Life-wide Health

At our Diocesan Convention last month, one of the presenters was Lisa Kimball, Ph.D, the Professor of Christian Formation and Congregational Leadership and Director of the Center for the Ministry of Teaching at Virginia Theological Seminary.  She offered a session on looking life-wide Christian Formation as well as lifelong.
I am intrigued by the term life-wide as it acknowledges our need to be formed as Christians not just at certain significant moments in our life (baptism, confirmation, marriage, etc.), but also in our daily labors at school or work, with friends and family, in health or sickness.  We need to be formed as Christians to approach all life has to offer, the blessings and the challenges, the joys and the sorrows. 
The season of Lent offers us the perfect time to consider our life-wide relationship with God.  How do we seek and serve God throughout our day, wherever that takes us?  Do we choose to approach our work as part of our life in Christ, or do we “save” that for Sunday?  How could we live life differently if we put God first in all we do?  One way to think about this is that when we wake up in the morning, do we say, “O God, it’s morning,” or “It’s morning, O God!”  Subtle, but significant in how our day gets started.  And I will freely admit that I too often say the first, and then catch myself to change my perspective, and it does change the way I experience the day.
One area of our life-wide experience is our health – physical, mental, spiritual and emotional.  I would go as far as to say that each and every day is effected by some part of this holistic approach to health.  Too often we only focus on our physical well-being, which is very important and an intrinsic way we as mortal beings experience life.  But we cannot neglect the other areas of our health, especially since if something is “ill” in those other areas, it can affect us physically.  Too often we jump to treat the physical ailment and miss the spiritual, mental or relational healing that is needed.
Again, the season of Lent offers us the time to consider our life-wide health and seek to “heal the sin-sick soul” as the song goes.  Sin means whatever is keeping us away from God’s close presence in our lives, such as anger, fear or neglect.  It does not mean we are terrible people, just people in need of redemption, which is freely offered if we repent.
This Sunday during our worship services you will have the opportunity to receive laying on of hands and healing prayers.  I encourage you to consider what healing you need (and we all need it!) in order to prepare with joy for Easter.  It is a courageous activity to be honest with yourself and God of where you need health and salvation and may take some time to discern what you need.  However, it is a transforming experience to feel God’s healing presence in those places, opening us up to the power of the Holy Spirit.
I pray that this experience will nurture your life-wide Christian Formation and instill in you a deeper knowledge of how God works in your life every day.  It will strengthen your lifelong commitment to being a follow of Jesus Christ.
Happy Lent,

Rev. Valerie+

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