Are you a person of order or are you free spirited and let things come as they do and go with the flow? Maybe you’re a little of both. I tend to be a person of order and thrive on organization, schedules, and plans. As a mom, wife, and friend I cannot always have the order I function well on, and as of 2020 well any order I had was quickly gone. Learning to go with the flow has been a skill I am acquiring and have learned to really enjoy. Being free spirited at times has allowed me to relax, lighten up and laugh a little more. It has taught me to not worry about what is next and that a perfectly lined up schedule is not always needed to be productive.

There is an alignment however that is needed if I want to thrive and be fully fulfilled in the life I live, and that alignment is my body, soul, and spirit. Though I have always been a “type A” or “Enneagram 1” if you like to categorize personalities, the inner workings of my soul and spirit have often been in dissarray causing improper function in my body. How I felt, thought, and acted were often scattered even though I longed for them to be in sync and properly in place. What I knew and wanted, as well as what I believed, didn’t always line up with what I did and how I felt. I’m not talking the big things of life but the little things, the everyday decisions, the thoughts that are within. The little things that over time build up to big things and can cause problems if they aren’t in place. For example, when someone injures their back, it may be just the back that hurts at that moment, however if the back is not fixed over time it may cause the hip to be out of alignment and so on. The same is true for our inner selves. When our body, soul, and spirit are not aligned properly we are not able to function as we were meant to. In Thessalonians 5:23 it says “May your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus” Our soul is our mind, our will, our desires, while our spirit is what connects to God. In order for us to live in peace we must have proper alignment of our spirit, soul, and body in Christ.

To align our spirit means to develop our walk with Christ in an intimate and personal way. We are to read and study the word of God, commune with our heavenly Father, as well as pray in the spirit. To truly seek him with all our heart and walk in the way the spirit leads. When we align our soul, we are training our mind, our emotion, and our will through the alignment of our spirit. This alignment only takes place however when we CHOOSE to walk with the Lord, when we CHOOSE to seek him and when we CHOOSE to follow his ways. When we align ourselves in spirit and soul it is then that our body can properly align as well.

Alignment is a continuous process. It is not a one and done fix. Just as we care for ourselves daily in brushing our teeth, or visiting the chiropractor when your physical body is not aligned, we must do the same within. Our spirit and our soul need proper care as well as our bodies so that we can live the life the Lord has called us to. When our spirit is neglected through the lack of time with the Lord it then causes a ripple effect into our soul where our emotions, choices and reactions respond not according to the will of the Lord often leaving us in despair, without hope and in disarray. Without proper function of our spirit and soul we often begin to see, though possibley not noticed at the beginning, a decline in our bodies.

Alignment refers to a position of agreement. Today’s alignment I speak of is the agreement of body, soul, and spirit. If you are struggling physically or emotionally, I challenge you today to reflect on whether or not you are properly aligned. How are you developing your spirit? your soul? your body? I challenge you to start by spending time with the Lord in study of his word, and in communion with him. Ask for His guidance to train your mind and emotions. Nothing will change until you take the first step and make the choice. To thrive and to be fully fulfilled is to be aligned in Christ.