Well Being

There was a period in my life when I experienced an unwelcome sense of isolation.  I was about to begin my vicarage.  My family had just left me in my apartment in Tennessee, and suddenly I was alone!  One of my biggest struggles back then was with feeling like a victim, and those thoughts were running rampant through my soul.

            This was also during the time when the social media scene had begun, and I sometimes found myself on MySpace looking for friends.  Sure, I had a new church, and met some new people, but in that scenario I was this vicar person, not just Will—and I thrived on being just Will.  Consequently, I realized it was time to figure out who Will really was.  I decided I needed to assess the state of my well being. 

            I began to search for a formula for well being.  I set up a demanding workout routine, started eating healthier, scheduled devotional times, and learned how to play the guitar.  During this time, I became aware that I was spending a lot of moments with God.  I found that these moments helped shape the development of some new disciplines.  These habits would help build a solid foundation in preparation for the next seven years, which would prove to be hectic and crazy!

            After my vicarage year, I got married, moved five or more times and found myself serving in three different churches.  The foundation that was developed during my period of loneliness provided me with the understanding of well being that God had prescribed, and that Proverbs described.

            So often this assessment of my well being is disappointing to me, because the first thing I look at is sin.  If you’re like me, you look at the faults, but not at the source of well being.  This weekend we take the next step on our journey of Wisdom for Youth and Children by examining the components of well being.  Solomon says, “Let love and faithfulness never leave you.”  These words might resemble some self help instructions until you realize that these two words describe our Lord and Savior.  He is Love, and He is Faithful.  He is the One who connects us with our Creator and Sanctifier.  He helps us trust in God’s love, faithfulness and provision.  This week we talk about how these words form the solid basis of well being.