Hello! It's been awhile. I apologize. Our Thanksgiving holiday was spent with our kids and lasted until the Monday following Thanksgiving. Our children are both married and spend either Thanksgiving or Christmas with us and the other with their in-laws. We thoroughly enjoy them and like to make the most of the time they are with us. We love that they enjoy their families too so we fully support them in spending dedicated time with their in-laws as well.
Over the past two weeks I've had repeated occasions to think about health. My mother has Alzheimers and has recently taken another step of decline. My mother-in-law has a very healthy mind but her body is failing. My husband was told by his doctor at his pre-hernia operation physical that he has very healthy organs (heart, lungs etc) but his body (joints etc) are his weak link. I struggle with losing the 10-15 pounds I've put on over the past 10 years which causes fatigue. My extremely physically fit niece struggles with celiac disease to the point that it "benches" her from playing college volleyball.
I am more convinced than ever that God created us body, mind and soul, totally integrated. One does not operate without the other. Thus when one part is out of balance or has any kind of problem, every part of your being is effected in some way. As I visit with others about this I am finding that most people say they agree. However, I'm finding most of us (yes, including me) don't live like it. Most anyone you talk to would tell you that consuming alcohol or illegal drugs in large quantities on a regular basis is a problem and will cause trouble. My brother who has smoked since he was a young teenager will tell you that smoking cigarettes is a problem and they aren't illegal. He'll tell you they take money from your budget as well as only cause problems physically. There are no "pluses" for smoking and that comes from a seasoned veteran of smoking - not me. But what about being addicted to carbs or caffeine or choosing comfort foods to console or reward yourself on a regular basis. What about sitting down and staring at the TV night in and night out with no form of physical exercise on your calendar? Often I don't even think about it. I just start planning what "treat" I can have when I get home or while I'm running errands. After all I've "worked hard all day" or I'm doing "this" all by myself. I deserve a "reward/treat". However rewards or treats are supposed to be occasional, something to really look forward too, not an everyday occurrence.
I'm reading a great, but very convicting book by Gary Thomas, "Every Body Matters". You can check it out here http://www.garythomas.com/home In it, he refers to a Christian physician, Dr. Scott VanLue who became convinced that he needed to stop simply treating the symptoms and start addressing the underlying problems in his patients' lives. After nearly a decade of practicing traditional medicine, in which he saw thirty to forty patients a day, Scott came to the conclusion, "I'm not really helping anybody here; I'm just giving out meds." Soon after that the author says one thing that particularly grieved Dr. VanLue is "seeing people gradually grow comfortable with their poor state of health, even when they can do something about it." Okay, now he is stepping on my toes...maybe my whole foot. I turned 50 this year and while in good health I have put on approximately 15 pounds over the past 10 years, allowed a known neck problem to grow to a painful state before doing anything about it, (repeatedly) and tried to deal with intermittent bouts of IBS with meds rather than finding the root cause. Most all of us want to feel better, be a little slimmer or in better shape but we want to do it without too much work or inconvenience. We just don't have time to take care of ourselves. Hmmm, what's wrong with that statement? I can already hear you. "I don't have time because I have a job, kids or parents to care for, church work to do, classes to take...need I go on? I can say all of most of those things myself BUT maybe it's time we really settle down and look at the scriptures. As Christians we are members of the Body of Christ. We are a part of the Body, not the whole Body. We need to be obedient to do our part. Then we need to stop and let others do their part.It's hard because we see the needs and we perceive that if we see the need, it is our job to fill the need. That is sometimes but not always true. The media and society have developed an image that we as individuals take and believe that we are to fulfill. It's thin, muscular, pretty, rich, and able to do all things. The truth is that is we can not expect to be like everyone around us. We need to live in the bodies God created us with, but we do need to make choices to be the best us we can be, whatever that looks like in our own lives. I'm taller than many women, love people but need my time away from them, love to learn and to teach. That in and of itself makes me different than some of my friends and family. I shouldn't strive to do be and do like them. I wonder what would happen if we all took some time to figure out what we need to do to get ourselves in good physical, emotional and spiritual health and then did it. I'm going to spend some time exploring this. Want to join me?
Over the past two weeks I've had repeated occasions to think about health. My mother has Alzheimers and has recently taken another step of decline. My mother-in-law has a very healthy mind but her body is failing. My husband was told by his doctor at his pre-hernia operation physical that he has very healthy organs (heart, lungs etc) but his body (joints etc) are his weak link. I struggle with losing the 10-15 pounds I've put on over the past 10 years which causes fatigue. My extremely physically fit niece struggles with celiac disease to the point that it "benches" her from playing college volleyball.
I am more convinced than ever that God created us body, mind and soul, totally integrated. One does not operate without the other. Thus when one part is out of balance or has any kind of problem, every part of your being is effected in some way. As I visit with others about this I am finding that most people say they agree. However, I'm finding most of us (yes, including me) don't live like it. Most anyone you talk to would tell you that consuming alcohol or illegal drugs in large quantities on a regular basis is a problem and will cause trouble. My brother who has smoked since he was a young teenager will tell you that smoking cigarettes is a problem and they aren't illegal. He'll tell you they take money from your budget as well as only cause problems physically. There are no "pluses" for smoking and that comes from a seasoned veteran of smoking - not me. But what about being addicted to carbs or caffeine or choosing comfort foods to console or reward yourself on a regular basis. What about sitting down and staring at the TV night in and night out with no form of physical exercise on your calendar? Often I don't even think about it. I just start planning what "treat" I can have when I get home or while I'm running errands. After all I've "worked hard all day" or I'm doing "this" all by myself. I deserve a "reward/treat". However rewards or treats are supposed to be occasional, something to really look forward too, not an everyday occurrence.
I'm reading a great, but very convicting book by Gary Thomas, "Every Body Matters". You can check it out here http://www.garythomas.com/home In it, he refers to a Christian physician, Dr. Scott VanLue who became convinced that he needed to stop simply treating the symptoms and start addressing the underlying problems in his patients' lives. After nearly a decade of practicing traditional medicine, in which he saw thirty to forty patients a day, Scott came to the conclusion, "I'm not really helping anybody here; I'm just giving out meds." Soon after that the author says one thing that particularly grieved Dr. VanLue is "seeing people gradually grow comfortable with their poor state of health, even when they can do something about it." Okay, now he is stepping on my toes...maybe my whole foot. I turned 50 this year and while in good health I have put on approximately 15 pounds over the past 10 years, allowed a known neck problem to grow to a painful state before doing anything about it, (repeatedly) and tried to deal with intermittent bouts of IBS with meds rather than finding the root cause. Most all of us want to feel better, be a little slimmer or in better shape but we want to do it without too much work or inconvenience. We just don't have time to take care of ourselves. Hmmm, what's wrong with that statement? I can already hear you. "I don't have time because I have a job, kids or parents to care for, church work to do, classes to take...need I go on? I can say all of most of those things myself BUT maybe it's time we really settle down and look at the scriptures. As Christians we are members of the Body of Christ. We are a part of the Body, not the whole Body. We need to be obedient to do our part. Then we need to stop and let others do their part.It's hard because we see the needs and we perceive that if we see the need, it is our job to fill the need. That is sometimes but not always true. The media and society have developed an image that we as individuals take and believe that we are to fulfill. It's thin, muscular, pretty, rich, and able to do all things. The truth is that is we can not expect to be like everyone around us. We need to live in the bodies God created us with, but we do need to make choices to be the best us we can be, whatever that looks like in our own lives. I'm taller than many women, love people but need my time away from them, love to learn and to teach. That in and of itself makes me different than some of my friends and family. I shouldn't strive to do be and do like them. I wonder what would happen if we all took some time to figure out what we need to do to get ourselves in good physical, emotional and spiritual health and then did it. I'm going to spend some time exploring this. Want to join me?
That is my 2012 goal!
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