The Better Life
While spending a few days with my Dad as he lay in a hospital bed, I thought of conversations we have had over the years. He slept most of the time so I had time to think. I got on my health kick about twelve years ago. He told me one time that he never wanted to live to 120 years so he was going to eat what he wanted to eat and do what he wanted to do. I told him I also didn’t want to live to be 120, but I wanted quality of life until the end no matter the age. There is a family history of diabetes and heart related diseases that I just don’t want to experience later in life. I have learned how to handle my health as best I can with what I been given. Quality over quantity!
I usually don’t write about health related topics on this blog. I save it for my Denise4Health newsletters that I send out once a month. But as I consider the Body of Christ these days, on average we are an unhealthy bunch. However, I am noticing a trend that seems to be going in a good direction. In the natural healthcare doctor’s office where I work, I have noticed a few patients come through to get help on their health journey. They have decided to try the natural route because the traditional route has failed them. I get it. I went the traditional route too before I saw the light!
Once in a while, we’ll get a patient that thinks all they need is a supplement and that will be all the work that is required of them. But it’s so much more than a supplement. It’s a lifestyle. It means changing a few destructive habits. As Christians, this should be easier for us. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us transform. However, we don’t put health in the same category as spiritual transformation. But I think health transformation is right in line with spiritual transformation. If the body isn’t healthy, the spirit and mind are not healthy. The stool (mind, body, spirit stool) collapses when one of the legs gives out. Each part of the stool is significant for complete transformation.
Many times, God has used my health to get my attention. When I needed rest, He put me in a place where I could rest. I had Rocky Mountain spotted fever back in the 80’s that knocked me down for quite a while. I had female troubles off and on for about twelve years. I have grown closer to God during those difficult times. I think when I am struggling the most is when I seek Him harder. Maybe that’s why He continues to send me down that health path. It would be nice if I could seek Him hard when things are going well for me.
God wants a better life for us than what we currently accept as normal. We settle for average. We settle for popping a pill and keep moving instead of seeking His best for our lives. We don’t slow down long enough to seek Him and His direction. Or maybe that’s just my way; maybe you’re different. When we become sick and tired of being sick and tired, I think that’s when we look for a better way. At least that was my case. I really do want God’s best for my life. If I have to make a few changes to get to that life, I will do it. Even now, if there are things that I am doing that are not the best for me, then I need to change my ways.
Andy Andrews said that to change we need to see “what’s in it for me” and “proof beyond a doubt” in order to make a change. We don’t have to hit rock bottom. We don’t have to wait until the last-minute. All we need to do to change is turn our minds to the thing we want to do and just do it. It’s a decision. It’s taking a step in that direction. One small step leads to another. We don’t have to make drastic changes, but make one thing different from what we’ve done before. Trade up to a better life. It can be done. One step at a time.
After ten days in a hospital bed, Dad was transferred to a rehab facility. They sat him at a table and put a meal before him. He ate it like he was starving (and he probably was). While he was in the hospital, he ate very little and was very lethargic. What a difference a little nutrition makes! He was much more alert and responsive after just one meal. I think he is in the right place for the right time. God still works on the health journey of a 90-year-old man. He can do it for you too. Seek His will for your life and find the better life!
You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:12-13 (NLT)
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