Resolved: I will be more holy, and balanced

Do, or do not--there is no try.  --Yoda, (The Empire Strikes Back)

Now is the time of resolving to do better this year than last.  We promise ourselves that we will be better versions of ourselves, that we will avoid temptations, or that we will work harder to achieve our goals.

I am no different.  I have resolved to improve in every area of my life:

• Physically
• Mentally
• Emotionally
• Spiritually
• Financially
• Socially
• Professionally

This seven-fold approach is rather ambitious, I know.  It is much easier to say, "I will lose ten pounds", or "I will save more money".  Those are great objectives, and they may fit in with physical improvements or financial improvements you want to make this year.

The reason I have chosen to use this "whole person" approach is to allow God to show me what I need in every area of my life.  In my quest for balance, I have looked at different pie charts, trying to find the fitting representation of my goals.

It's easy enough to make a pie chart with seven different areas, one for each of the life areas listed above.  The problem is that when one area is deficient or needs work, the pie chart gives it a smaller percentage of the whole, still keeping the whole intact.  The areas I need to work on become mere slivers, and may disappear entirely.  The pie remains whole, rounded out, with no pieces missing.  If I eat a piece of apple pie, then it is no longer round; there is a wedge (or a half) missing.  The circle shape dissolves into a shape more closely akin to a flat tire.

What I would like to create is a "tire chart".  If I need work in the area of spirituality, for instance--if I do not pray or read the Bible consistently or faithfully every day, I want that part of the circle to show a concave indention, kind of like a flat tire.  Conversely, if I spend too much time obsessing over my job or my savings account, I want there to be a bulge in the circle, representing an overabundance of effort or thought placed in that area.  Can you see it in your mind's eye?  To keep rolling down the road efficiently, you have to pare down the bulges and fill in the flat spots.

There is a scripture that alludes to the Whole Man concept, and it is one that I hope to memorize and meditate upon in the coming months.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [that is, separate you from profane and vulgar things, make you pure and whole and undamaged--consecrated to Him--set apart for His purpose]; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful and absolutely trustworthy is He who is calling you [to Himself for your salvation], and He will do it [He will fulfill His call by making you holy, guarding you, watching over you, and protecting you as His own].  --1 Thessalonians 5:23-25 AMP

See, I want to be set apart for His purpose, no matter my impurity or my brokenness or my half-assed attempts at self improvement.  (Yes, I realize the irony of using a profane or vulgar term to describe my desire to be holy and set apart.  Alas, I am still a work in progress.)

Paul references the three-fold nature of mankind.  We are body, soul, and spirit.  As we are created in the image of God, we reflect Jesus (who came in bodily form), God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.  With this in mind, we can strive to become more like our Creator by honing the creation.

Improvements in the body are made by focusing on exercise, nutrition, and hygiene.  This year I want to be less of a couch-potato, and become more active.  I want to eat better.  I want to take care of myself, so that I can present myself to God an acceptable sacrifice.  "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." (Romans 12:1).

Improvements in the spirit include prayer, Bible study, and character development.  I don't want my prayers to be shallow, a recitation of a "God bless mommy and daddy" list.  Neither do I want my Bible reading to be something that allows me to check off that box on my To Do List.  I want to actually walk with God, communing with Him as Adam did before the fall.  "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances.  But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22).

Improvements in the soul can be further subdivided.  The soul is a person's mind, will, and emotions.  To keep my mind sharp, I want to read and write and meditate.  The mind is a muscle, and it must be exercised daily or it will become dull. "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5).  To bend my will in accordance with the will of God, I must want what He wants.  "For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality." (1 Thessalonians 4:3).  To keep myself emotionally in check, I must grieve at that which the Holy Spirit grieves, and I must rejoice for that which the Holy Spirit rejoices.  "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ Jesus also has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:30-32).

There is a part of a phrase in our text, in the Amplified Version, that I do not want to gloss over; I would be remiss if I did not point it out.  1 Thessalonians 5:23 says (in part):  "Now may the God of peace...make you pure and whole and undamaged."  Purity we have talked about.  The other ideas, those of wholeness and without damage, those are things that are maybe more personal to you, things that the church typically skips over.  I work in insurance claims, so I know the concept of making someone "whole" in the financial sense.  Whenever someone experiences a loss, insurance will indemnify that person for her loss.  This is easy enough to do with property (pay the value of a crashed car or a burned out building).  It can even be applied to physical injury (pay the medical bills for your healing, and maybe, depending on the coverage, replace the wages lost during that time period.)  But what about those whose innocence was lost through no fault of her own?  The world is full of broken people, and no man can restore what was lost or repair the brokenness that some people know.  Only God can heal your brokenness.  This past year a huge number of women came together in a show of unity, saying #MeToo.  Some are angry, some are vindictive, some are ashamed.  All are broken, beyond what the justice system may offer as a remedy.  God knows your need; only He can make you whole.  He knows the damage you have suffered; only He can undo that damage, if you only ask Him to.

With all this in mind, I wish for you, as well as myself, success in becoming more Godly, more Christ-like, and more filled with His Spirit.  Have a blessed and joyful New Year.