Values

As the world of values—the world of love—opens up to us through our active participation in adopting these values, a journey into our inner lives begins to unfold that will reveal to each of us a spiritual connection where true wisdom awaits.

We believe that true wisdom comes from Spirit. Through our active participation in adopting those values that lead to love, through growing them and making them more real in our lives, we move closer to an intimate relationship with the Divine.

We have listed below ten values that can lead to spiritual growth.

Courage is the answer to all worthwhile challenges. Courage is a commitment of the inner life to face danger, fear, or challenges without giving in to the very natural urge to protect yourself. Often courage is a decision made before facing what threatens you. Sometimes it is a decision made in the moment. But it is never truly a surprise, because those small, daily choices to do the right thing build your capacity for courage. It is most often a quiet thing, and that is why you may not realize how courageous ordinary people are. Courage is not about proving yourself to anyone else. Courage is about doing the right thing even though you expect there may be uncomfortable consequences. To “encourage” is to inspire courage in others.

Love is the most potent and transformative of qualities. Acceptance is an expression of love. Both love given and love received carry this power to transform. Acceptance allows people to express their uniqueness. It says that individual differences are permissible, interesting and maybe even desirable. Acceptance allows the freedom to love all people. Acceptance is not an endorsement of another person’s words or behavior. It is about accepting them as a being with the right to explore the meaning of life for themselves. It is about giving each person the time and space to grow into who they can become. Accepting someone as a person opens the door to relationship. A loving relationship can actually empower a person to grow. Acceptance says “This is a person with infinite potential for change and growth even though they are different from everybody else.” Acceptance allows us to let go of the burden of always being right.

Gratitude expands the heart, sharpens apprecation, and focuses attention on the positive. Gratitude has an amazing ability to spread from heart to heart even in the absence of words. Gratitude strengthens your connection with the universe. When freely bestowed, it blooms into love and mellows into security. Gratitude is an attitude of thankful appreciation that can extend even to life’s challenges, when we view them as opportunities for growth.

Abandon your anger and resentments towards yourself and others: free yourself. The road to all peace, personal and social, begins with forgiveness. To start the process of adopting forgiveness in our life is difficult. But the gifts that we receive by learning to forgive repay us a thousand-fold. Forgiveness is possibly the most powerful and misunderstood concept in any language. Forgiveness is not just a word. It is a lifeline which can help us make room for love.

Sincerity means being earnest, wholehearted, truthful, open, and straightforward. It helps us to be an ambassador of truth and a gentle advocate for what we believe in, and it helps others to trust us. Sincerity does not manipulate, lie or bend the truth in order to serve our own desires at the expense of others. Sincerity gives us the strength to speak truth when it is needed, even when the truth is difficult to say, or when we fear it will not be well received. Sincerity partners with integrity and humility to recognize and reveal our own shortcomings when that serves the greater good. When we consistently act with sincerity, we have no need to hide our actions or motives. Through being honest with ourselves and others, we can grow.