You might wonder why people put such a high price tag on their health. Honestly, there could be a lot of reasons why they do this. It could be that their health is always on their mind. It might be that they are afraid of dying or having a terrible, painful disease.
Just how much of a priority should taking care of our bodies have? Here is the way I look at it; We live in America in the 21st Century, and things are very different than they were in the past. Our society wants everything in a hurry. The things that appeal to us and to our senses are the things we going after. For example, if you are in a grocery store, and you are going to buy some apples to make a pie with, and you look at the apples, which ones would you pick? Would you pick the dull green ones, or would you prefer the shiny, bright red ones? How about carrots? There are some nice, dull looking ones with an organic label on them, or there are cut up carrots, that look like they have just come out of the dishwasher. What we don't realize is that the shiny red apple is that way because of some additives to the soil when the tree was bearing fruit and they were waxed to make them look shiny, and that the carrots were cut up and put into bleach water to make them look bright and clean (and appealing). The point is, we go after what appeals to our eyes and senses.
We are a sick people though. We are spiritually unhealthy as well as physically ill. When I was a child, occasionally a person had cancer. Cancer meant death was sure. When my dad had cancer, statistically speaking, one in four people would get cancer. Today, about half the people will have cancer sometime during their lifetimes.
Not only is cancer a problem, but now we are afraid of getting the flu. There is a flu bug going around and its a nasty one. I see people running to their pharmacies to get their flu shots.
So do we run around like a chicken whose head was just chopped off? Why do we want to avoid all these sicknesses and is there a way to do it?
Not only do we succumb to cancer and the flu, but there are a myriad of other diseases today that we are prone to get. Alzheimer's, Dementia, MS, Diabetes, Sleep Apnea, Headaches, Viruses, Heart Attack, Stroke, Allergies, Emphysema, and many, many more.
If we don't have a way to prevent these sicknesses, they will invade our lives. Not only will we be sick, but we won't have the energy or strength to do what God has called us to. We won't be able to live out the abundant life God has given us.
We are physically sick, because we live in a toxic world. We have compromised immunity systems. Our immunities are not strong enough to fight the sicknesses that come our way. The devil holds out to us the temptation to have an easy, happy life by selfishly indulging in convenience and appearance. Instead of taking the time to prepare a nourishing meal for our families, we pick something up at the grocery store or open a box or can and put the contents in the microwave, and we think we are serving our families well! I'll be the first to admit, this is much of how I did things for most of my married life. I know how easy it is to do this! But is it really serving our families if we continue to do this, day in and day out?
What do you want to be in your old age? Do you want to follow God's call on your life and serve Him when you are old? Or do you want to be in a nursing home, not remembering who your children are?
It is true that we can make this subject of health into an idol. That is not a good thing to do. But to become informed on how we can best take care of our bodies and take preventive measures from developing sicknesses will serve us all the days of our lives on earth. Then we can concentrate on what God wants us to do and how we can serve Him and others more effectively.
There are basically 5 things to look into when we want to learn how to improve our health. They are called, 'The Five Essentials' of Maximized Living.
1. Maximized Mind
2. Maximized Nerve Supply
3. Maximized Quality Nutrition
4. Maximized Oxygen and Lean Muscle
5. Minimized Toxins
This page with explain each one in more detail: Maximized Living
We want to get rid of as much of the toxins as we can, plus some exercise and proper nutrition are necessary too. The goal is to get rid of toxins that produce inflammation, which compromises our immunity systems and makes it easy for us to get sick and stay sick. We want to get well so we can think clearly in our old age and be as mobile and independent as possible.
In closing, I think about how my great grandmother died. She was 95 and lived on her own, but in a community where there were other people around to check on each other. She was fine on New Years Eve in 1985. Her friend checked on her the next day, and found her dead in a chair. Her body just expired! She had lived a life without much sickness, and lived until the last day of her life on earth without suffering or having the difficulties of aging, as people have today. That is the ideal way to go!
But my dad died a year before that, and he succumbed to cancer. Having cancer is terrible. It is a dreadful disease. My dad was very young when he died. He lived for two months after the cancer was found, but it was a horrible experience to watch. That is what we want to prevent from happening, as much as we have the power to do so. That is why I am writing this blog!
All of us will die one day. We will be in eternity. Our lives will be like a drop in a bucket. The Bible describes our lives as a vapor. When you lived a full life, you realize just how true that statement is. Our lives are only a few days compared to eternity. We are born. We do our own thing. And suddenly, we aren't here anymore! But what do you think happens after we die? I have a couple of pages that talk about this subject if you are interested in finding out answers to questions like this. The Gospel Conversation and The Good Person Test . Also, for children, http://thecolorfulstory.blogspot.com
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