Holistic Spirituality, May 11, 2016 Daily Reflection

FaithThis was a portion of a reflection I wrote about holistic spirituality for my Master’s course in Christian Spirituality:

Holistic Spirituality encompasses every moment of our lives, every aspect of our existence, every thought, every word, and every action, religious or not. God created us body and soul united not divisible in this life. He granted us life, a human life with his own breath and within this life is our soul seamlessly knitted together. Many people have this idea of a division between body and soul as if our flesh is pitted somehow against our spirit. If we understand the idea of holistic spirituality we will come to know the unity of body and soul.

My relationship to God has always been like the seamless garment. God gave me a united body and soul and I have fully recognized God through this unity. As a child I would dance because of the joy in my soul. I would sing songs to God to talk to him and know him better. Everywhere I have ever been and everywhere I will ever go God will be with me, “though I may be in the shadow of death he will not leave me there to face my perils alone” (Thomas Merton).

There have been a few times when I tried to separate myself from the love of God but it was in vain. I went through a time of doubt that in the end was just anger and resentment towards God for the free will of nature and death of a loved one’s father. I struggled through that time and constantly fought my desire to be close to God, I had to deny him and it literally hurt me. I could not go on without God.

The way I introduce God to others is through who I am wholly as a person. I cannot be the “Theology Teacher” and not be Lori. I tried it once. I tried to divide who I am with who I thought I should be and I failed miserably. I am not able to separate myself from my soul or my life from my God. I live a holistic spirituality. Nor do I want to ever separate myself from God.

Copyright 2016 Lori Hadorn-Disselkamp

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