Mental
and Spiritual Health
Jesus taught that the two greatest commandments are: “Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
He stated that all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments (Matt. 22:37-40). It could
be argued that all mental and spiritual health does also. With an understanding that love is
wholehearted devotion to what is in the best interest of others, could a more
incisive description of mental and spiritual health be given? Anyone who truly
and maturely loves God, others, and oneself cannot, by definition, be
significantly compromised by mental or spiritual malady. Therefore, anything we can do to improve our
mental and spiritual health will also contribute to our ability to love, and as
we learn to love better, we become mentally and spiritually healthier. In this
light, consider the poetic proverb, “There is a time for everything. . . a time
to weep and a time to laugh.” [Eccles. 3:1, 4]
