In this journey through chronic pain, I have become even more aware of the interconnectedness of body, mind and spirit. What happens in the body does effect the mind and the spirit -- and vice-versa. What we think about and dwell on effects us spiritually, emotionally and physically. What happens in our physical body impacts our spirit and our minds. How do we interpret the events we are experiencing? What meaning will we assign to them?
Then we have the emotions. They are easily swayed by our thoughts and actions, in fact, they are a product of what we think about and how we behave. Behaviour + Thoughts = Feelings. We often think change will come when we
feel better/differently. The problem with that theory is the feelings come last! So we have to change what we tell ourselves and how we act, in order to change how we feel.
This is why it is so important to remember that our parts are interconnected. We end up in all forms of trouble when we think that what we do in one realm does not effect the others. This is also why we need balance and moderation in our whole being.
Practical example time -- care of the body requires that we fuel our body appropriately so it can operate and take care of it with moderate levels of activity/exercise, rest, medical care as needed and personal hygiene. This is not to be our priority each day, it is one part of being a balanced whole! Our present culture has become overly focused on the pursuit of physical beauty and extreme fitness. The word 'body' is mentioned 255 times in the Bible and little of that has to do with its care. It's pretty basic - 'feed and care for it' Ephesians 5:29 and know that it is the perishable part of our being - 'While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life,' II Corinthians 5:4. Our external appearance is not supposed to be our focus. "The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" I Samuel 16:7b.
This does not mean we are to neglect the proper care of our body. Too many people have decided to fuel the body's desires and this is not balanced either -- it crosses over into the practice of hedonism, which is the pursuit of personal pleasure as the final aim. This leads to a serving of the body and doing 'whatever feels good.' We are not supposed to indulge in excess or gluttony. Our bodies are to be offered up to God as 'instruments of righteousness' (Romans 6:13) -- they are the living residence of the Holy Spirit and we are called to honour God with our body (I Corinthians 6:19-20).
The interconnectedness of 'the triple threat' is seen further in Proverbs 18:14, 'The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?" Thus the need to care for the spirit. If we spend time caring for our body during the day, don't we also need to care for the spirit each day? Quiet time for reflection, prayer, Bible reading, praise, gratitude, meditation, worship music and journaling are just a few ways to care for the spirit. And how do we care for our mind? Pay attention to what we are thinking about -- knowing that it does matter what we entertain in our thoughts and fill our minds with. Our minds are to be set 'on what the Spirit desires...the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace" (Romans 8:5b-6). "Working out" each day and then neglecting the rest of our being is neglect and leads to disaster. The source of what defiles/spoils us is our heart (Mark 7:15) and we are told to guard our hearts for they are they wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23). This takes intention and mindfulness -- potentially changing our daily priorities.
The challenge then becomes to remember that we are body, mind, and soul/spirit -- each part flowing into the other. Being mindful to nurture each part so the interconnectedness fuels wholeness and health. Balance. Moderation. Wholeness.
