This post on "transformation" will take a slightly different approach from the posts earlier this year. This will be a new way of viewing personal transformation.
You and I need to be aware of how healthy we are as persons in four different areas. Each area is as important as the others, and complete health involves being healthy in each.
The areas are
1. Spiritual Health
2. Physical Health
3. Mental Health
4. Emotional Health
There are some questions, which I consider to be important questions, to ask yourself in each of these areas.
1. Spiritual Health
1.1 Who do I love?
1.2 Who do I serve?
1.3 Who do I worship?
2. Physical Health
2.1 What do I eat, drink, and breathe in?
2.2 How physically active am I and what kind of activity?
2.3 What do I weigh and measure?
3. Mental Health
3.1 What are my priorities? How do I spend my time?
3.2 What do I think about?
3.3 What do I talk about?
4. Emotional Health
4.1 What do I care about?
4.2 How do I express my feelings?
4.3 How stressed do I feel?
I have done a little reading in these areas and more would be useful. But for now, I think if you can answer these questions honestly as far as you are able, you should be able to see any areas where you need to improve.
Generally one finds that people are strong in one area and weak in another. An example is the high flying business man who allows himself to become obese through overindulgence and inactivity. Another example is the majority of Australians who overlook and neglect the spiritual side. For each individual, each area is just as important as the other. Why? Because these areas are inter-related and integrated and all part of a person's make-up. Ignore one area and in due course another will suffer.
Transformation to wholeness and health starts with a look at these foundational personal factors. And it's not even a matter of "balance", for a functionally whole person it is a matter of "completeness", all the areas are important.
This should be a big challenge for any who take it seriously. But we runners like big challenges, don't we?
So far this year when I have addressed transformation it has related to the personal. I expect to continue to develop this. After that, plans include moving on to the subjects of relational transformation, and of community transformation. All during this year, the year of transformation.
It's a big challenge for me too, to try and grapple with the issues. There are no trite answers?
You and I need to be aware of how healthy we are as persons in four different areas. Each area is as important as the others, and complete health involves being healthy in each.
The areas are
1. Spiritual Health
2. Physical Health
3. Mental Health
4. Emotional Health
There are some questions, which I consider to be important questions, to ask yourself in each of these areas.
1. Spiritual Health
1.1 Who do I love?
1.2 Who do I serve?
1.3 Who do I worship?
2. Physical Health
2.1 What do I eat, drink, and breathe in?
2.2 How physically active am I and what kind of activity?
2.3 What do I weigh and measure?
3. Mental Health
3.1 What are my priorities? How do I spend my time?
3.2 What do I think about?
3.3 What do I talk about?
4. Emotional Health
4.1 What do I care about?
4.2 How do I express my feelings?
4.3 How stressed do I feel?
I have done a little reading in these areas and more would be useful. But for now, I think if you can answer these questions honestly as far as you are able, you should be able to see any areas where you need to improve.
Generally one finds that people are strong in one area and weak in another. An example is the high flying business man who allows himself to become obese through overindulgence and inactivity. Another example is the majority of Australians who overlook and neglect the spiritual side. For each individual, each area is just as important as the other. Why? Because these areas are inter-related and integrated and all part of a person's make-up. Ignore one area and in due course another will suffer.
Transformation to wholeness and health starts with a look at these foundational personal factors. And it's not even a matter of "balance", for a functionally whole person it is a matter of "completeness", all the areas are important.
This should be a big challenge for any who take it seriously. But we runners like big challenges, don't we?
So far this year when I have addressed transformation it has related to the personal. I expect to continue to develop this. After that, plans include moving on to the subjects of relational transformation, and of community transformation. All during this year, the year of transformation.
It's a big challenge for me too, to try and grapple with the issues. There are no trite answers?
