While eco maps provide individuals with a visual representation of their connection with their family, friends, and colleagues to the external world, spiritual life maps provide illustrate their spiritual assessment, planning, and interventions. People make many associations throughout their lives and may easily forget about all the associations they have created along the way. With eco and spiritual maps, reflecting on these associations is simplified with an individual identifying the nature of all their associations and their impact in their personal, professional, and spiritual life.
My eco map illustrates a valuable element of my personal, professional, and spiritual life. I can realize my strong and positive connections and the ones I need to improve (de Souza et al., 2016). I know who I can count on in case of any issue and those who will give me the best professional advice in countering my crucial stressor. With the help of my connections, I can achieve immense success in understanding my daughter more and mend the relationship to its former state. I know that it is essential to get all my connections in check as it will help foster my spiritual growth (Limb et al., 2013). According to the Bible (King James Bible, 2017, 2 Peter 1:5-8), an individual needs to make every effort to supplement their faith with virtue to develop love across all their relationships. Based on this verse, I believe that my spiritual growth will be determined by the nature of my associations, especially those closest to me.
Looking back at my spiritual life reveals that I was not always religious based on my past life. Although I attended church with my parents every Sunday, it seemed like a forced thing as I lived under their roof. As I became independent, my spiritual life took a turn for the worse as I became a rebel and a carefree individual. However, all that changed when I became a mother to ensure an excellent example for my daughter. The relationship changed me a lot as I started illustrating a morally accepted picture to my daughter and partner. It was like God was giving me another opportunity to turn back to His grace.
I settled down and had a stable job not long before turmoil between my mother and me erupted. I did not understand her at first, but once I regained full custody of my child, I figured out her every decision, and our relationship flourished again. I had not settled down in my newly found relationship with my mother when the pandemic struck and took her away from me, driving me into depression.
I felt like God had forsaken me due to all the hardships resulting from the pandemic. I lost my job and was forced to sell my home to afford funeral costs to give my mother a befitting send-off. In some way, I feel like the pandemic was God’s way of testing my faith because now that the situation is manageable, I am stable and thankful that I did not let my depression get the better of me. It is a way of showing God’s plan for His people, and no one can get on his plans. I look back at this life-trying event and treat it as an example of God’s wishes.
Perhaps He planned it all along but still shows that He still cares for His people as I have my partner, son, and great aunt to turn to. As I exercise my energy on keeping in good contact with them, I am reminded that I am still indebted to the spiritual guidance of God and that I have to mend my relationship with my daughter. In general, I enjoyed while fulfilling this assignment as it made me reflect on my life and better understand myself. It was thought and spiritually provoking and it allowed me to realize the way people in my course of life influenced on who I am now.
References
de Souza, Í. P., Bellato, R., de Araújo, L. F. S., & de Almeida, K. B. B. (2016). Genogram and eco-map as tools for understanding family care in chronic illness of the young. Texto & Contexto-Enfermagem, 25. Web.
Limb, G. E., Hodge, D. R., Leckie, R., & Ward, P. (2013). Utilizing spiritual life maps with LDS clients: Enhancing cultural competence in social work practice. Clinical Social Work Journal, 41(4), 395-405. Web.
King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible online. Web.