A Good Word Wednesday #34

Whole or hole? 😊🍩🌺

Good Word of the Day: Whole

I remember back in my college days at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas (yes, that’s a mouthful!), there was a women’s choir that divided their musical presentations into sacred and secular music. I’m not sure why they did that, but I only wanted to hear the sacred music and left the auditorium when the secular portion of the concert began. I’m sure that made me feel very holy at the time.

The truth is, that was a needless and naïve action. I’ve learned as I’ve matured, that our lives are deigned to be whole. When we don’t realize that our bodies are a balance of body, mind and spirit, we live with a hole in our lives.

Whole is an adjective that means: Containing all components; complete; Not divided or disjoined; in one unit; Constituting the full amount, extent, or duration.

I was reminded of this truth recently when I heard a podcast, where a writer was the guest. He described how his writing life is influenced by how much exercise he got, how much water he drank as well as how much time he spent with God each day. I heard the same truth again on a television show about how to be strong mentally also meant taking care of ourselves physically. And again, I read the same truth in a morning devotional book, Prayer: Forty Days of Practice (listed in the Recommend section below). The writers said:

“In the past I might have suggested that therapy, exercise, and medicine were unspiritual things, as opposed to prayer, fasting and meditation. Nowadays, I wonder if it is unspiritual to consider one aspect of my life spiritual, leaving all other aspects of myself partitioned off. I wonder if thinking spiritually means seeing my whole life (emotional, psychological, physiological, religious, economic, social, familial) a singular—as if my Creator is concerned with every inch and every aspect of my whole self.” McRoberts and Erickson

You will recognize the scripture in the Wednesday in the Word section below that reminds us of how our bodies were created to be whole, working together to glorify God in our bodies.

How do you balance your physical, spiritual and mental life? Does one area of your life seem to demand more of your attention than the others? I’d love to know your thoughts.

When I worked for She Is Safe, one of the logos had the words Body-Mind-Spirit underneath the lady with the lamp.

The logo has been updated several times since this version, but it reminds me of one of the strengths of this organization — women and girls need to be strong in every area of life to be completely healthy. I thought of this truth when I wrote the following blog about the 5K race, Run to the Dark, the local advocacy team sponsored for several years in Duncan. Here is a section of that blog, The Race of a Lifetime:

I snapped their photo as the racers began their 5k journey at our community hospital.

Appropriate that they would start at our beautiful, modern medical complex. The runners were supporting the work of She Is Safe that cares about holistic ways of  preventing, rescuing and restoring women and girls from abuse, poverty and exploitation. We know the importance of a healthy balance of  body, mind and spirit of each women and girl we strive to help. The hospital obviously represented physical health. I thought of the women I had met during my last visit to an island in Central Indonesia. I remembered sitting at a table with mothers and their children in their laps — all of them HIV+. I listened to them tell what they were thankful for and requests for prayers that their children would be safe from physical abuse and to be safe from human traffickers. A few days after that, I was in a village in Sumatra  sitting on the floor in the humble home of a young mother. I smiled as they told me about the health benefits of bananas. She said, “You eat the banana for healthy and then,” she said touching her beautiful brown face, “You rub the peel on your face for soft skin.” I’m quite sure the dermatologist in our area had not prescribed that ointment lately.

As the runners continued on the course, half way through the race,  they circled the city Middle School. There the runners were offered cups of clean, cold water and words of encouragement from volunteers. The school, obviously representing education… Read the entire blog here:

Note: This story will be published in my upcoming book, Unseen People: Sharing Life and Light with you Neighborhood and the Nations. Read a few more blogs about the value of being whole in the Good Unseen People section below.

Wednesday in the Word

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Cor. 16:19-20

Good Unseen People

These stories will be included in my upcoming book:

“Life is precious. We take it for granted. From abortion, to abuse, to being neglected, to indifference, we forget that we ALL are precious and God gives us all life. A life we should treasure….

“I may be dense sometime, but I hear God telling me, reminding me, that He is here with me and He wants me, all of me…

You can keep up with the progress of my upcoming book here: Unseen People book progress

Good Words I Recommend

A Good Book (mentioned above): Prayer: Forty Days of Practice, Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson. A simple yet profound guide to facilitate the instinctively human desire to pray.

Another Good Book: Forgotten Girls: Stories of Hope and Courage, Kay Strom and Michele Rickett. Stories of deep pain and suffering, inspiring courage, and incredible hope. They are the stories of girls who have discovered their value in God's eyes, in the midst of cultures that have rejected them. They are stories of rescue and redemption by God working through compassionate people―people like you.

A Good Product: Beats Flex Wireless Earbuds. These aren’t good words but you can listen to good music, podcasts and audio books with this product. I use mine while I work and listen to my playlists on Spotify. I got mine in blue. Love it so far!

Some of the words I recommend have associate links. All that mean is, if you click on them and purchase, I receive some support to continue this good work every Wednesday. Thanks in advance!

NOTES:

There is absolutely no expectation or pressure from me about purchasing products or upgrading from a free to a paid subscription. I am just giving you options should you want them. Let me know if you have questions.

Any money earned from this site, I will donate 10% to each of these nonprofits: She Is Safe and The Red Cord. Find out more about them:

A Final Word

Sometimes I get a hole in my life. I find that happens most often when my life is out of balance. It’s easy for us to do. We spend more time on the things that interest us so much that we overlook other aspects of life. For me,

• I’d rather relax, read and drink coffee than walk, drink water and prepare healthy food.

• I do enjoy my quiet times with God in the early morning hours, but sometimes I need time to also spend time with my family.

• I love worshipping in my church but I also need to serve people in my community.

It’s all important. Every aspect of our lives matter to God. He sees us. Knows us. And wants our whole lives to reflect Him. He wants us to be whole, complete, holy. Not living with huge holes, segmented and out of balance.

How do you keep your life in balance? When do you feel most complete and whole? Would you say you are living a holy life?

As always, until next week, Share A Good Word with someone today.

Gratefully yours,