Yesterday my friend Paul Behnke spoke about becoming an integrated person. We tend to be disintegrated people living compartmentalized lives. We compartmentalize our spiritual, physical, emotional, relational, and intellectual etc...lives. Paul spoke of removing the dissonance between our inner and outer selves. Integrating our mind, body, soul, strength. (Matt 5:48) Paul's talk was solid and I agree that at some level we need to become less compartmentalized, but I would also like to offer a slightly difference approach to same idea.
I think that our inner and outer lives are already in consonance. That is that we cannot avoid the integration. We may act differently in varying situations, but that is who we are expressed through different scenarios. We may want that which is right or that which is wrong given a different circumstance. Our practices do not fall short of our beliefs; but are a concrete, material expression of them.
Our practices are our beliefs. Our attempts to brings our actions in line with our stated beliefs fails to admit this. It maintains the separation between mind, body, soul, and strength.
The gap in our lives that needs to be removed lies between our perception and reality. Our commitments will show us which master we serve and which one we hate. (Matt 6:4) Our stated beliefs will not always be as straight forward.
To truly change our inner lives by default changes our outer lives.
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