MY GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

Here are the results of the Spiritual Gifts test you took on Monday February 03rd, 2014 at 3:59:05 PM on the Rock Church website (www.sdrock.com).

28 Teacher
26 Exhorter/Encourager
25 Leader/Administrator
23 Prophet/Perceiver
22 Mercy/Compassion
22 Giver
22 Server

Blessed :-)

Discover yours here: http://www.sdrock.com/giftstest/

An odd by-product of giving freely out of compassion and love is how it makes the giver feel. The more you give from a place of unconditional generosity, the more joy you feel. Giving makes you realize how much power you have to make others feel better about themselves and their lives.

Go out and give whatever you have to whoever needs it. Seek ordinary moments and make them extraordinary. Life truly is a special occasion.

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/why-giving-to-others-is-also-giving-to-ourselves/

Simple Life Strategy: 5 Life Lessons from the Dalai Lama | Sydney 2013 Event

1. Be compassionate. Remember that compassion is good for your health and stress, fear and anger will literally eat up your immune system. Choose compassion over negative feelings.

2. Find your own inner peace. As his holiness said: “Global change must come from individuals and world peace must come from inner peace”. Realise that you can make a difference by starting with yourself.

3. Be happy. Instead of grappling with complex Questions like “Why am I here?” simply focus on being happy and the rest will fall into place.

4. Be a good human being. Avoid feelings of regret when you reach the end of your life by being a good human being. Sounds obvious – but you’d be surprised how easy it can be to get caught up in other unimportant things.

5. Practice forgiveness. Know that forgiveness does not mean accepting the other person’s wrongdoing – it is simply a way of respecting your own physical health enough to not allow negative feelings to cause you harm.

Motivate Yourself Without Pushing Yourself: Tips for Self-Compassion

“Our sorrows and wounds are only healed when we touch them with compassion.” ~Buddha

My tips to create more self-compassion include:

1. Be aware if you are being hard on yourself and recognize where this shows up for you.

It can be subtle. Look at all life areas, including your health, finances, and relationships, at work and in your family.

2. Challenge your beliefs and fears.

Do you have a belief that if you are gentle with yourself you will somehow not be motivated enough or not all you can be? Recognize that this doesn’t have to be true. Also, notice if you feel that being compassionate toward yourself will lead you to feel self-indulgent or selfish.

3. Treat yourself kindly, without judgment.

Picture your best friend and how you treat them. Now apply this same love and kindness to yourself. You should be your own best friend after all!

4. Be mindful of when you slip out of compassion and start to treat yourself harshly again.

Forgive yourself and understand that you are human and this is part of the human game.

5. Feel the pain of others around you.

Listen to their stories and feel what it must be like to be them. This will make you automatically feel compassion and be softer on yourself as you connect with their common humanity.

We all have issues and problems that cause us pain, but suffering through them is optional. Self-compassion provides another option.