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    Growing in Inner Freedom: A Guide for Today
    Growing in Inner Freedom: A Guide for Today
    Growing in Inner Freedom: A Guide for Today
    Ebook94 pages1 hour

    Growing in Inner Freedom: A Guide for Today

    By Philip St. Romain

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    About this ebook

    40 ways to become more inwardly free! Using Jesus Christ as a model of spiritual freedom, and citing lessons found in the Scriptures, "Growing in Inner Freedom" contains 40 time-tested practices, including: Living by Faith, Don't Worry Uselessly, Count Your Blessings, Practice Forgiveness, Go the Extra Mile and many more.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPhilip St. Romain
    Release dateMar 30, 2011
    ISBN9781458006653
    Growing in Inner Freedom: A Guide for Today
    Author

    Philip St. Romain

    Philip St. Romain, M.S., D. Min., has published over 20 books on spirituality and theology. He has served as a spiritual director for many people during the past 25 years, and currently ministers at Heartland Center for Spirituality in Great Bend, KS.

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      Book preview

      Growing in Inner Freedom - Philip St. Romain

      Preface

      There will come a time in each of our lives when, in the face of death, we will have to reflect upon how we have lived. It is a helpful spiritual exercise to imagine ourselves in this situation. What would we like to be able to say about our lives as we reminisce on our deathbeds? For what would we like others to remember us?

      It may seem a bit morbid to begin a book on inner spiritual freedom in this manner, but the leaders of all religions have stated time and again that the reality of death should serve to remind us of the fragility of life. We cannot know the day of our death or its hour, so the time to begin living fully is today.

      For myself, I would like to look back on my life with the satisfaction that I did the best I could to live as fully as possible each and every day. I also think it would give me great consolation to know that there are other people in this world who lived more enriching lives because of me. Staring in the face of death, I want to be able to say that I have taken risks, tried to correct my own mistakes, forgiven the mistakes of others, and enjoyed everything as much as I could in gratitude. I hope to be able to say that I bore my sufferings patiently and supported other people in their own pains. Finally, I would like to be able to accept my death as the last stage of growth into the fullness of God’s love.

      As I strive each day to make this dream come true, there are many forces I encounter that can destroy my dream if I let them. First and foremost is my own selfishness and its tendency to seek fulfillment solely in terms of pleasure, status, power, wealth, and security. The culture I am a part of also seems to glorify and support these selfish tendencies of mine. But of this I am certain: pleasure, status, power, wealth, and security will count for little when I am on my deathbed.

      This does not mean, however, that pleasure, status, power, wealth, and security are unimportant. They are important, and our earthly lives would be almost intolerable without them. But these worldly values do not bring us lasting satisfaction; and worse, they rob us of our freedom.

      The truly free person is the one who can enjoy pleasure, status, power, wealth, and security, but who knows that there is something that is much more enriching than all of them combined. That person is free who is happy with or without mundane gratifications, and who is indifferent to possessing them.

      Is such freedom possible? I believe it is, for I am enjoying it more and more each day—even though I’ve a long way to go. I believe the great religious leaders and saints of all ages knew this freedom about as perfectly as is possible in this world.

      The secret of how to live in spiritual freedom is not really a secret at all. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to realize in actual practice. We can all learn this so-called secret; and if we are ready to live out its demands, we will find true freedom.

      The secret is this: We are really children of God, and the purpose of our lives on earth is to know, love, and serve him. If we prefer nothing more than to know, love, and serve God, we will be free.

      Simple, isn’t it? We’ve probably heard it a million times. But understanding this truth in our minds is much easier than feeling it in our guts and building our lives around it. That is how this book can help.

      My model for the spiritually free life is Jesus of Nazareth. I know there have been many spiritually free people among Buddhist, Moslem, Jewish, and other religious groups, but I believe that the Resurrection of Jesus is of special significance. The Resurrection is God’s eternal affirmation of the life and teachings of Jesus—that he is the one who has the words of eternal life (John 6:68). It is also a promise that we, too, shall enjoy his freedom and joy in this world and in the next if we follow the guidelines of Jesus. This means, however, that we shall have to learn to carry his cross which, by the way, is the central conviction of these pages.

      The primary concern of this book is to help nurture within the reader an attitude of inner freedom. It is my firm belief that healthy attitudes lead to healthy life experiences. The lessons herein contained have their roots in Scripture and in the wisdom literature of other religions. They have been tried and tested for ages. Those who practice the principles outlined here will find enrichment for their own life experiences.

      There are forty short chapters in this book, so it can be used as a Lenten guide or as a forty-day renewal process any time of the year. Each chapter

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