Faith and Spirituality
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The first part of holistic health is spirituality. It refers to your purpose or motivation in life. Some individuals find it in a belief or faith system; others find their meaning through other mediums. Either way, spirituality is the reason you live your life the way you do.
My life purpose is my Christian faith. Let me unpack that statement. I believe that a higher being, God, created the world and everything in it. There are good and evil forces fighting against each other in the world, and I am subjected to both. Inherently, I am wicked and deserve death. The higher being sent a savior, Jesus, to combat the evil forces in the world, and he ultimately defeated them. God conquered death for me. Because of him, I am no longer subject to evil, and I don’t have to die.
Because Jesus redeemed me, I want to rescue the rest of the world too. I want to show the same grace, love, and compassion to those around me, as He has revealed to me. I believe my purpose is to have a relationship with God, to be authentic to myself, and to spread God’s love to the world, aka further God’s kingdom. To fulfill my purpose, God has given me gifts. During my life, I can explore these gifts and figure out how to best use them to further God’s kingdom.
The five spiritual gifts of Christianity are teacher, prophet, apostle, evangelist, and preacher. Apostles are visionary and pioneering; they want to start something new. An evangelist strives to share what they love with other people. Pastors frequently comfort and love those around them. A prophet listens to God and foretells his will. Teachers explain and apply truth in the most organized and straightforward way possible. I am a teacher and a prophet.
Those gifts don’t confine me to one purpose. My spirituality can take many different forms and change over time as my life transforms. It has the advantage of not being set in stone. My purpose gives me the ability always to be improving, allows me to find what fits me best, and can change as my life changes. For example, when I got married, I used my gifts to strengthen…
