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Is this being Healthy?

I see many people working out at the gym, trying to get fit, trying to reverse the aging clock, trying to lose weight. Yet is this being healthy?

Maybe I’ll become a vegetarian. I’ll eat only whole grains and vegetables.  All red meat will be eliminated from my diet. Yet is this being healthy?

I see many people at church—most of the time the same ones, lifting hands in worship to God and listening attentively to the sermon.  Yet, is this being healthy?

Who cares if I run my body down, serving in God’s kingdom? Who needs rest? There is much work to be done for God, and heaven is my reward?  Yet, is this being healthy?

I look fit. I look great! But I feel a wreck on the inside. My mind is cluttered. I struggle to focus. But I look great! I’m on the front cover of the magazine. Is this being healthy?

Is it being healthy physically? Or is it being healthy spiritually? Or is it being healthy mentally and emotionally?  To only be healthy physically is like a car without the internal organs—the engine, the radiator and all that makes it work.  To be spiritually healthy without being physically healthy is like a car with only the internal organs. How far will the car go without its body ? To be healthy mentally and emotionally only is like a car without its body and its internal organs. It just doesn’t exist.

To be healthy is to be one, whole—a body, mind and spirit engaged with its Creator.

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The Body and the Divine

I stumbled upon a blog by Dr. Mohler, the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, entitled “The subtle body—Should Christians Practice Yoga”? I thought the article would be informative and, indeed, it was. But it was not the information on yoga, per se, that got my attention. It was this line below:

“Christians are not called…to see the human body as a means of connecting to and coming to know the divine.”

But what if I personally connect with the divine through my body, and it is not yoga that is the vehicle but through the realization of the body as the temple of God?

The Body is The Temple

It is within us the Holy Spirit of God lives. It was a fantastic plan by God. No longer would He dwell in a building as He did in days of Solomon, for example. Instead He would inhabit the human body called the Body of Christ. Who would have come up with such a magnificent plan? That God would come and reside within me and within you.

The Holy Spirit

Jesus’s purpose on earth was fulfilled after His resurrection, but the best was yet to come: The Holy Spirit—the Comforter, the Helper, the Counselor—all that we could ever need would be wrap up inside of us. No longer would He be only Emmanuel—God with us but also God in us.

Our Bodies are Sacred

Because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, our bodies are sacred. Paul admonishes strongly about defiling the body sexually, in particular. But the body can also be desecrated through recreational drugs, smoking, unhealthy foods, lack of exercise. If the body is holy because of the Holy Spirit, why would we repeatedly eat junk food? Why would we smoke? Why would we not exercise to help it function more efficiently?

The body is God’s zenith of Creation. Look at its circulatory system, its digestive system. Look at the cells, the arteries, the organs.  Oh, my soul shouts out like David “Bless the Lord, Oh my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Oh to feel His energy, His life running through my veins makes me feel so alive and joyful to be His child!!!

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Experiencing the Greatness Within

A friend called me feeling really frustrated about a situation at her new job. Though she had only been at the job for six months, she already had a proven track record. Yet she was not happy. She complained that her manager treated her as if she was incompetent. The situation was compounded by the fact that her manager was ten years younger than she. She disliked the way he communicated with her, and she had made this known to him. Internally, she struggled with this relationship because she was the cloth excellent managers were cut from. Unlike her manager, she had excellent leadership and communication skills. Working with the young manager was a challenge. Pride fought to have its way.

I reminded her about the story of Jesus. How did He do it? He was God, yet He humbled Himself to become human like us. In fact, He made himself lower than the angels. How could He withhold His greatness? He was God! Yet, He allowed them to mock, beat and crucify him. Though we know how the story ends, that is, Jesus being crucified and resurrected, He endured this humbling process. He could have called angels to help Him. But He remained humble, carrying out the Father’s will.

How many of us could imagine containing such greatness within? Would we have uttered these words: “do you know who I am?” Jesus demonstrated true humility. He did not go around bragging about His greatness. He possessed a quiet strength. True humility is quiet strength. It is a type of strength that resides next to true greatness.

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Are you Dying?

The minute we are born we begin to die. But to be reborn in the spiritual sense is to experience eternal life! However, it is only when we choose to live in love we experience this continual life, it seems, even while on Earth. The Bible talks about experiencing “death” when we do not walk in the spirit. Somehow our well being– our physical and spiritual health, is connected to the ability to walk in love. We experience life when we choose love, for God is love. The manifestation of love is life. But what happens when we allow bitterness, envy, hatred, or unforgiveness to reside in us? We experience death. We are dying when we walk out of love. Love brings about joy, peace, meekness, goodness–life.

Today, I chose to have thoughts of love—to allow every thought to dwell in love. I must say it feels so unnatural. Can’t I have a moment to resent somebody? But this is the path of death. Revenge is the path of death. Hatred is the path of death. Unforgiveness is the path of death. Life does not exist on this path. No wonder some of us experience sickness or misfortune, because we are not only using our energies in the wrong way, but also we are allowing our energies to become toxic within our mortal bodies.

The bottom line, to choose thoughts of life is to choose thoughts of love. If your thoughts are not about love, you are on the path of death. Choose life.

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Rest your Mind

Imagine a sports car traveling 80 miles an hour. Imagine capturing a camera shot of events past, present and future—some beautiful, some fearful, some regretful, some prideful. Imagine a “to do” list with no end in sight. Imagine a choir of voices consisting of your mother, father, teacher, pastor, friends, boss all creating a cacophonous of sounds and somewhere there is your voice. This is your mind.

Sh! It’s time to take a break. To do nothing but bask in love. God is love. Let every thought be about love. Let every thought dwell in love. Close your eyes. Be still and do nothing but bask in His love. For God is love. Let every thought be about love. Let every thought dwell in love.

Sh! It’s time to take a break.

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My Prayer-An Embodiment of Me

If I were to examine my prayers, what would they reveal about me? Are they “me” centered? Are they pertaining to only the affairs of my life?

 “Of course not; they are about my family too?”

 But what about others who are not a part of my family? Do I care enough to pray about them too?

 The abused. The homeless. The desolate. The brokenhearted. The lost.

 Am I always holding up a “wish list” before God rather than a “thank you list”? Or do I ask more and thank less?

 Do I take time to dote on Him? Or must I quickly get ready for work or move on to fulfill the next pressing task in my life?

 What do my prayers reveal about me now? When I was a little girl, I prayed for my school friends and maybe teachers, too. When I went to college, I prayed to succeed in all my studies and hopefully find a nice boyfriend that I would marry. Then when I finished college, I prayed for a good job and a good husband, too. Now that I am married, I pray for my husband and children, too.

 But what about the world outside my world?  My country? The nations of the world?

 “Huh?”

 Do I thank God for my meal?

 “Of course”.

 But what about the farmers, too?

 “Huh?”

 What is my attitude towards God?

 Do I feel He is always holding out?

 Am I always pleading?

Or do I approach Him boldly and confidently?

 Am I transparent before Him?

 Do I ask to love like He does? To love in dark places where it seems impossible to love?

 “But I love my family and friends who are kind to me, too. Isn’t that enough?”

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Random Thoughts

When 2011 rolled in, I wasn’t promising myself that I would eat healthier, exercise more or procrastinate less, I was making a promise to myself to build a thought life that would reflect the world that I wanted. With that said, I promised God that I would watch my thoughts because my thoughts determined my mental attitude, and my mental attitude determined my action.

Such a thought itself required meditation.  But, unfortunately, it was not long throughout the day as I was cleaning up my place, enjoying the solitude when my husband left that I wandered off into the Wasteland. I had no idea how I had gotten there. I found myself thinking about certain events that did not turn out the way I expected them to and people who had disappointed me. As I cleaned, disinfecting the counter tops, mopping the floor, I found myself growing angry. I became so angry that by the time my husband came home, I had no desire to speak to him. Though my anger had nothing to do with him, it was directed at him. He was confused; he had no idea what he could have possibly done. In actuality, he had done nothing wrong. Instead it was I.

I could not believe my behavior.  I was disappointed in myself. I had just made a promise earlier that day that I would watch my thoughts, and I had failed. I had entertained the wrong thoughts, resulting in an angry disposition which affected the way I reacted to my husband. I had not disinfected my mind or kept it clean.  Like staying fit and healthy, I realize this training of the mind will take some consistent work too.