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Spiritual wellbeing

Recently, I read a story of a couple trying to instill a desire to walk with GOD in their two teenage boys. Their constant prayer had been for the boys to be fervent followers of God. However, listening to people on how to go about it even made them more confused because everyone offered different advice and viewpoints on varying issues. Example of an area they got even more confused was music. At first they were told it was great for children to have a positive alternative to world’s music as it allowed them to worship God in their own language.

With so much relief and joy, they got their sons a gospel rock‘n’roll band CD. Only to be told a few weeks later by another religious speaker that indulging in such alternative will make the boys develop a taste for the world which will make them cave-in to pressure in no distant future.

Now, you can imagine how confusing, frustrating and upsetting this seemingly simple issue can be for parents who deliberately want the best for their children. This is where most of us are when it comes to spirituality or spiritual wellbeing. We seek human approvals, standard or viewpoints on spiritual issues which is obviously a mismatch that leads to confusion. Your spiritual wellbeing is determined by your ability to establish a common relationship between your values and actions.

So, even though walking with God is the ultimate goal, the foundation or bedrock is love. Love for yourself, love for your neighbour and ultimately, love for God. Connecting your actions to your values are as simple as returning excess change given in error or reporting not being charged for an item or service received even when no one is looking. Can you imagine how difficult it will be to walk with God; whom you don’t see because you can’t even work peacefully and lovingly with your neighbour, colleague, or staff whom you see daily. When we allow people dictate what is wrong or right for us most times including our spiritual lives, we lose our peace. This sometimes can even make us become spiritually unwell which brings us to the second point. Secondly, your spiritual wellbeing is determined by your ability to maintain peace and harmony in your life.

Where do you go to calm? A religious body, a small group of people or your little corner to read, pray, wait and listen patiently and quietly? Do you take time to reflect on things, nature, universe and all its cosmic elements? Religious groups are good especially for the purpose of association. However, when these people are not on the same spiritual wavelength, peace is disrupted due to the imbalance and God is not an author of confusion. That is why you need to identify your source and create space and time to draw strength daily.

This is commonly known as practicing mindfulness. Thirdly, your spiritual wellbeing is determined by your ability to draw comfort and support from your faith in times of crisis, problem or grief. When things happen that hurts beyond words, when life issues spin out of control or y o u are overwhelmed with grief.

Where, who or what do you turn to? What reassures you of the light at the end of the tunnel? Where does your hope come from? Faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen. As long as wellness means balancing the mind, soul and body, spiritual wellness will always be a part of our wellness journey and one of the dimensions that must be balanced. Food for thought We dare say spiritual wellbeing has so little to do with religion but everything to do with values. Interestingly, the people that have fantastically exhibited that common relationship between values and actions were neither Christians nor Muslims. Gandhi once said, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ.”

Contact: specialists@oplacewellness.com.

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