by Heidi Ruckle
If you have ever seen one of those TV shows where people compete to lose weight, you know the results are dramatic. However, they rarely stick! Most of the time these people gain back all or most of the weight that they have lost. The main reason for this is that they have lost the weight in a way that is simply not real life. No one person has six hours a day to exercise, a personal coach in their home, all their meals planned, and a chef to cook the food for them! There is simply no quick fix for health. This is also true of both our physical and spiritual health. Comparing physical health and spiritual health helps to remind us of what we need to do to truly live “the good life”.
Nutrition: What we put into our bodies matters. If we live on junk food all the time we will quickly see and feel the results of that poor choice. It is the same with spiritual nutrition. We need to be consuming the Word every day. If all we “eat” is brain candy we will soon see and feel the results of that poor choice. The main course of our daily meal should always be the Bible. It is okay to have sides of E.G. White, and other religious writers…but never as our full meal.
Water/Air: Drinking water is one of the single most important things we do for our health. I have a water bottle that goes with me everywhere I go. It’s the last thing I touch before I sleep and the first thing I touch when I wake up. This is how our prayer life should be. It should be something we take with us everywhere we go. The last thing we do before we rest and the first thing we do when we wake up. Prayer should be like the breath in our lungs.
Exercise: Getting our bodies moving is often the biggest struggle of getting a healthy body. It is hard for us to make daily time to get our hearts pumping and muscles flexing. But we must move to have a truly healthy body. This is true of our spiritual health as well. The best way to exercise this is to do things for others. It doesn’t have to be a mission trip; it can be as simple as a smile or a hug. It can be getting food for the homeless person on the corner. But it must become a daily practice.
Rest: Taking time for quiet rest is essential for our body and soul. We must take time to come apart from the stress and the press of the world for our physical health. A little “self-care” is so important. It is no different with our spiritual health. Just as Jesus took time alone with the Father, so must we retreat to a quiet place of rest in Jesus.
Sunlight: Lastly, we must take time to walk in the light of the sun for our vitamin D! We must walk in the light of the SON each day for our “vitamin J”! The benefits are countless for your mind, body and soul.
