I tend to write more often on subjects of exercise, in part because I am an exercise physiologist and that is what I teach. As such, I see myself drift easily away from my focus on the other dimension of my “well-centered fitness”. So, from time to time, I need to reflect and remind myself of these and recharge or re-center myself.
Spiritual Well-centeredness.
I define the Spiritual dimension as the reality that there is something greater than self. This means that I am not the center of the universe. The Spiritual dimension is other-centeredness.
The Spiritual dimension is not religion, although one’s religion can be a factor in their Spiritual well-centeredness. One’s organizational worship can work toward or against one’s well-centeredness. I, personally, believe this is why Jesus said:
21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:21-23, NIV).
Personally, I believe in God and call myself a “Christ-follower” (albeit mostly unsuccessful follower) and this factors into how I live my faith Spiritually. I struggle with an emphasis in Christianity on “personal salvation”. Such self-centered faith can cause one to lose sight of what is the central message of Jesus’ teaching: love and sacrifice.
My faith is in John 3:16, but, more importantly, I cannot ignore the verse that follows: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17, NIV). My God (the God who is love) is bigger than the religions that claim him or my own comprehension of him. I believe this is an important understanding toward becoming Spiritually well-centered.
Spiritual well-centeredness is other-centered. It pursues the philosophy of “I am third” (i.e., my God is first, my family and friends are second, and I am third). It is “love your neighbor”. It is a “third way”. It yielding self for the benefit of others. It is not: “I am a (insert religious affiliation)”. It is not an absolute, rather it is a pursuit of an impossible destination. (I consider all of the dimensions of well-centered fitness to be asymptotes toward which we can progress ever closer to “centered”.)
I am learning to embrace a practice of “allowing space for the soul to speak”. This practice of the Quakers that I learned from reading books by Parker J. Palmer books. I am far (very far) from perfect in my practice, but that is what the well-centered approach is all about—pursuing kaizen or constant improvement.
Allowing space for the soul to speak applies to self, as well as others. Often listening to one’s own soul or heart is most difficult. It requires time and commitment to reflection and quiet meditation. It requires listening to one’s inner voice and the communications of the soul that might come from without. It requires a prayer that is not self-centered.
Allowing space for another’s soul to speak requires stepping back and yielding the desires of self to listen and to encourage the other to listen. This is a parenting skill that I lack, but am trying to develop. It is an opportunity in interacting with others, that is often missed.
I consider the Spiritual dimension to be a foundational dimension. I treat well-centered fitness (wellness) as an ever-expanding pyramid rather than as a divided pie, as wellness is most frequently taught. This dimension, along with the Physical dimension, provide the base upon which we build our Intellectual dimension. The Social dimension provides the peak of the pyramid, and I consider the Emotional dimension to be a sort of keystone as it both depends upon and supports the other dimensions.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!