There is more to wellness than most practice. It is more than the daily jog, twenty-minute workout, a hundred laps in a swimming pool, or 1500 steps around the neighborhood. Wellness is more than eating organic, weighing every ounce of food to prepare, or using only holistic means for treating ailments. It is more than a mental state of being. You can work out every day or eat nothing but organic. You can become Vegan, eat Paleo, Keto, Gluten-Free, Mediterranean, or Atkins diets, and still not function in total wellness. I have known some very organic, health-conscious people who died from cancer or another disease. They did not practice harmful habits. They ingested God, whole foods minus the cow, and still ended up leaving this life too early. I can already hear someone saying… “Well, when your time is up, it's up” …. I lost a dear and close friend who lived by this motto on Thanksgiving just a few years ago. It was devastating! The sad part is that he, like many others, went too early. I believe some preventative measures could have been taken to prolong his life. His words still haunt me, “When it's your time, it's your time…the good Lord says when.” I do agree we all have an appointment with death; the Bible teaches us that we all are appointed to die: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). So, yes, God knows exactly when, where, and how we will die. God knows everything about us (Psalm 139:1-6). So, does this mean our fate is sealed? Does this mean we have no control over when we will die? The answer is both yes and no, depending on the perspective. Perspective on death changes everything. You can live your life believing that no matter how hard you work to preserve your body, you are wasting your time since, after all, you are going to die, or you can choose to take care of your health until death do us part so that in the meantime while you are still breathing and able you can experience life to the fullest with energy and purpose. God created you for a purpose. There are groups of people. The one that is aging and says, “Why try? It is what it is.” Then, there is the other extreme of overusing the scripture of God’s protection. Psalm 34:7 - The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them. Delivering them from what? Death? That deliverance may come in many different forms, but I am afraid that death is not always the one. I do believe that God protects us many times. Still, there are many ways to protect. It could be of our minds, hearts, views, or from disasters…but death is not always the sole protection. If that were the case, every child born would live to its full potential. What about the innocent children born with diseases or stillborn? They did nothing wrong… Why didn’t God protect them?
Many take the scripture out of context by using it as an excuse to live any way they want since God is going to take them out anyway and on his clock. This is a reckless way to live. It is like saying, “Why should I wear a seatbelt? God will protect me if I get in an accident. Or take a flight off a tall building, believing they will suddenly sprout angelic wings before plummeting to being flat as a pancake on a sidewalk. It is foolish thinking. If this were the way to live, why would there be scriptural instruction to care for our bodies? The Bible clearly states that to care for our bodies is to love ourselves, and to do so is to love others well. When we practice the necessary steps to wellness, we honor God and ourselves by caring for the temples that house the Holy Spirit. God is saying, “Clean house!” Unfortunately, most Christians make meaning of this scripture to point out the sin of fornication and sex before marriage while sitting at a Denny’s with their youth group scarfing down a pile of chili cheese fries… by the way, “gluttony” is a sin too. But I am not here to point out sin. We all have had our faces on the fry platter at one time or another. Our well-being is more than practicing healthy eating habits, exercise, or what church we attend. God wants us whole. He desires his creation to be mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy. When one is off balance, they are all off balance.
1. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies."
2. 1 Timothy 4:8: "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."
3. Matthew 22:39: "And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
One does not have a lack of faith in God to practice self-care, nutrition, exercise, and mental or spiritual practices to keep in decent shape overall. Most people arrive at work exhausted before the day has started. Stress and anxiety are at their highest ever in history these days. There is an epidemic of cancer and heart-related diseases attacking younger people now in their twenties and below. Why is that?
How can someone love their neighbor well if they do not feel well? I do not know about you, but I cannot if I am exhausted and burned out. At least I cannot do it efficiently. It is like trying to put out a fire while you are on fire…it keeps igniting more flames and burning up the resources for survival. At this point, you are only operating on adrenaline, which can cause a deficit in your whole being. Our bodies can suffer adrenaline fatigue. When that happens, your autoimmune responses completely break down. It opens the gate to other potentially deadly diseases. This is where boundaries become a necessary practice. Without boundaries, you wear yourself out and are no good to anyone, and indeed not yourself. Learning to say no can prolong your life.
When individuals choose unhealthy habits, they also burden their loved ones. Imagine the child of a diabetic parent who refuses to take their insulin or stay on the necessary regimen of nutrition to prevent further damage, i.e., amputation, inability to work or care for themselves. The roles reverse, and the child must often care for and house the parent. Please listen to me when I say this is not true in all role reversals. Sometimes, some situations cannot be helped. I am talking about the adult who knows better and has the mental and physical capacity to make the right decisions and practice well-being but chooses not to, regardless of the consequences. The truth is that most people who refuse to take responsibility for their health believe they will not outlive their children or spouse. They do not see the heartbreaking burden they are placing on their families. They do not see themselves as being dependent on anyone. They do not realize the impact of their choices.
There are so many factors that contribute to practicing well-being. You cannot exercise alone or only focus on nutrition. You can focus on both, but you still may not be well. Your mind is the breeding ground for disease (dis-ease). If your mind is operating in chronic anxiety, stress, fear, anger, jealousy, or worthlessness, then you are not functioning at your best and incapable of fully loving yourself or others.
John 4:18 There is no fear in love.
2 Timothy 1:7: God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power, love, and self-control.
James 1:20: “Human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” Anger can impair our communication ability and even lead us to act in harmful ways to ourselves and others.
Proverbs 14:30
“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”
While scripture clearly states that it is not all about the outer parts of us that defines us or our righteousness….it still affects our internal well-being and vice versa. What goes in must come out. What is coming out of you this day? What do you say to yourself in the mirror? Is it anything you would say to another person? This is the time to take inventory of what consumes your thoughts. There is power in our thoughts. Those thoughts dictate your beliefs on well-being and set the tone for the entire day.
You can start your well-being journey by changing your thoughts one moment at a time. Your thoughts rule your actions, reactions, and inactions…it is all in perspective. I understand how difficult it is to change perspective when it seems almost impossible to imagine a better lifestyle when you have spent more than 75% of your life in survival mode. Or you have fought a long-life battle of chronic illness despite your efforts to practice healthy choices, and you are tired. You are tired of trying. I know; I have been there.
I have a story I would love to share with you. It is a story of hope. It is a testament to what thoughts can do. If you are tired of gimmicks and self-help seminars given by people who have no clue about what you have suffered or lack empathy, call me. Are you tired of not experiencing life fully operating in the destiny God has created you for? Disability or disease does not prevent you from living up to your potential. I can name too many people who have been challenged from birth or later in life, accidents that left them limbless, maimed, or disfigured, who have made a mark in this life and changed millions of others. The only difference is that they had to learn to adjust to function. I recently read a book written by Philip Simmons, Learning to Fall, an author in the last stages of ALS and a former professor and mountain climber. I had the honor of following along with his journey toward eternity, and believe me when I say that he changed mine forever in the last few months of his life. The real handicap is our thoughts. How we think about life, living, and dying changes the game.
I am willing to collaborate with you one-on-one to help set goals and create a plan custom to your capacity to work on steps one at a time. I do not believe in quick fixes. They never work, and if they do… not for long. Lasting change happens in steps. Staying the course can be challenging without someone to walk it with you each step at a time. That is why we work together to break them down into micro steps. It is much harder to trip on a spectacle than a brick!
Are you ready to take the first step? At least think about it.
Thought+planning+action+practice=results.
Call our office today for a FREE consultation.
Comments