The Importance of Spirituality in Goal Orientation

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings

having a human experience."

~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

We must all come to face our mortality. Our earthly life will eventually end. The very fact that we try to avoid this discussion can provoke anxiety. A common coping mechanism is conflict avoidance to suppress the truth. We develop the "whistle through the cemetery" attitude that provides distraction and comfort.

In many ways, this circumvention may negatively affect our long-term health. If we deny our fallibility, we may place much less emphasis on those high-risk behaviors that inevitably lead to an unhealthy future. The lack of self-efficacy in our lives can unleash poor dietary habits, inactivity, smoking, and excess alcohol.

Spirituality and Judeo-Christian ideology acknowledge that there is a life after this life. Consequently, what matters is an acceptance that what we do and accomplish in this world is not as important as how we approach and live our lives. Through the approach, we utilize guideposts such as the Ten Commandments. If you can stay with me for a minute on this concept, I will try to explain it.

We have a valid purpose in this life worth seeking and discovering. We may not recognize or accept this reality, but we must understand God's loving plan for all of us. His goal, however, need not include the ingredients that will make us miserable. He wants all of us to be happy. He also desires that we love each other and place our own lives secondary to the lives of others. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. (John 15:13)

Spiritual growth and development are essential in fully understanding this purpose. We develop a relationship with God and His Son when we recognize the desire for our love and attention, and we acknowledge the need for Them to be more fully integrated into our life. In its simplest terms, we are children of God. Like every parent, God desires a joyful relationship and a loving bond with His children. But, as every parent knows, this relationship can only flourish if the parent allows the child her freedom to grow and learn. Guidance is essential in any child-parent relationship, and communication (prayer) is crucial. Just as important, however, is the understanding and acknowledgment that sacrifice is an integral element of any long-lasting connection. God wants us to live fruitfully and abundantly. He gave us the essential gifts to achieve this goal.

How does this integrate with an acceptance of life's evanescence? First, we must acknowledge that we have only a limited time in this world to accomplish the goals set aside for us. We cannot achieve God's plan without good health and a cheerful spirit. We must take care of our bodies and our soul if we are to serve others. This goal orientation is where sacrifice has its most genuine purpose. In the self-efficacy theory, psychologist Albert Bandura points out the importance of observational learning in developing our ability to achieve life's goals and challenges. In many ways, our purpose becomes a self-illustration, like Jesus as the model for love and sacrifice.

We are responsible for many people, including family, friends, and co-workers. Our health habits truly reflect an image of healthiness or unhealthiness. When we accept the responsibility that spirituality is an integral component of long-term happiness and acknowledge that this life will indeed end, but that eternal life is more important, we can begin intertwining spirituality and daily health habits into our routine. Praying before meals is the perfect integration of this ideal. Sacrificing through self-denial of certain foods, disciplining ourselves for regular exercise, and avoiding the temptation of excesses in our lives (food, alcohol, drugs) are all habits to form and goals to which we can aspire. Good health becomes an integral part of our daily lives if we come into union with Our Creator and pray for the insight of a truly purposeful life. If our only goal is to live longer, we will try every fad diet, take any new supplement, or practice any new longevity gimmick introduced into our society. If we want to experience a genuinely fulfilled life, we must try to integrate ourselves into the purpose God has planned for us. He truly wants us to live this life abundantly and with great happiness.

I pray that you seek His hand and allow Him to lead the way.