Tag: Ecclesiastes

How’s Your Spirit Doing?

So what does a healthy spirit look like? What’s some language we could use to talk about how our spirit is doing?

Since the YMCA is about putting Christian principles into practice for a healthy spirit, mind and body, what are some Scriptures we could use to guide our search on words to use to figure out how our spirit is doing?

Check out these examples of how a healthy spirit is described and embodied in everyday life.

Ask someone how they are doing, and we have standard answers: Fine. Good! Not bad. Ok. Hanging in there.

It’s pretty easy to talk about how your body is doing – we can chat for quite a while on aches and pains, surgeries and sickness, weight and appearances.

Ask someone what they are thinking about, what their plans are, what’s on their mind, and an answer is not hard to provide.

But ask someone, “How is your spirit doing?” and you’ll likely create an awkward silence.

It’s just not a question that gets asked.

But in the YMCA, our mission is centered around building a healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

So what does a healthy spirit look like? What’s some language we could use to talk about how our spirit is doing?

Since the YMCA is about putting Christian principles into practice, here are some Scriptures we could use to guide our search on words to use to figure out how our spirit is doing:

  • Gospel According to Luke, 1:46-47 And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”
  • Luke 23:46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.
  • Second Letter to Timothy, 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power and love and discipline.” – Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus
  • Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
  • Psalm 51:17 “My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God; you will not reject a humble and repentant heart.”
  • Ecclesiastes 7:8 “The end of a matter is better than its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than a prideful spirit.”

Based on this small selection, here are some words we can use to answer the question of “How’s your spirit doing?”

You could say, I’m happy and full of joy.

You could talk about people or projects you are committed to.

You could be vulnerable and describe your lack of courage and confidence, or share about your strengths, your passions, and self-control.

You could describe the despair within you in response to the brokenness of the world around you, or of your own personal failings.

You could be courageous and talk about the wrongs you’ve committed and how you’ve tried to make amends.

Finally, you could let them know how easily you can wait for what you want.

Does that help?

It helps me give some language to how my spirit is doing. Am I easily irritable? That’s a spirit thing. Am I constantly disappointed and discouraged? That’s my spirit. Am I frustrated with others? That’s my spirit.

Pay attention to your spirit.

Give yourself time to breathe deeply and slowly.

Let your spirit rest by being alone to reflect on your blessings. Get some sleep. Build margins into your schedule to play and pray.

Laugh at yourself, encourage everyone around you more often.

Let go of grudges and slights quicker, stay focused on making amends more authentically.

As Christians, we are called to solidarity in our spirit with the Spirit of Christ. Paying attention to the spirit of Christ within us is also the way to build unity with other Christians.

It’s through the Spirit of Jesus Christ that we can humbly and patiently embody the power of God’s love and justice in our world together.

We want his strength to strengthen us, his love to empower our love for others, his healing to flow through our spirit, his courage to encourage us to love, serve and care for all – friends, family, and enemies.

How’s your spirit doing?

Patient or prideful?

Courageous or unconfident?

Humbly happy or angrily resentful?

Thankful or unforgiving?

Now, try asking yourself:

How’s my spirit doing?

 

Young and For All

The Y inspires me by their never-ending quest to be “for all.” They are always looking around the community to see who we are not for yet, and then working with them to see how we can be for them.

In June of 1844 George Williams and 11 of his British Christian friends prayerfully launched the Young Men’s Christian Association. It was a sincere and inspired attempt to be for all the young men they could see coming from the rural regions of England seeking work in urban London.

Young men were being exploited in the factories, Christians were divided by politics, income, and dogma, and the class system of Britain sought to keep people in their place.

From the beginning, the YMCA successfully brought together many different kinds of Christians together from different classes, sects, backgrounds, languages, politics, and countries.

The Y cultivated new opportunities for the poor and marginalized but also leveraged the power and privilege of the wealthy to sustain flourishing for all.

Central to this was the idealism of youth – George and his friends were in their early 20’s when they started the YMCA. Also central was their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The YMCA continues to be at its best when it draws on our faith as well as the energy and idealism of the youth in our association who live out our mission of being “for all.”

The Bible has these encouraging words to say to us about the joy of youth:

Young men, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Young women, do everything you want to do; take it all in.

But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy.

But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless. Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. [Ecclesiastes 11.9-12.1/NLT]

Christians young and old in the YMCA must continue to draw on the Bible as our guide and inspiration for how to live. But we must be careful that our use of Scripture doesn’t become a grasp for security that impoverishes our neighbors, demeans women and children, or shackles our youth.

We perpetuate injustices amongst us when forget that we have a common bond, when we forget that we are all made in the image of our Creator.

Our amnesia can fuel the meaninglessness of poverty and wealth, driving us to worry about a security that enslaves our spirit, mind and body.

The YMCA can subvert our nation’s addiction to violence and slavery when we empower the youth amongst us to celebrate life, to remember our Creator, and use their energies for a more just society where there is flourishing for all.

Being for all requires us to learn to love our neighbor. This is at the heart of the Christian gospel, it’s what we were created to be, it’s what inspires a meaningful life for young and old.