Our Spirituality in Crisis 

How This Area of The Theory of 5 Can Pull Us Through Tough  Times

No matter how we plan and prepare, there are times in life when circumstances beyond our control can bring us to our knees. Deaths, family emergencies, illnesses and other crises may break our hearts and try to break our spirits. I’ve recently gone through some health issues, and while I am slowly healing and praying for a full recovery , I have been reminded of how important it is to have a spiritual framework when going through the challenges of healing.

My mentors and I found early on that spirituality — whether it takes the form of organized religion, personal faith or philosophical conviction — is an essential part of our lives and is one of the key areas of The Theory of 5. It’s part of our inner-most identity and determines the decisions we make every day.

The irony, however, is that this crucial area is also the easiest of the Theory of 5 areas to neglect. We go to work, interact with our partner and children and are reminded of our health every day; these activities demand our attention. When things are going well, however, dealing with our spiritual outlook can take a back seat to the immediacy of the challenges of any givenmoment.

Nevertheless, when life’s most difficult situations take center stage, we soon realize that our spiritual framework is at thebedrock of everything we’ve built. For those without that larger worldview, there’s little or nothing to fall back upon when challenges or tragedy strikes.

Through the years, I’ve found — and have recently been reminded — that a firm spiritual and/or religious foundation provides us with two valuable resources when we need them the most: a community to support us and the inner peace that comes with an examined life.

Our Spiritual Community

Being around others who share our worldview and have a similar outlook on the universe and our place in it can be a lifeline when events would make us otherwise feel alone. Death and illness are universal human experiences, but without people around us to lend support and encouragement, we can feel cut off — adrift and alone.

I know from personal experience that when our family has gone through the toughest times, we’ve found that we have a wonderful support system. These are the people who took the time to walk with us, listened when we needed to talk and were there to assist us in getting through the darkness and kept us moving forward.

There’s pleasure in being there for others when they need us. It’s important that we go out of our way to be there for others in pain. Imagine a world where everyone lived The Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” While we can’t make this happen across the globe, we can do it in our own lives and set an example. Being known as someone who is dependable, trustworthy and reliable is one of the best gifts we can give to the world and those around us.

The Myth of Control

If we are living The Theory of 5 and taking its lessons to heart, we don’t wait for events to happen to us; we are proactive and work hard consistently to reach our goals. We get used to beingthe one in command.

But, although we may get accustomed to leading the charge, there are times when we are forced to see our true place in life. While there are things that we can control, there are other circumstances that are far beyond our control. With a spiritual mindset, we can more easily reconcile these two states and accept that total control is an illusion. Our lives can change in a heartbeat, and those who see themselves as masters of their own reality will take a massive hit when faced with this reality.

When we understand that there are things in this world that we do not — and cannot — control, we can allow our faith to take some of the pressure off ourselves. This lets us put our energy where it is needed most and best utilized, rather than asking questions that we will never be able to answer on our own.

The Truth

When tragedy or disaster strikes, our spirituality can become the most important area of The Theory of 5. It can give us strength when we need it most and pull us through to better times and brighter days. It reminds us of essential truths when we need to hear them the most.

It reminds us that the world is bigger than we can know, and we’re never alone in life’s struggles.

Written By Chris Saraceno 

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