Echad: A Unity of Multiple Parts

How many pieces of you are missing? What have you cut off from yourself in order to be accepted? What has been stolen from you through life-wounds. What has been broken in your heart?

Let's pretend you were destined to live in Eden. What does the perfect, unsullied, unbroken you look like? Can you describe your ideal heart? Spirit? Body? Mind? Eden-dwellers were complete in their multi-faceted personhood. It was only when they disconnected from the source of their original wholeness did parts of them begin to crumble.

Immediately you see emotional crumbling with Cain's anger, relational crumbling with the murder of Abel. Read on down the line through the stories of how the facets of humanity began to shatter and break away. Spiritually, physically, sexually.

Once humanity had Jesus back in their lives they were given the chance to begin to become whole again. The Echad - or unity of parts. Not simply being combined, but having harmonious agreement.

Before there can be satisfying relational connection, there has to be a wholeness beginning with the individuals. Otherwise your broken stuff mixes with their broken stuff creating a toxic stew. Most of the time that sludge shows up in the idea that "If they were different, I would feel better." Ah, here's a little clue. If you have thought that the other people in your life were your problem, you probably have something missing of which you are simply not aware.

Take an individual inventory. Imagine yourself as the ideal Eden you. How do you measure up physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, relationally, sexually? What parts have you lost because they weren't connected to the source of life? Find it, graft it back into yourself, let the sap flow, and regenerate. Unify the multiple parts. If you're gonna have a great relationship, ya gotta have all your parts.

Wholeness

Long before you have any sexual experiences you are a sexual being. Of course, that is not all. You are also a physical being, a spiritual being, an emotional being, a relational being, a gender-specific being and a sexual being. There are also more facets to you than I've named; social being, loner being, perfectionist being, sports being. You get the idea.

The foundational issues I encounter most in working toward satisfying sexuality with my clients is that they COMPARTMENTALIZE their sexuality away from all other parts of of themselves. What if a person was able to be more complete and excel physically, emotionally, and relationally (along with all the rest)? What if an individual was able to incorporate their sexual self into their identity. They would be growing closer and closer to the original plan God had for them in the Garden of Eden. Complete and whole. The Hebrew word for wholeness is one that is known to us, Shalom. It means that nothing is missing from us, nothing is broken within us. It signifies a peace that comes from having it all, from being whole. Ah, delight! Sexual Peace.