Why should we be serious and invested in the spiritual? So many things today are labeled as spiritual that are oftentimes totally focused on the person’s own self. But truly spiritual has more to do with how we relate to God, who is spirit. He created us and He knows our every need. Leaning on Him, rather than our flawed humanness, is certainly more dependable and healthier for us.
Author Daniel Pink points out a Duke University study that found that people who pray regularly have lower blood pressure than those who don’t. Another research study out of John Hopkins discovered that people who attend religious services regularly cut their risk of death from heart disease, suicide, and some cancers. And according to a Dartmouth College study, one predictor of survival among open-heart surgery patients was how much patients relied on faith and prayer.
I am reminded of the words of King David in Psalm 1 as he discusses the person who is blessed is the one “whose delight in in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. The person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.” (vs. 5-6)
Researchers at Duke, John Hopkins, and Dartmouth made some interesting findings – but they are not new. King David knew thousands of years ago the benefits of taking spirituality seriously. His words are true – if we will heed them, we just might find that life goes a bit smoother.