Feeling Fabulous Friday: Seeking Wholeness

Over the past five years, king and I have been running non-stop. We have been caught up in the busyness of life and ministry, and it has really taken it's toll on us. In fact for the last few years, we have been living in the state of burnout, in full survival mode. This busyness and burnout has had a profound effect upon our relationship with each other and with friends and family. It has also effected our spiritual walk and our physical and mental health.



Wikipedia defines burnout and describes its results and symptoms (or phases):

Burnout is a psychological term for the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest.

Many theories of burnout include negative outcomes related to burnout, including job function (performance, output, etc.), health related outcomes (increases in stress hormones, coronary heart disease, circulatory issues) and mental health problems (depression, etc.).

Psychologists Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North have theorized that the burnout process can be divided into 12 phases, which are not necessarily followed sequentially, nor necessarily in any sense relevant or exist other than as an abstract construct.[1]


A compulsion to prove oneself Working harder Neglecting one's own needs
Displacement of conflicts (the person does not realize the root cause of the distress)
Revision of values (friends or hobbies are completely dismissed)
Denial of emerging problems (cynicism and aggression become apparent)
Withdrawal (reducing social contacts to a minimum, becoming walled off; alcohol or other substance abuse may occur)
Behavioral changes become obvious to others
Depersonalization (life becomes a series of mechanical functions)
Inner emptiness
Depression
Burnout syndrome

Does any of that sound familiar to you? It certainly does to us!!

Over the past two years, I have especially noticed the effects of burnout in my life. I have been extremely exhausted, socially and emotionally withdrawn, anxious, depressed, and negligent of my physical needs. I have become so sluggish and wracked with physical pain, that it is hard to be effective in work, ministry, and home life. All the busyness is just so overwhelming and has me wound so tight that I can't even relax when I have a spare moment. The greatest desire of my heart right now is to be made whole!

Wholeness, according to The Free Dictionary online, means not wounded, injured, or impaired; sound or unhurt; having been restored; healed.

At the end of 2010, I expressed my desire for wholeness in my Artist of the Soul blog . I didn't fully realize it at the time, but the desires that I described in that post were all hopes of restoring my spiritual and physical health. I have made it my main goal for this year to seek wholeness, and that is the journey that I am on.

As I thought about my first post for Feeling Fabulous Friday and I thought about the idea of seeking wholeness, this biblical account of a desperate woman came into my mind.

25 And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 And who had endured much suffering under [the hands of] many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but instead grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment, 28 For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health. 29 And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source, and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [distressing] ailment. 30 And Jesus, recognizing in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around immediately in the crowd and said, Who touched My clothes? 31 And the disciples kept saying to Him, You see the crowd pressing hard around You from all sides, and You ask, Who touched Me? 32 Still He kept looking around to see her who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had been done for her, though alarmed and frightened and trembling, fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me, springing from faith in God) has restored you to health. Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed from your [distressing bodily] disease.

Mark 5:25-34 AMP

How do we find wholeness in our lives? We certainly won't find it if we keep looking in the wrong places! This passage tells me that we will only find restoration by seeking God, trusting in His goodness and power, and throwing ourselves at his feet! It also tells me that healing and restoration is a process and a journey. We must "be continually healed and freed" from our current condition; we must seek wholeness all our lives.

Here is another passage of scripture that I have found both enlightening and encouraging on my journey to wholeness and to feeling fabulous, once again:

Psalm 23 AMP with footnotes:

1 THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. 2 He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. 3 He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him--not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake. 4 Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over. 6 Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.

Footnotes:
1. Psalm 23:5 It is difficult for those living in a temperate climate to appreciate, but it was customary in hot climates to anoint the body with oil to protect it from excessive perspiration. When mixed with perfume, the oil imparted a delightfully refreshing and invigorating sensation. Athletes anointed their bodies as a matter of course before running a race. As the body, therefore, anointed with oil was refreshed, invigorated, and better fitted for action, so the Lord would anoint His "sheep" with the Holy Spirit, Whom oil symbolizes, to fit them to engage more freely in His service and run in the way He directs--in heavenly fellowship with Him.

Isn't this just the complete picture of wholeness!!