Lighted ceiling fan fixtures come in a multitude of styles and designs. Several in our home have three lights. Which means three bulbs.
Lots of good things come in three, not the least being our Triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Given we are created in his image and likeness and with the insight and creativity only the Divine could imagine, we are three as well: body, mind, and spirit.
Body…physical, structural. The container for the organs, cells, soul, the heart, the emotions and feelings, the milieu of matter and experiences.
Mind…intellect, thoughts. The reservoir of knowledge and information that form and equip us to make meaningful decisions, develop ideas, solve problems.
Spirit…the seat and center of our supernatural GPS [God Positioning System.] The invisible presence that leads and guides us through each hour, each day.
A major difference between our parts and the bulbs, at least older filament styles, is you usually have no warning they are about to blow. Puff and the light goes out.
You and me? Different story. More often than not there are subtle signs we’re not functioning as well as we know we ought to be. The question then becomes, are we willing to pay attention to the little nudges or quiet prompts that beg of us to notice something is amiss with body, mind, or spirit?
As we begin to understand the Divine Design is intentional, we discover everything is connected and related to everything else and for good reason. If we would listen to what those subtle nudges and prompts are trying to tell us, we may spare ourselves [and others] a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering
To cultivate a deeper awareness of our body, mind and spirit is not an action of self-indulgence. It is a holy responsibility, a privilege to honor and respect this temple, this tri-part being you and I have been created to be.
For example:
Body and mind…medication may help lower dangerously high blood pressure, but unless one adopts healthier and more effective ways to cope with stress, the potential for a heart attack or stroke, albeit lower, still remains.
Mind and Spirit…anger management classes may decrease the tendency to fly into a fit of rage, but unless the core issues that triggered the anger in the first place are acknowledged and mitigated, the potential for an explosion, albeit less violent, still remains.
Body, Mind and Spirit…physical exercise and support groups may decrease the desire to succumb to an addiction [food, alcohol, shopping, sex, you name it] but unless one realizes the need for dependence on a Higher Power to provide strength and perseverance to resist the temptations that abound, the potential for relapse, albeit less often, still remains.
At first glance we may think replacing that light bulb is a pretty simple task. On the other hand it does involve a new bulb, a ladder, someone to switch them out, and disposal of the old one. Failure to attend to the situation now means sooner or later there are two that do their job. Then one. Then what?
Do I tend to ignore the little nudges or quiet prompts to pay attention to my body, mind or spirit?
If I resist, why?
What first step could I take to embrace the holy responsibility of caring for myself?
[Updated June 2019]
