Welcome to Part 2 (out of 4) of our Biblical Wellness blog posts. As I sit down to write this little ditty, I am overcome with the impossibility of this task!! HA! Leave it to me to say I am going to do some great big thing and then sit down and think to myself, “What was I thinking?!?!”
All jokes aside, I want to put some research–based support behind my definition of Biblical Wellness. This task is not impossible, but to fully give you the full breadth and depth of the scientific and biblical support I would have to spend much more than one blog post – in fact, I think I would have to write a book. And THAT is definitely NOT on my agenda anytime soon. So instead, we are going to keep this brief and maintain a view from 10,000 feet.
Over the next 3 weeks we will walk through 3 basic premises of biblical worship and how they relate to physical healing based on scientific research. Each week, I will leave you with plenty of resources to encourage your own Holy Spirit led discovery into Biblical Wellness. So without further adieu……
The Hebrew word for prayer is “tefillah”, which actually means “to self-evaluate”. This process of prayer was not originally designed to be a space where we sit and pour out all of our desires, needs, wants, laments, rejoicing and petitions to God and then leave it all on the table and walk away. (Please do not hear me shaming you here. I use prayer this way often and am just recently working to change my prayer practice to look more like what I am about to describe.)
The Jews of the Old Testament used prayer as a time to sit and examine themselves. This is not so much judging yourself on what you have done “good” or “bad”, but instead sitting in response to what scripture holds as true. In the self evaluation of a prayerful heart, we are called to compare our actions, behaviors, attitudes and self-talk against God’s holiness. As we sit in this posture, the Holy Spirit is free to move and reveal what piece of our heart is to be sanctified next and the freedom to pursue it is gifted through our Savior’s merciful invitation to join him on this journey.
This self reflection time requires a quite space without interruption, internet, smart phone notifications, or self condemnation. I know that might sound like a tall order. How many times this week were you able to sit in silence? And if you were able to sit quietly, were you able to sit without thinking of your schedule, what you should get done around the house/office, or resist the urges to grab your phone and scroll through social media? Chances are, probably not. Our fast paced culture has slowly changed our mind’s ability to be still.
Your homework this week is to sit still. Find a comfortable position (I recommend laying on the ground on your back, knees and head supported, arms resting at your sides, palms facing up). Set a timer for 5 minutes. Keep your ITunes or Spotify accounts turned off. No TV in the background. No Podcasts. Just lay on the ground with your eyes closed and practice being still for 5 minutes each day. Your mind will wander, maybe even race. That is okay! Come back to noticing what it feels like to be in your body. What does it feels like to feel the floor under you? What emotions come up? I encourage you to get a notebook/journal and jot down how you feel after each quite time of prayer.
When you have done this exercise for a couple of days, check out these resources and continue to grow in your ability to be still and know……
Resources:
Daniel G. Amen, MD Change Your Brain Change Your Life
Dr. Caroline Leaf The Perfect You
http://www.wisebrain.org/contemplative-traditions/christian
You can also start using guided meditation. One of my favorites is the Revelation Wellness-Healthy and Whole Podcast. There are many “Be Still & Be Loved” Bible Meditations to guide you once you are able to just lay on the floor and BE.