To Be Made Whole

   As Christ was on his way to Jerusalem during his ministry, he was met by ten lepers.  They said to Christ:

"'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.'  And when he saw them, he said unto them, 'Go shew yourselves unto the priests.'  And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.  And Jesus answering said, 'Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?'  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.  And he said unto him, 'Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.'" (Luke 17:13-19, quotations added)
   This concept of becoming whole has been on my mind lately.  What does it mean to be made whole and how do we achieve this?  Christ commands us that we must be perfected through Him, but is this how we become whole?  Though Christ does want us to use the Atonement and strive for perfection through Him, becoming whole is something we must work on at a personal level.  When Christ asks us to give ourselves unto Him, he expects all of us to be presented.  Just as when you ask for an apple, you don't expect only half an apple.  However, being made whole as a human involves many aspects of our lives becoming whole, not just one.  When you want an Apple iPhone, you don't expect half a screen, a whole processor, one of four functioning buttons, and three fourths of the electrical components.  To be made whole, we must first take a step back and consider the main aspects of life: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, social, and intellectual.

   Physical

   "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

   In a world that seems to continually become more and more corrupt we start hearing many claims that I imagine make God disappointed.  One of those claims is "my body my choice".  Obviously we are in control of our body (most the time) so how could this claim be false?  From a logical standpoint, you don't own something until you purchase it, or it is given to you.  I believe that a common misconception is that God gave us our bodies, thus it is now ours, but throughout the scriptures God reminds us that our bodies are a possession of God.  "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19)

  God has loaned us our bodies, and he has the power to take them away.  Until the resurrection, our bodies and our spirits are not inseparable.  God gives us many gifts throughout our lives, and he expects us to take care of each one.  To become physically whole, we must also break this down into various pieces.  Among other things, we must treat our bodies right, we must learn to overcome physical lusts, and we must avoid flaunting our bodies and avoid immodesty.  Through various means, not only can we become healthy, but we can treat our bodies as a temple and become whole.

   Mental

   One major aspect of becoming mentally whole is ensuring your mind is clear and strong.  Alcohol and other drugs affect our physical health negatively, but they also hurt and retard our mental abilities.  With our bodies, God gave us an amazing brain, more complex, more creative, and more able than any computer in the world.  These innate abilities can only be fully harnessed through mental clarity and mental strength.  I believe another aspect also includes mental attentiveness and awakeness.  We must be aware of what is going on around us, pay attention to the people in our lives, and be sincere in everything we do.

   Spiritual

   In church we hear hundreds if not thousands of different ways to become spiritually strengthened.  Often we focus too much on spiritual "strength" and neglect other aspects of our lives.  With that said, it is as equally important as any other category and must be a high priority.  Being spiritually whole consists of coming closer to God through church, prayer, and sincere scripture study, being morally clean in thought and in action, not judging others, and serving others in any and every aspect we can.  "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8:6)

   These first three sections of becoming whole can be summed up in the last section of the scout oath: "To help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight."

   Emotional

   Being emotionally whole doesn't only involve our own emotional strength and stability, but being emotionally aware of those around us.  For our own emotional strength we must learn to feel love for our fellow men, oust hate in our lives, and avoiding taking offense from those who are also imperfect.  The idea of political correctness was invented to protect those who are emotionally unstable and, while we must be aware and loving toward those who may not have sufficient emotional strength, we must also strive to keep our own emotions in check, and not force them onto those with whom we disagree.  "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 22:36-39)

   Social

This is the topic in which I believe the most confusion in our society exists.  Hypocrisy, discrimination, one-sidedness are just a few problems that exist in our society, most of which surface amongst debates and discussions.  The best way to build social wholeness is to consistently and constantly examine and assess our social interactions.  Was I hypocritical?  Was I unfair?  Did I listen and consider differing opinions.  The easiest way to depict an image of social incompleteness is to think of how one-sided we often may be.  Just as everything has at least 2 sides, to be socially whole we must not be one-sided.

   Intellectual

   God wants us to be educated in all matters.  He wants us to strive for knowledge to benefit us, our families, and those around us.  The technologies and conveniences of our generation have been brought about by those who took the time and put forth the effort to better themselves to better society.  Our intellect will help us get jobs, deal with life, and solve problems.  When you are taking a test, God won't give you the answers you seek just because you are spiritual, rather he will help you if you put forth the effort to study, and to know for yourself.  Being intellectually whole means being knowledgeable, logical, and always seeking to know more.  "And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come." (Doctrine & Covenants 130:19)

   Becoming whole is not just an achievement of overall improvement, but is a constant for which to work for and strive.  The reservoir of our perfection has a leak and must constantly be filled to help us reach our potential, and to reach heaven.  Only through constant examination and correction can we become whole through our own efforts, and through Christ.  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Galatians 5:22-25)