Meaning

“In some ways, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.”                                                                                                                                                                  Viktor E. Frankl

The empty-headed treat life as a plaything; the perceptive grasp its meaning and make a go of it.

Proverbs 15:21 (The Message)

I have stated many times that my view of counseling involves a holistic approach. This means that I try to pay attention to, and incorporate, all the levels of human experience- physical, spiritual, and mental/emotional. Each area affects the other because we are integrated beings. When we are physically sick, it affects our mental outlook, and, of course if we are mentally or emotionally challenged, it affects our physical health, namely sleep, appetite and other necessary bodily functions.

Less discussed is the effect of spiritual distress, which as a society, we typically pay less attention to. Some in society may see spiritual health as a “nice add-on” if one has time to pay attention to it. Yet, spiritual health is critical to overall function. It gives us meaning.

Viktor Frankl wrote a great deal about this in his works. As a holocaust survivor, he came to develop an entire field of therapy called Logotherapy. He recognized that the life force that kept he and many of his fellow survivors alive was the understanding of a larger view than just physical survival. If your spirit dies, you die. Frankl saw this time and again in the concentration camps he was in.

I will be talking more about this in the next blogs.

Prayer: Lord, you have given us the gift of life and meaning in it, Amen