Vibrant, flourishing health can be a reality for women, but it must be grown in a rich life soil that allows it to “take root downward, and bear fruit upward.” Many times, when we find ourselves facing health challenges, we attempt to restore our health without first preparing a rich and nourished bed of soil in our life. We plant seedlings in untilled soil and experience increasing discouragement when they wither, having failed to take root.
It is possible to prepare the ground for producing a lovely abundance of health, for providing a rich harvest of life and vitality. There are specific areas we can address to prepare our garden and enrich our soil. We will here discuss three: equilibrium, nourishment, and wholeness.
Equilibrium
Equilibrium is distinct from (though similar to) both balance and equality. While balance and equality tend to be more static, equilibrium is a dynamic, fluid state in which the relationship between two or more elements is effective even as it responds to changes. Two of the most common elements that influence the equilibrium of our health are rest and challenge. In most seasons of life, attempting to create a static state of equality or even a stable balance between these two eludes us; it is not a reasonable expectation. What we can develop, however, is a state of equilibrium in which we accept both rest and challenge as pieces of a larger whole, knowing that they are both necessary and embracing them in their many forms.
These questions will help you to develop your own state of equilibrium:
- When facing a challenge, do I recognize the need to restore equilibrium with rest?
- When a specific form of rest (i.e. sleep) is less available to me during a specific season of life, do I identify other forms of rest (i.e. receiving emotional support, easily-digested foods, quiet music played while completing tasks) to help me meet challenges?
- Have I considered equilibrium in all parts of my system – spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical? (i.e. an appropriate increase in appetite or need for sleep after significant mental challenges such as academic testing or project planning, need for spiritual nourishment such as Scripture after an emotional loss)
Nourishment
True nourishment includes so much more than food alone. On a simply physical level, it encompasses food, hydration, touch, sleep, motion, sunlight, and fresh air. Consistent emotional, mental, and spiritual nourishment are also necessary for flourishing health.
It is also important to remember that nourishment requires three processes: consumption, digestion, and assimilation; these three are interdependent and each is indispensable. If we consume (take in) without digesting (processing) or assimilating (using), nourishment can become a burden in our system rather than a blessing. If we neglect to consume sufficient amounts of nourishment, we will continually fail to thrive.
These questions will help you to develop true nourishment:
- Am I consuming many different forms of nourishment (i.e. sunlight, friendship, physical activity, prayer) in addition to physical food?
- Is any part of my system – physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual – undernourished?
- Have I developed equilibrium between consumption, digestion, and assimilation?
Wholeness
The human system – composed of the body, emotions, mind, and spirit – is beautifully interconnected and designed to function as a harmonious whole. When we ignore any one of these components, or attempt to isolate them from each other, we significantly compromise our potential for flourishing health. For our health to grow vibrant and resilient, each component must be nourished and in equilibrium with the others.
These questions will help you to develop a sense of wholeness:
- Have you considered what your spiritual beliefs are, and is your daily pattern of life consistent with them?
- Are you aware of your patterns of thinking and feeling? Are they consistent with your spiritual beliefs? In what ways do they influence your physical behaviors?
- How would you describe your physical behaviors? In what ways are they influencing your feelings, thoughts, and spiritual life? In what ways are they the results of your spiritual, mental, and emotional behaviors?
Preparing Your Soil
Have the questions above helped you to identify one adjustment that you could make to improve the soil in which your health is planted? Maybe you could eat more slowly to improve your digestion. Could you engage in a new form of rest? Did you recognize a specific behavior or pattern of thinking that was inconsistent with your spiritual beliefs?
Choose one gentle step and take it today. Even the smallest step improves your health and strengthens you to take another step at the appropriate time. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the state of your health today, consider these words from Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem “God’s Grandeur”:
...the soil is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod. And for all this, nature is never spent; There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;...
Please reach out to us if we can support you in any way.
