiding your family in having a good spiritual environment. Meant for their wellness, being spiritually attuned means that you shall be able to guide your family forward, and you also have a source of direction. Regardless of the type of religion you follow, most of them insist on your ability to lead your home in spiritual matters too, which helps in creating the type of value system you desire in your home.
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In my experience, I met my wife at a time that I was really trying to have my footing with my inner self. I had a lot of things to crop out, which were distracting my sense of being. Our meeting dawned on me that I had to get a proper grounding within myself so as to be able to have the authority to lead her. She was very concerned to know where my moral compass lay. For obvious reasons because she was assessing if I was a good mate, and whether I could be able to be a good father who would pass down certain values to our children. As she scrutinized me, I saw the need to really dig deeper into the motive of my desires, assess my life’s motion and redirect my spiritual energy. Thankfully, it worked. I was able to create a working spiritual system for myself and she adopted it, which we stand with to date. Here is how you can guide your family in matters spirituality too.
Enrich yourself with spiritual content
Have you taken time to personally identify your own spiritual path? As the man of the home, everyone will be looking up to you for a sense of direction. As such, you have to be keen in understanding your spiritual position. It could be adapted straight from your upbringing and how you saw your parents or guardians doing it, or it could be influenced by your own research and environment. Whichever you choose, stick to the rhythm and enrich yourself daily with spiritual content. Most of it helps to give one a moral perspective on how to carry on with life, applying some spiritual principles in issues like justice, how to show love and treating others in general. It could involve your identification of the practices you shall need to pursue. It could be praying, chanting, reading books and attending spiritual services or pilgrimages.
Identify the values you want passed down in your family
With a family comes the question of, What do you teach the little ones? Having had this conversation with your spouse, it is of great importance to agree on the values that you both want to pass down to your children. Conflict often arises when you two start disagreeing on what the children will learn and what spiritual path you want to take them. Since you shall be practicing at home, the children end up following what they observe. Avoid creating a wedge between you two by having the talk early so as to reach a consensus.
Have a community of believers whom you share the same faith
Having identified that we were of the same spiritual inclination, my wife and I needed to get plugged in with a community of believers. We wanted to be surrounded by friends who would encourage us using the same script as we used, or understand our seasons better. We therefore searched for a community of believers who were near where we live and life has been easier! The men in that community are able to mentor me through, keeping me on toes as to how I am contributing to the improvement of my family in accordance to our spiritual beliefs. Having these extra mates is like having a football team with cheerleaders. They will help you when you are down and gas you up to win.
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Invest in accountability partners
Here, trouble can begin. You see, I used to have a weakness where I would never ask for directions however lost I got. At a particular time, having walked for miles around a certain area, I got so lost and decided to ask a nearby guard. The guard told me that the place I was looking for was the building he was manning! Imagine my frustration, knowing I had wasted a whole hour seeking something that would have cost me only asking. I learnt my lesson and apply it in seeking accountability partners. I thought that my manhood meant that I needed to be accountable to anyone since accountability meant being able to subject myself to questioning. However, by having male figures in my spiritual circle that seek to question some of my decisions, I gain perspective through their insights and have a clearer image of the path that I want to take my family. It works more like seeking counsel.
It is important that you know that your family is watching your every move. Even a three year old can imitate how you talk or walk, to mean that, if you are keen in guiding your family spiritually, it is time you prioritized it.
