A Whole person

I had the tires on Bev's Jeep balanced last week. Driving down the road there was a noticeable- thump, thump, thump - indicating that this service was needed. The technician took the wheels off the vehicle, put them, one by one, in a machine and spun them at highway speed. He then put little lead weights at various spots at the edge of each wheel to get it in balance. Is your life balanced? What do I mean? Is there a proper emphasis on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of your whole being?

Dr. Stephen Covey, in his latest book, The 8th Habit, writes about these four parts of our being. He suggests that we have four kinds of intelligence:
IQ - with which we are all familiar, that describes our mental abilities,
PQ- our physical intelligence, how well we discipline and train our body,
EQ- our emotional intelligence, self-awareness and how well we relate to others, and
SQ- spiritual intelligence, the ability to listen to God and live by higher principles.

We spend our childhood and early adult years developing our intellectual abilities in schools and training programs. In this era which is marked by increasing complexity, IQ is an important skill on which we spend much time and money. But now we realize that IQ alone doesn't predict success! In fact, EQ is at least as important a predictor of success in life as IQ, perhaps even more. A person who has great intellectual abilities, but who has never learned to be a team player, to relate well to others, is unlikely to find a place where he can use his mental gifts no matter how great they may be. We take for granted our PQ, learning many physical skills seemingly without effort. Did you have to remind yourself to breathe, your heart to beat, or your eye lids to blink? Still, we realize that we must exercise our bodies, restrain its appetites, take control or we will become slaves of food, sex, or comfort. Americans, despite their love of sports and conditioning, have an amazing ignorance when it comes to their bodies, whose desires are often allowed to rule, even destroy, their whole life. Appetites, allowed out of balance, tear us apart.

SQ cannot be ignored! True wisdom flows from being made alive by the Spirit of God, by having our spirit closely aligned with His Spirit, so that we live in harmony with the eternal principles around which we were created. Without spiritual intelligence, our lives will lack meaningful purpose. Einstein was once asked what one question he would like to ask God. He replied, "How did the universe start? After that, everything else is just math!" Then after more thought Einstein changed his mind. "Instead I would ask, 'why was the universe created?' Then I would know the meaning of my life." (as quoted in The 8th Habit, page 72)

Dr. Einstein I know why the universe was created. The Psalmist says, The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4, NIV) If the purpose of the stars and sky is to pour out silent adoration of the Creator, then I know my purpose is to worship and honor Him, too. So, we must kneel before our Maker and ask that He come to us and restore our SQ so that we will live with purpose and meaning-- in this life and thus, in the eternal one. Jesus spoke to our multi-part being. Take a look. "And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’" (Mark 12:30, NLT)

Are you balanced in your worship and devotion? Is the way you use your physical body honoring its Creator? Are your emotions being used in ways that create ties of empathy to others? Are you knowledgeable about yourself, why you do what you do, overcoming an emotional barriers to knowing God? How about your intelligence? Do you perceive the world with true understanding? Is your spirit alive in Christ, filled with Divine Life, so that you are able to respond to God's high calling for you today?

Covey suggests a simple way to start toward balance. I quote:

For the body- assume you've had a heart attack; now live accordingly.
For the mind- assume the half-life of your profession is two years; now live accordingly.
For the heart- assume everything you say about another, they can over hear; now live accordingly.
For the spirit- assume that you have a one on one visit with your Creator every quarter; now live accordingly.

Get in balance!
Become a whole person, with a life that is lived purposefully for the Glory of God.