“Self care isn’t selfish—it’s strategic. Fill your tank with the fuel you need to go the distance!”
Why Your Physical Health Matters to Your Spiritual Growth
Hello Sisters,
As we enter Spring and the delight of new life surrounds us, here are some musings on how our growth as a Being transfer between realms. I am sometimes asked about my thoughts on how our health effects our spiritual growth. It’s an important question and one with some nuance. I want to share some thoughts on this important topic with you.
Facing where we are immature or hurtful is not something most humans embrace. In fact, most people will go to great lengths to ignore or redirect any attempts to face where they are falling short of the mark. Fear of punishment, fear of abandonment, and fear of change are common reasons people cannot look at what is so obvious to those around us. For these reasons, many people stop growing or loose intimacy in their relationships. Change is hard for most people.
Ironically, if we are able to take responsibility, express remorse, and commit to change, most people will gain respect for us. Someone brave enough to be honest and vulnerable is someone we instinctively trust. Courage and humility are a winning combination that we all know is grounded in strength. Change takes a deeper commitment to healing than to protecting our ego.
The thing is, when we are exhausted and overcommitted, have a headache and feel bloated, we have a much harder time doing the HARD work of looking at the unflattering truths. We are more likely to persist with our old stories and unfruitful (but ingrained) patterns. The ones we choose to believe because they are more flattering than the truth is. We naively hope others will buy the lie we are selling ourselves.
When we send a basic “signal of safety” to our nervous systems by listening to and taking care of our bodies, we feel more grounded in our being. When aren’t distracted by basic exhaustion and discomfort, we can better face (and embrace!) the lessons we need to. The energy of health is a currency that can be used to fuel growth.
Years ago, our family had a small business we ran on nights and weekends. While it had many benefits to the community and the expression of our own gifts, it took away all of our free time. When we decided to close down the venture, the floodgates of growth took place on so many fronts. We simply had the time and energy to do that deeper work.
So, yes, our health is a form of fuel for our spiritual growth. We “burn the fuel” of our physical life force in service of our spiritual and emotional growth. Then we assimilated and standardize that level of being and “refuel” our physical reserves. Only to leap frog forward from the resources we have built up. The body serves as a reservoir of “change potential” energy from which we can draw.
Personally, I have been in a very deep season of growth and transformation. I feel I am near a plateau of integration that will then let me redirect my energy to “next leveling” my body….in preparation for drawing from that vitality on my next ascent.
I have a lifelong commitment to health for many reasons, but the primary one is this: taking care of my body is taking care of my Spirit. There is no split. Our emotions express through our body. Our thoughts happen in a tired and depressed brain or a refreshed and faith filled brain. Our ability to “go the extra mile” is effected by how depleted we are.
I want to build up my physical capacity to carry my Spirit as far as she can go (and then by Grace, even farther than I knew possible). I want to support and inspire you to do the same. You are a one of a kind expression of God’s love and a unique contribution to the world. Self care isn’t selfish—it’s strategic. Fill your tank with the fuel you need to go the distance!
Cheering you on,
Rachel
ps. If you’d like some support on your journey, let’s talk. Click here for details.