Nourishment for Living

It seems to me that there are a few basic things that give structure and solidity and energy (nourishment) to an individual human life. The condition of our bodies is certainly one thing that affects the energy we have, the outlook we have in our living. And, our practice of finding or not finding nourishment for the biological and spiritual processes that sustain us certainly affects our bodies and the whole of who we are.

And, finding our way to a pattern of living that nourishes us, body and soul, is surely an important foundation to a meaningful life.

People in our time, like peoples in all times, often struggle to maintain a certain peace of mind and a joy in living. And, then again, many people also don't seem to have to struggle too hard to maintain peace of mind and joy in living. Some seem to struggle as just a part of who they are, as if struggle was just built into their genetic makeup. But, for many, the struggles seem less a part of destiny and more a part of being mixed up about how to find what is needed to sustain a good life.

This Sunday was a particularly good day for me. I really enjoyed worshipping and preaching Sunday morning and being with my church, and I really enjoyed coming back home and working in the yard and being with my family. Everything just seemed to fit on Sunday. And, I realized that when things are going well for me that tends to lead to good basic habits and when I have a pattern of good, basic habits, things tend to go well for me. And, I am talking about real basic things: an appropriate amount of food, exercise and sleep. Intake, exertion, rest.

There is no separation between "mind" and "body." We are a unity of biological and spiritual/mental processes. Our thoughts and feelings arise from chemical processes in the body; chemical processes in the body are set in motion and affected by our thoughts and feelings. Our feelings can come from thoughts or from chemical processes in the body or maybe, it is more accurate to say that they come from both at the same time.

And, nothing seems to reset and renew the biological and spiritual processes at work in us so well as a reasonable amount of food, exercise and sleep. But, just as I have found that good habits like this lead to good thoughts, so also good thoughts lead to healthy ways of living. And, good thoughts are often born through spiritual practices like prayer and meditation and worship. But, it doesn't seem to me that finding what we need biologically and spiritually involves two separate processes or approaches in life. No, finding nourishment for human living involves one simple orientation of the body, mind and spirit, and that is the orientation of the creature open and thankful to the Creator in receiving the natural resources that nourish us individually and communally along the way in life. And, there is meaning in seeking out nourishment, finding it, and sharing it as a foundation for a joyful life in this world. For some the struggle is very hard due to difficult social, economic, physical or mental burdens.

If we really do think that human life is worth nurturing, it will lead us to desire nourishment for ourselves and others. And, when we really desire something in our hearts, we usually do something about it.