Can You be Spiritual and Still Stand up for Yourself by Livnam Kaur
Many times we have people in our life who hurt us, bully us, lash out at us, or manipulate us. Whoever they are and whatever they do, we often have trouble standing up for ourselves, saying no, or creating healthy boundaries because we are afraid those things make us “less spiritual.”
We don't want to hurt the other person or make them feel uncomfortable even though that is what they are doing to us. We are so often taught to be "love and light" as if that means we are to shrink from life and let it run all over us. The Love and Light of God could never want us to suffer. Sometimes you need to protect yourself.
As a spiritual person, how do you know when to speak up? When to fight back? When enough is enough? When to say no? When compassion becomes victimhood? How do you remain "spiritual" while standing up for yourself? It's actually not difficult to discern.
Recognize the truth Recognizing your spirituality is about acting from love. Do not make the mistake of thinking that to stand up for yourself is unloving. The most loving thing you can ever do is be in your truth. Only the truth can express love and direct right action.
It is not loving to ignore your truth and allow someone to get away with hurtful behavior. If you ignore the truth, not only are you taking away your opportunity to make a different choice, but the other person’s opportunity as well.
Use your intuition You have a built in navigation system called your intuition. In fact, did you know that you receive intuitive guidance within nine seconds? That's right. Nine seconds. For example, think about a time when someone did or said something hurtful to you and that was indeed your first reaction: you were hurt.
That hurt probably registered even faster than nine seconds. But then you said to yourself, "She doesn't mean to be hurtful. She doesn't realize what she said. She loves me, I know she didn't mean it." And on and on the excuses rolled out. Yet you knew immediately what the truth was. Instead of voicing it though you made an excuse. That pushed your intuition aside. Learn to listen to the still, quiet voice within and act from its direction.
Be okay with letting go What if you listened to your intuition and acted from your truth? What if you acknowledged the hurtful, poor behavior of others? Actually voiced it? Confronted it? Would you lose people? I'm going to be honest with you and tell you that you may lose people when you become powerful. But letting them go could be the best thing that happens for you. Be willing let go of anyone or anything that isn’t loving for you. Letting go makes room for better experiences.
Love Yourself Enough To Make Waves Being spiritual sometimes means shaking things up and creating waves. Those very waves are the “love and light.” A spiritual life isn’t one without decision. It is a life of decision. It is a life of truth. And it is a life navigated by intuition. Be honest with yourself and act from a place of love always, recognizing that love sometimes means making the other person feel uncomfortable. That doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you a truthful, intuitive, spiritual person.
Remember, your spirituality is your strength. It is the core of who you are and it is your truth. It will help you move through life with grace and ease. It reveals you to you. Be willing to know yourself and you will always know what to do.
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About the Author
Livnam Kaur is a spiritual intuitive, healer, and writer working to express divine guidance through The Counsel of Light which can help us hear God's Word within us. She facilitates a weekly study group for A Course In Miracles, teaches Intuitive Development, Kundalini Yoga and Meditation, and offers Personal Sessions and Coaching. ACIM, IKTYA, IET®MI, Reiki MT, AWP, ATP®Articles written by Livnam Kaur were published on Awakening People with her explicit written permission.