To be healthy, regular exercises and nutritionally balanced meals are essential. Doing regular exercises does not mean hard workouts, but doing 30 minute exercise for three times a week. Also eating nutritionally does not mean a hard regimen, but eating moderate amount of meat and vegetables—unless you are a vegetarian. Knowing about the benefits of exercise and eating well, however, does not mean that we actually follow our plans in our busy life. We often skip meals for many different reasons. We do not even think of doing a short exercise when we are tired at the end of the day.
Think, then, how much easier it is for us to forget about caring for your spiritual health.
"Say what?" you say.
Yea, you heard me right—“spiritual health!”
Most of us accept that each person is not only a biological being, but also a spiritual being. (By “spiritual” we mean that there are things that are more than physical and emotional. We use the word to refer to being aware consciously and/or subconsciously. (Because of the limitation of space, in this discussion we will assume that you know what I am referring to when I use “spirit” or “spiritual”.) Being spiritual is to be more than listing everything we know.)
Like anything else, spiritual health does not come because we know many things, nor because we are compassionate and kind. We do not become mature spiritual being simply because we are who we are. Incidentally, attending worship services may help, but do not necessarily help our spirits to maintain good health. To be spiritually healthy, we have to train and feed our spirits with appropriate exercises and nutrients.
What are appropriate exercises and nutrients?
The most basic exercise is to take yourself away from everything and examining who you are. For Christians, this means that by taking ourselves away from everything that we have been accustomed to and see ourselves for the first time as who we are. This exercise leads us to discover who we are. Of course this journey leads Christians to what all other Christians learned—that we are created in God’s image with limitations and imperfections, yet beautifully reflecting through all of our beings who God is.
The most basic nutrient we require is love. It is the love that frees us to love ourselves as God in Christ loved us. That is, you need to accept yourself and come to love you with all your limitations, faults and imperfections. Only then, you will come to share love beyond yourself. This love of Christ as the most basic nutrient assists you in loving yourself as God intended.
Tomorrow, let us discuss more on the exercise that will enhance your spiritual health.
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