I was going to write about something else this week, but was caught by this passage I heard in church this morning, and was so enthralled by it, I thought this would be the proper season to share it with everyone. If you're reading this blog, I'm willing to bet it will also resonate with you, whether you are a Christian or not.
This phrase actually sums up everything that most of us are ever looking for. It is the reason we do everything from rising in the morning, to going to work, to building relationships, caring for our families, shopping, eating, taking vacations, giving to others, and all the myriad other things we do to feel fulfilled. Yet so very many of these things fall short in giving us the one thing we really want....
This phrase actually sums up everything that most of us are ever looking for. It is the reason we do everything from rising in the morning, to going to work, to building relationships, caring for our families, shopping, eating, taking vacations, giving to others, and all the myriad other things we do to feel fulfilled. Yet so very many of these things fall short in giving us the one thing we really want....
In John 10:10 (the "good shepherd" passage), Jesus says during one of his teachings about his followers, "My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." (Various translations word this differently, but the message is the same, and this one was my favorite. Another good version is "I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance.")
A rich and satisfying life is the essence of fulfillment, and isn't it what we all want to think when we look back at the end of our lives - "I had a rich and satisfying life"?
Although the context in which I heard this passage this morning was slightly different, it was tied into the message that there is more to life than just the physical. Obviously my passion is health, and much of what defines health is physical - but not all. That's why this blog and website are called "holistic living," and not just "healthy living."
Finding a balance to make your entire life rich and satisfying is more than just eating healthy (although that is certainly a part of it), or enjoying physical activity (also important), or taking good care of your body. It's also more than just building happy and loving relationships, or having a successful career, or managing your money properly so that you have peace and abundance in that area of your life.
Having a rich and satisfying life involves both the physical and the spiritual. It means finding a connection to something greater that is outside of yourself. It also means connecting with others - giving, serving, listening, sharing.
Most of all, to me, it means seeing/recognizing/finding the connections between everything that bind us all together - with each other, with the world around us, and with the Creator of that world and ourselves. It is the core mystery that flows through everything, and is inside us all.
It is only when we ignore/deny/try to sever these connections that things fall apart, and this is what we are seeing all too often in our world today - in the crime in our cities, ill-health and disease in our entire population, despair of our youth, and even political strife plaguing our nation.
This Christmas, I encourage you to seek out and look for and notice these connections - they are everywhere, all around you, all the time - and honor and marvel at them. I think you will find they add a dimension of mystery and meaning to your life that you may have been missing, and without which you never quite felt whole....
As we experience this season of togetherness with our loved ones, and as we start off a brand new year, may you be blessed with the love and grace of God, may you find the truth and peace within you, and may you live a life that is rich and satisfying.
I will be spending time with my own loved ones this holiday, so there will not be a blog post next week. (But if you are a newsletter subscriber, stay tuned for a special "Holiday Issue" next week, with some surprising and eye-opening facts about "health" foods you won't want to miss!)
Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!
Rose.
A rich and satisfying life is the essence of fulfillment, and isn't it what we all want to think when we look back at the end of our lives - "I had a rich and satisfying life"?
Although the context in which I heard this passage this morning was slightly different, it was tied into the message that there is more to life than just the physical. Obviously my passion is health, and much of what defines health is physical - but not all. That's why this blog and website are called "holistic living," and not just "healthy living."
Finding a balance to make your entire life rich and satisfying is more than just eating healthy (although that is certainly a part of it), or enjoying physical activity (also important), or taking good care of your body. It's also more than just building happy and loving relationships, or having a successful career, or managing your money properly so that you have peace and abundance in that area of your life.
Having a rich and satisfying life involves both the physical and the spiritual. It means finding a connection to something greater that is outside of yourself. It also means connecting with others - giving, serving, listening, sharing.
Most of all, to me, it means seeing/recognizing/finding the connections between everything that bind us all together - with each other, with the world around us, and with the Creator of that world and ourselves. It is the core mystery that flows through everything, and is inside us all.
It is only when we ignore/deny/try to sever these connections that things fall apart, and this is what we are seeing all too often in our world today - in the crime in our cities, ill-health and disease in our entire population, despair of our youth, and even political strife plaguing our nation.
This Christmas, I encourage you to seek out and look for and notice these connections - they are everywhere, all around you, all the time - and honor and marvel at them. I think you will find they add a dimension of mystery and meaning to your life that you may have been missing, and without which you never quite felt whole....
As we experience this season of togetherness with our loved ones, and as we start off a brand new year, may you be blessed with the love and grace of God, may you find the truth and peace within you, and may you live a life that is rich and satisfying.
I will be spending time with my own loved ones this holiday, so there will not be a blog post next week. (But if you are a newsletter subscriber, stay tuned for a special "Holiday Issue" next week, with some surprising and eye-opening facts about "health" foods you won't want to miss!)
Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!
Rose.
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