Exploring connections with yourself in the new year

WWAY NEWS — All this week we explored new years’ resolutions, and we are finishing it off tonight with spiritual wellbeing.  

Spiritual wellbeing is defined as a state of contentment derived from meaningful connections with one’s inner self.  

In the new year, some may be choosing to work on spiritual wellbeing.  

This can be done in many ways, one of which is through religion.  

Founding pastor of The Leland Church, Daryl Trexler says spiritual wellbeing can be found through Jesus.  

“Peace, and joy and love. And so how do you get those things? Those things are part of becoming the person we want to become and experience those things. They are kind of lacking in our world. So, we do that through the relationship with Jesus,” Trexler said. 

Pastor Trexler believes in connecting the community and church through intentionality.  

“We can say we wanna become closer to Christ but if we aren’t intentional about it, we won’t. How are we intentional in 2025? The way I plan to be intentional is to spend some time in my faith walk, my daily devotions, having some prayer time. I will not do it outside of the faith community, I will be very involved in my own faith community with the people who are here that God has called us together.” Trexler adds.

Lead pastor of the Pine Valley Methodist Church in Wilmington, Tim Reaves says we need two things for spiritual wellbeing.   

“We can accomplish that whenever we find hope, which we believe is in Jesus Christ and when we find community. There are a lot of people that are lonely in the world and in this city. So, that’s the two things that we are trying to provide, and we think it will help folks,” Reaves said.

Pastor Reaves encourages people to check out their community, but at their own speed.  

“That’s very important, that’s what we hope to do here. Let people connect with God at their own pace we believe in letting the spirit work in their life and it’s not something we can push on them or anything. But, allowing God, to work at their own pace, and being a welcoming place,” Reaves shares.