It’s planting time in Illinois! From rural farms to suburban backyards to high-rise city pots, it’s time to plant those seeds.
But there is another kind of planting you can do. Consider planting more spirituality in your life. Why? For one reason, spirituality has many health benefits. A Johns Hopkins Health Alert stated, “A growing body of research suggests that religion and spirituality may help some people better cope with illness, depression and stress.”
These questions come naturally to thought: 1) What are some seeds of spirituality? 2) How do we plant them? 3) Do we need to watch out for anything? 4) What can we expect to harvest?
Spirituality has many definitions. Physician and author Dr. Dean Ornish wrote, “When I use the word spirituality, … I mean whatever it is that helps you feel connected to something that is larger than yourself.” Others reference it as connected to the sacred or a higher power.
To me, a practical outcome of that connection to a higher power involves finding divine attitudes that benefit humanity – for instance, forgiveness, love, compassion and unselfishness. These are some of the seeds of spirituality.
Just as vegetable seeds need good soil, so we need to nurture our spirituality.
“In the soil of ‘an honest and good heart’ the seed must be sown; else it beareth not much fruit, for the swinish element in human nature uproots it,” wrote Christian healer Mary Baker Eddy.
If we are sincere in our intent, our spirituality grows. And, our mental, moral and physical wholeness improves.
Every gardener knows that weeds can choke out good plants. The tendency to be angry, impatient, vengeful and irritated are all “weed attitudes” that need to be pulled out of one’s thinking. We can realize that there is a divine power behind the living of our spirituality that enables us to overcome habits of thought that lead to illness.
Studies have shown the benefits of spirituality in treating cancer, heart disease, substance abuse, as well as other physical and psychiatric ailments. Yet, we have known for a long time that this was the case – Jesus, the most effective healer on record to date, identified keeping our thinking focused on the Divine and goodness as a way to combat even the most terminal diseases.
Plant some spirituality in your life, cultivate it and watch for a harvest of health.
