Body, Heart, Mind and Soul

Overview

In this post we explore a way of looking at your life that will help you to gain wholeness. Although based on ancient Judeo-Christian thinking it can also be found in ancient western philosophy.

How are we put together?

There is an approach to life that can help build happiness and success. It finds its roots in many of the major world religions and in ancient western thought and is also grounded in modern approaches to life management.

We are made up from four different aspects. These four combine to make the whole of who we are. Within life we should seek harmony within our self. Harmony is about achieving balance through control. When a choir is in harmony it is not because they all sing what they fancy but because they are controlled by the music (and usually the choir director). Self-discipline has always been an important part of success. Self-discipline is about control.

Now to most of us control might seem like a bit of a dirty word. It reminds us of dictatorships and nasty rules and regulations. If we had to come up with some words we associate with control I expect many of us would say stuff like: boredom, slavery, misery etc.

However think about athletes who reach the top of their game, think about business people who become very successful, think about pretty much anyone who has ever achieved anything, and you will discover that self-discipline and control played a vital part in that success. Far from being limiting and miserable self-control and discipline can lead to great happiness and success.

Now don’t get me wrong here. I don’t have a picture in my mind of a sergeant major barking orders at a brow beaten soldier. I mean self-discipline that is born out of knowing yourself very well and working with your self to achieve what you can. This is self-discipline not other-discipline.

Have you every tried to achieve anything and failed? Was it through lack of self freedom that you failed? Was it because you felt like you could keep going for ever but decided to give up anyway and so you did that you failed? Or was it through lack of self-discipline? Was it because you hit a bad patch and so because of the struggle you gave up?

Self-control and self-discipline are vital parts of success.

Spiritual Development

Spirituality is important for many reasons. Yet why do so many people assume that spirituality always develops for the better?

I have read many articles lately about the spiritual experience of various people. It usually goes something like this: I was brought up as a catholic/evangelical/methodist/baptist etc., I didn’t like it much and when I went to College I became an atheist/agnostic etc., then I met someone really nice who introduced me to some kind of nondescript faith (based on a corruption of something eastern or old) and now I know the truth and I’ve never been happier. There always seems to be some underlying assumptions: that spirituality always gets better (especially if you believe less), that truth is always found in making up your own religious beliefs, and happiness comes from not belonging to anything established.

Now it may just be that the people I have been reading about were just of a particular type of person but I suspect this way of thinking is pretty common.

I am a great defender of people thinking and believing what they want to but I need to challenge the main underlying assumption that things always get better the longer you develop them.

When I was younger I used to walk a lot. I walked just about everywhere. This activity coupled with a lack of money to spend on chocolate and crisps kept me pretty slim and healthy. Then I got some money and a car.

I discovered that travelling in a car was more enjoyable than walking (e.g. not getting wet or sweaty and it was much quicker).

The end result of all this progress was that I got fatter and less fit. Now I try hard to regain some of what I once had. My point here is that just because time has passed and I believed I was happier (I think mistakenly now) did not mean I had attained some higher level of being (or fitness). The truth is I was worse off.

Spirituality (like nearly everything) can be like this. Don’t assume that just because you are older and believe you are happier that somehow this means your former spirituality/faith was somehow weak and difficient.

Of course people discover new things that can make life more meaningful and if you are someone who has gone on a long journey to discover a new kind of faith I applaud your searching. But please be open to the possibility that perhaps – just perhaps  – those who continue to believe and follow a more established traditional kind of religion might just be right.

Perhaps the faith of your fathers and mothers was in fact worth having after all.

Don’t worry about tomorrow

One of those things that Jesus once said and I’ve always found quite a challenge in his advice about time management:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matt 6:34

It’s not that I’m prone to worrying but that it would be easy to believe Jesus was saying that planning ahead was a bad thing to do. I don’t think that this is what Jesus meant us to believe. Why would Jesus expect us not to make plans or have dreams about the future? Surely this is part of being human and something that is impossible to achieve. What business would every survive without a plan for the future? What family would ever manage without a calender and forward planning?

What I think Jesus meant was for us not to WORRY (e.g. get stressed about for no good reason) about tomorrow because if we take care of today tomorrow is already taken care of. If we do what is right today – if we make our plans and get ourselves organised and give ourselves time for what is important today then there will be no need to worry about tomorrow.

However working out what is right to do today is a big topic that can’t be addressed in just a few words – other than Jesus summation of the task of course – “Love God, Love your neighbour as yourself” (my paraphrase).

So if Jesus were leading a time management seminar He would point out the importance of getting the right things done today while planning for tomorrow so tomorrow takes care of itself.

Where is the spiritual?

Many people are looking for spiritual experiences. They seek out the wisdom of ‘holy people’ in an effort to discover where these spiritual experiences are to be found. Having a little soul in life is important and is an important ingredient for those who want a successful life. Perhaps you have had spiritual experiences? What about watching a sunrise/sunset? What about swimming with dolphins? What about climbing a mountain? Or perhaps holding a new born child? I’ve even heard people who describe massge as a spiritual experience.

People travel for many thousands of miles in search of the ultimate spiritual experience.

It may surprise you to know that those experiences that so many people are searching for actually come from within us. You don’t have to travel any distance at all to get a sense of the divine in your life. You can get it right here and right now. The most incredible spiritual experiences come from simply sitting quietly and reaching out for God.

As a Christian I believe that God is accessible to all who search for Him. Just take some time to pray. You don’t need to travel anywhere (not even to the local church) to have the most profound of spiritual experiences.

So stay at home and pray.