Body, Mind, and Spirit
DEARLY BELOVED: As I start to dictate this column to Jeanette, I realize that my opening words (above) are those often associated with wedding ceremonies in your churches. So let us see if there is a symbolism that is appropriate to the present situation.
The vows taken when two people marry have the intention of joining them together, of uniting them, making the two into one. Even as children come along, there is still a family unit. Since each of you has been a part of a family of some sort at some time in your life (even an orphanage is a family unit in a sense) you can understand what I mean when I say that while the family is one, the persons in it remain separate and individual, each with his or her own needs, ambitions, etc.
So it is with your personality. You are a unit, a single individual. Yet you are composed of three separate and distinct parts, each of which has its own needs, realities, etc.
Your body, mind, and spirit are the “individuals” which in combination are the “family” which is you. We know that it is very important that the needs of each member of a regular family be given careful consideration. The same is true of your personality “family”.
As long as you are in earth living (incarnate) it is vital that a balance be maintained in the attention given to the various needs of the three members of your “family”. There are those persons, particularly from the Eastern philosophies or religions, who forget as completely as possible the very existence of the physical body in order to develop the spiritual. This was right and proper at one time and in a particular culture. It is not the best way for those of you who are living in the Western world at this time.
A part of God’s promise to mankind is that the right efforts of mankind will eventually usher in His Kingdom to the Earth. This means fully utilizing all phases of matter, including the body, in conjunction with the mind and spirit so that life becomes better and better for all the forms of life and for the Earth herself.
As we perfect the body, perfect the mind, perfect the spirit, mankind will fulfill the directive of Jesus to “be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect”. Oh, yes, I recognize - perhaps even more fully than you with an incarnate mind can yet comprehend - that God is Spirit. And that spirit of mankind which was made in His image is the spiritual part. But I also know that the plan of God includes bringing mankind’s physical body to a state of perfection to match that of his spirit or soul.
Remember that God is not concerned with time as you are. The fact that this perfection will take many more thousands of years to complete is of no concern to Him/Her. It will be reached. As you give proper attention to each of your own “family members” you are helping mankind toward that ultimate goal. Ramsingh