Five Marks of Spiritual Health

All of us seek to be healthy--mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well as physically. Good religion helps us to face reality, and in facing it to find healing. But much of what is presented as truth in our churches, schools, workplaces, literature, and media today actually causes people to be more unhealthy in their mental, emotional, and spiritual functioning.

These five marks of spiritual health can be helpful guidelines as we make choices about our lives. If we set these qualities as personal goals, we will develop the kind of maturity and stability which will enable us to be fulfilled persons who in turn can help others toward health. We will be able to love God "with all our heart and mind and soul and strength."

I. SELF-HONESTY

The basic element in character is honesty. How can we build a stable life if all our decisions are based on self-delusion? Unless we are honest with ourselves, how can we be trustworthy with others?

II. COURAGE

We need two kinds of courage: the courage to be different when it makes a difference, and the courage to be an advocate for others who may have no one else to care. Without courage, no other virtues are possible. This courage is more than just bravery in times of crisis. It is a quiet steadfastness in the face of the ongoing relentless pressure of life's everyday-ness.

III. KINDNESS

Kindness also must operate in two directions: kindness toward ourselves and toward others. Unless we know how to care for ourselves properly, we lack a healthy foundation for responding to others with compassion.

IV. HUMOR

A sense of humor provides both the grace notes which make life enjoyable and the balancing perspective which makes it endurable. There is a physical reason why humor is crucial in keeping us sane emotionally and mentally: laughing and other expressions of humor release endorphins in the brain which enable us to rest.

V. WONDER

The frustration, burn-out, boredom, and purposelessness of modern life can often be traced to one crucial factor: the loss of a sense of wonder. Perhaps we become too educated, too jaded, too full of pride and self-importance to be alive to the utter awesomeness and daily miracles of life. A lively interest in the intricacies of the world around us and gratitude for the beauty and benefits we receive as pure grace will "restore our soul." Each of us needs a place to kneel.

THE SOURCE OF HEALTHY CHARACTER

Each of these five qualities grows out of one basic attitude which is crucial for spiritual health: humility. The word comes from "humus," which means "made of earth." Truly humble self-valuing comes from a sense of oneness with creation. Yet it is "humus" which the gardener uses for beautiful, fruitful plantings. Humility is the soil in which productive, fulfilling lives are rooted.

Accepting our creatureliness in a relationship with God enables us to be honest with and about ourselves. An humble spirit meets the daily stresses of life with a degree of courage not equaled in flashy displays of bravado. Kindness is evoked when we respond to others in an attitude of equality and openness. A realistic attitude toward self is the fountainhead from which humor flows like sparkling waters. And humility and wonder are twined together in a fruitful union; the greater the sense of awe, the more appropriately we view ourselves in relation to the universe, which in turn increases the wonder at God's providence and care.