The Pillars of Integrated
@mo_design_3d, Unsplash stock photo
An Introduction
Nearly two years ago, I wrote a blog post (you can read it here) about what it means to be integrated, and I have been challenged to revisit what it means to me.
When sat down with Devin Schadt to chat about his apostolate (you can listen to/watch that interview here), “Fathers of St. Joseph.” While we talked, he stopped and asked: “What does “Integrated” mean to you? If you could distill it down into points or pillars, what would they be?”
I was impressed by his directness. It was a great question and one that I’ve developed since I started my podcast a couple of years ago. So, in this post, I will try my best to articulate what “Integrated” means to me and what my intentions are with this humble endeavor.
I started “Integrated” at the encouragement of my husband, but there had long been stirrings in my heart. I have changed a lot in the last decade (thanks be to God), and I have a lot of changing to do. That has meant facing my wounds and peering into our fallen nature. We can all agree that our lives as they are in a fallen world leave us yearning and, if I’m honest, sometimes despairing.
We are accustomed to being disintegrated. Our heads do not comport or correspond with the desires of our hearts, and often, our wills are weak. We wrestle with living in an ingratiating world while desiring to be good and know we are loved unconditionally.
We are accustomed to being disintegrated.
We also want to love— we struggle so often to love. It’s hard to love, isn’t it? And yet, it’s exactly what we were made for. Our disintegration, however, gets in the way. While “Integrated” certainly will have its own natural development, at the core, these are the pillars of “Integrated.”
Health of the body.
Health of the mind.
Health of the soul.
Finding harmony and synergy in the interplay of these systems interiorly/exteriorly.
Over the course of the next few weeks, I hope to write a separate blog post teasing each of these pillars to give a deeper explanation of why each has its place in proper integration and why I believe Catholicism provides the best framework for being properly integrated as a proof that it is the True Church established by Christ.
What are your thoughts? Is there anything you might add? What does it mean to you to be “integrated”? Comment below or send me an email at angela@integratedangela.com.
