In order to have peace within and with our friends, family and coworkers, it is essential to be concerned about our overall wellness. Wellness has to do with “quality of life” and “a sense of well being” which can be achieved by working on the six dimensions of wellness: spiritual, intellectual, emotional, environmental, social and physical. Of course, this overall wellness doesn’t happen overnight. It is a lifelong process. Each dimension has to be examined from a personal perspective to see if any changes need to be made in one or more of the areas.

Each dimension of wellness will be discussed in the Peaceful Living series, beginning with the spiritual dimension:

The December 2001 report from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports gave a politically correct definition of spiritual wellness as “The belief in some force that serves to unite human beings; which can include: nature, science, religion, a higher power, morals, values and ethics. It provides meaning and direction in life and enables each person to grow, learn and meet new challenges.” This definition is indicative of why there is so much turmoil within individuals. An extremely high percentage of the population in this country are putting all of their faith and trust in money, prestige, jobs, other people and anything else that comes along. When all of our hopes, dreams and expectations are wrapped up in those areas, chaos will result. Things and people cannot possible give us fulfillment. The only true peace within must come from God. Colossians 3:15 tells us, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace, and be thankful.”

How can we develop our spiritual dimension of wellness and exude that peace within? It takes surrender, work, commitment and dedication. First and foremost, we must surrender our lives to the Lord. Prayer is absolutely essential. Ask the Lord to help you develop spiritually and be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, which means we have to be quiet at times and just listen to what He has to say. We need to set a time and a place to be alone with God. Reading His word is how we find out what God wants us to do, just like an athlete that has a playbook of what the coach wants he/she to learn. The Bible is our playbook. Fellowship with other believers is crucial: chapel, church, bible studies or just social events. Sit down and look at your schedule. Determine when would be a good time to have fellowship with the Lord. Does it mean you have to get up thirty minutes earlier? Would you have to go somewhere else to have that quiet time? It is also a good thing to have an accountability partner. Try to find someone you may confide in about the amount of time you are spending in prayer and reading the word. Maybe you could even pray together and study the word together. We all have time constraints; that is why it is necessary to write this time in your schedule and try to be consistent with it. It takes twenty eight days to establish a habit, so hang in there until it becomes part of your life.

“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (2 Peter 1:2)”