Whole
“How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.”
-Paul to the folks in Ephesus
I somehow missed the “whole” part of the “whole and holy” in these verses. I went full force after the “holy” part with pretty miserable results. Recommitting to doing better and doubling down on trying harder to deal with the unholy parts of my life left me feeling discouraged and failing miserably. And I was working really hard.
I was involved in all kinds of ministry, had a bunch of roles at my church, listened to only Christian music, and read only books from our tribe. I even fought off getting the internet or cable television in our house to keep from any worldly influences. But almost two decades into my walk with God, I finally realized something that would have been so helpful to have known.
The restoration that was offered didn’t just apply to the eternal resetting and making everything right, but was intended to bring healing and restoration to every broken and incomplete place in my story. I didn’t know that all that collateral damage from the life I lived was wildly affecting my ability to live the life prescribed by my beliefs.
Trying to be holy without becoming whole was a complete exercise in futility.
And don’t get me wrong. Getting healthier didn’t remove the category of sin, but it did remove it from being the beast I battled with as the predominant theme of my life with God. It moved from the forefront of my mind and experience to the quiet whisper, the nipping at my heels, and the fuzzy portion on the edges of the images in my mind. It became more of a minor theme.
Getting whole and holy seems to have been the focus of His love. The major theme that seemed to get lost in the shuffle. I heard quite a lot about sin and holiness, but don’t seem to recall much energy given to the idea of getting any healing. Getting healthier not only removed sin as the major theme of my life, but it also helped clear my mind and made me wildly more effective in my work.
It dramatically affected my role as a father and husband as well.
One of the primary drivers of me leaving a successful banking career to pursue a life in executive and organizational coaching is the belief that working through issues and getting healthier would do the same for everybody. The decade I have spent doing this work has only confirmed that idea and deepened my resolve.
Consider
How are you doing at pursuing holiness?
How much time and energy have you devoted to getting whole?
How much is it costing those you love and lead to not be healthier?