SPIRITUAL WELLNESS
By: Marty Ballesteros
Creekside Chaplain
A man started a new job in what proved to be a toxic culture. He was in over his head and there seemed to be no way out. As the stress mounted, his body began to suffer. At a doctor's visit, he received a life changing diabetic diagnosis. He was an emotional wreck.
Family and friends sensed the turmoil. The solution was finding new employment - but the job market was down and the reality of a late in life job makeover seemed impossible. Tipping point had been reached. Something had to give!
So when he was terminated from employment it was actually a release to do, to do, what......? To begin the process of healing, resting, of soul searching, and being reinvented.
Over the next 18 months, he improved his A1C blood sugar level, normalized his home life, and adjusted to a new economy with confidence that the right job was just around the corner.
When medical tragedy struck his brother, that man was ready for it. He was well rested, had a full mental, emotional, and spiritual 'tank', and the home environment was perfect for being hospitable to someone in crisis.
Such is the nature of spiritual wellness. What carried ME during that time of testing was the calm assurance that while the storms of life were howling all around, my faith, my family, and the spiritual care community helped assist me to stand strong in the face of adversity.
The seven dimensions of wellness are physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, environmental, and occupational. Rather than one of seven "spokes" I believe SPIRITUAL WELLNESS is the hub of our life. Like a bicycle tire, each spoke is held in tension against the hub. They are structural extensions emanating from our core.
So it's of paramount importance to have a strong "core" (borrowed from the exercise community). I pray that you are exercising your spirit today, feeding it, and using that strength to serve those around you.
