Over the past few months, I have been on a journey toward wellness. I see wellness as involving four overarching aspects of myself: emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual. If I’m patting myself on the back, I’d have to say that I’ve done a pretty good job with the emotional and mental aspects by being happy on purpose and the physical by working out regularly. However, I haven’t been the best at beefing up my spiritual wellness. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been going to church most Sundays, watching TONS of Pastor Steven Furtick sermons on YouTube, and jamming to the best gospel music I can find. But just yesterday, through a Bible study with women of the Wharton Christian Fellowship, I remembered the importance of Bible study and community with other Christians for spiritual wellness.
IMPORTANCE OF BIBLE STUDY
WHAT IS BIBLE STUDY?
In case you are unfamiliar with Bible study, I’ll give a quick rundown of what it is. In it’s simplest form, Bible studies are small-group sessions where people (Christians and non-Christians) come together to talk about the Bible. Typically, there is a specific set of verses that the group discusses for a particular session. The main goals are to 1) understand the context in which the verses were written and 2) find applications that are relevant to life today.
WHAT’S THE IMPORTANCE OF BIBLE STUDY?
In my personal faith, and in Christianity as a whole, the Bible is the main source of truths about how to live your life. From the Bible, I gain insights into how I should treat others and how I should carry myself on a daily basis. Though it’s possible for me to study the Bible on my own (and I do this sometimes), studying the Bible with others takes it to a whole other level. In Bible study, I’m able to learn from others as they share how they interpret the verses and the relevance to their own lives.
In the Bible study with Wharton Christian Fellowship, we started a series entitled “How’s Your Soul?” If I’m being honest, I was pretty skeptical at the start of the session. I wasn’t sure that I would truly gain new insights from the session. After all, I’ve been on this wellness journey for some months, so I should be all good. However, I quickly realized that this was far from the truth. Though I had in fact improved my mental, emotional, and physical wellness, my spiritual wellness – my soul – had been left to fend for itself. Thus, over the course of the hour-long session, during which the group prayed, watched a mini-sermon, read scripture, and discussed the scripture and mini-sermon, I learned a ton. My main take away from the session was that I needed to figure out where my soul is “at home.” I know that I’m emotionally, mentally, and physically “at home” when I’m in the Caribbean or when I’m dancing, but I didn’t have an immediate answer for where my soul finds tranquility. However, shortly after the Bible study, I took some time to listen to gospel music with out distractions, and I realized that my soul is at home when I sing praise and worship songs. I’m incredibly grateful to this revelation, and I know that the wisdom I got from the other women at the Bible study, played a large role in that.
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS
Growing up in a Christian household, it was pretty easy to stay connected with my faith and beliefs. My parents and grandparents made sure that my siblings and I spent time around other Christians so that we could continue to grow in our faith. As I entered college and am now finishing up graduate school, there seem to be fewer and fewer Christians around me. As a result, I often have to rely on myself when trying to stick to and act out my beliefs.
Another revelation that I had as a result of yesterday’s Bible study was the fact that having Christian friends helps to keep me on track in the exhibition of my value system. Having friends who will call me out when I falter will be really important as I work toward improving my spiritual wellness. Now that I think about it, I can’t believe how much I’ve been sleeping on the importance of Bible study and community with other Christians in recent months!! Have you been too??
PARTING THOUGHTS
As I continue to strive for a life of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness, I’m forever going to work on making sure that there is a balance between all four elements. I know that some days, the balance will not be equal in proportion, but I’ll work to recognize the signs of when I need to recalibrate. Nonetheless, I’ve decided to put #wellnessovereverything to help me live this one life I’m given to the fullest. I hope that you’ll do the same!
Peace and blessings,
Atasha Jordan, MD (to be)
