Spiritual health: Are You Getting The Whole Picture?

By Chaplain Donna Kafer “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” ~ Psalm 139:13-14 When it comes to caring for our physical, mental and emotional well-being, we’re usually pretty good about it. Concerning our spiritual health, though, we’re often found lacking. In our excitement over new-found opportunities for wellness, we’ll read with interest TriVita’s 10 Essentials, but as we consider the spiritual aspect, we may simply skim over it. What we don’t realize is when we discount the spiritual component of our health, we’re missing out on the complete picture of wellness, doing ourselves a great disservice. It’s a bit like strength training half of our body. Can you imagine how we’d look after several months of building up one side while neglecting the other? I’m sure we would be very displeased by the outcome and begin wondering how long it would take to get the other side up to par. Get the picture? To not take into account all of our well-being is a skewed view of who we are as people. Each area is vital to the wholeness and health we all want to have and experience. When we talk about conservation of the planet, don’t we talk about all areas of the world? The air, the land, the vegetation, animals, water and of course people. We wouldn’t think of not including all of our precious resources of Earth, so why would we do so with our complex lives? Is there a definition of spiritual wellness? I believe the definition is comprehending the power, influence and connectivity with the God of the universe. To recognize the Creator who so intricately designed and formed us. A God who cares infinitely more for us than we may ever truly realize. A personal Creator who loves us, who knows us not only by name, but by each of our thoughts, fears and dreams. He and He alone can develop our spiritual strength and well-being, building us up in our faith in Him. To recognize His godly grace and presence is a gift, one that will sustain us through many trials and difficulties in life. Remember, TriVita has 10 Essentials, not nine, so embrace all of them for optimal wellness. By doing so you’ll be able to experience all that God has purposed and planned for your life.