What are the benefits of spiritual growth? As you begin to develop the capacities of the spirit, you will begin to see a clearer purpose and direction in your life, have clearly defined values and live more consistently with them, and will see improvements in your internal, external and even global relationships. The table below shows the qualities that one might expect in a life that is spiritually healthy or one that exhibits spiritual atrophy. Though most people seem to move back and forth between these two extreme states, one who is spiritually healthy will experience those qualities on the left most often.

Qualities of Spiritual Health/Atrophy

Spiritual Health	Spiritual Atrophy
hope positive outlook acceptance of death forgiveness, self-acceptance commitment meaning and purpose clear values peace intimacy self-worth, self-esteem	emptiness anxiety loss of meaning apathy looking for "magic" conflicting values needing to prove one's self hurried and harried self-absorption