Wholeness Pt 1: What is it and why is it important?
“There is something in the depths of our being that hungers for wholeness and finality.” Thomas Merton
INSPIRATION
Word of Wisdom: Wholeness
“There is something in the depths of our being that hungers for wholeness and finality.”
Thomas Merton
It was a perfect day! On a Spring Saturday morning I slept in until 7am, then enjoyed a cup of matcha tea and quiet time with God. I spent about half an hour writing in my prayer journal before making summer plans in my calendar. I scheduled productivity blocks during the weekdays and social time on the weekends. I reached out to an old friend, who I happily added to one of my summer weekend fun blocks so we could catch up. I accomplished a few tasks around the house and pampered myself for about an hour with a facial and exfoliation treatment. Then I was off to meet friends for a scavenger hunt at one of the Atlanta beltlines. We had a lot of fun, the weather was perfect, and we met random people as we took photos or videos with them to complete a scavenger hunt. I exceeded my step goal by about 1700 steps, and I ended the day with a conversation with another good friend before going to bed.
The following morning it dawned on me that the reason this was such a perfect day is because I experienced wholeness. I enjoyed a balance of spiritual renewal, and psychological and physical wellbeing. Spending the morning in quiet time with God (and remaining in sync with Him the rest of the day) nurtured my spirit. Enjoying matcha tea, self-care activities, task-planning, task-completion, and conversation/companionship with friends satisfied my soul. Walking four miles contributed to my physical health.
Humanity longs for wholeness, being healthy in body, soul, and spirit. When we look in the mirror, the only part of this human trinity we see is our body. We don’t see our spirit or soul, but we sense them. For example, the emotions we feel, the thoughts we think, and the desires we have originate from our soul. Our intuition, the deeper gut feeling we have, originates from our spirit. Wholeness is having manageable stress levels, minimal physical ailments, enjoyable relationships, a secure connection to God, and inner peace. We feel empty and incomplete if we lack any of these.
After breakup or divorce, wholeness is a necessity. During heartbreak, your soul and spirit are crushed, which leaves you feeling empty. Somehow, you want to fill the void, even if it means gravitating toward behaviors you wouldn’t normally be associated with. It’s human nature to self-soothe. However, wholeness is critical after breakup or divorce so that:
your focus will be on making healthy decisions
you’ll feel energized
the source of your pain will be soothed
the internal emptiness will be filled
you’ll no longer depend on your ex (or anyone else) for validation
As you nurture your body, soul, and spirit, you’ll no longer look for a vice to anesthetize pain or for a person to make you feel good enough.
There are several places in the Bible (King James Version) that directly mention wholeness. In the next few blog posts, we’ll explore some of them. In the first of these Biblical encounters, we’ll witness a leper who’s not just being healed, but being made whole by Jesus. Jesus was interested in his total wellbeing (spirit, soul, and body), not just his physical health.
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, we need you to make us whole. May the God of peace make us holy in every way, and may our whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NLT)
Exercise:
What does wholeness mean to you? Do you feel whole? Why or why not? What will you do differently to experience wholeness?