Quality of Life

If you want to enjoy a good quality of life in years to come, you have to invest in your health today.

Sickness and accidents are a part of life, and sometimes you don’t have much control over what you come in contact with or what happens to you. On the other hand, how your body reacts initially to these things and how quickly it recovers or heals is something that you do have some control over, because your body’s resistance and resilience are in great part the result of choices you make every day in caring for your health—what you eat, how you exercise, how you manage stress, your sleep and recreation habits, and other lifestyle choices.

There are many practical points that can be beneficial when trying to determine how to stay in good health or get back to good health if you’re not, but the best advice you will ever get will come from God. No one understands your body and its needs as He does, so the smartest thing you can do is ask Him to show you what changes you need to make in order to be in peak health.

God can even use health problems to better your quality of life in the long run, believe it or not. No one enjoys being sick, but if you will make an extra effort to keep Him as your ever-close consultant and companion during such times, your relationship with Him will deepen. And if you ask Him to teach you something or bring about some other good through those physical problems, He will. You will also find that you have greater faith, peace of mind, and the comfort of knowing that He is in control—all of which will make those times of difficulty easier, and the wisdom gained will stick with you once you’re better.

The next time you’re faced with a storm of health problems, remember that every dark cloud has a silver lining and that sunshine will break through in God’s time, transforming even the blackest skies. The beauties of spirit that come through such trying times are grander than the rainbow after the storm and more valuable than any “pot of gold” at the rainbow’s end. It doesn’t matter what health problem you experience, how minor or how debilitating. Whatever it is, God can use it in your life for good.

Do what you can to live a healthy lifestyle. Give your body the good things it needs, and avoid toxins, stress, and other things that weaken it. Also do what you can to strengthen your spirit by living close to God, reading and absorbing God’s Word, and avoiding things that disturb, weaken, and drain you spiritually. Do what you can, and be assured that God will do what you can’t do. You’re His forever, and He loves you more than words can say!

Natural laws vs. miracles

While God operates in the realm of the miraculous and can do whatever He deems necessary to fulfill His will, we also need to accept the fact that most of the time God chooses to work within the natural order that He has set up. That means that you are responsible to do what you can to care for your body by following God’s laws for healthy living—eating properly, exercising appropriately and consistently, getting enough sleep, minimizing stress, being attentive to hygiene, taking precautions to prevent accidents, etc.—and when you do get sick or have an accident, taking practical steps to help your body heal. God will rarely override His natural laws to do something for you that you could have done for yourself. When it comes to health, doing your part includes taking good care of your body and spirit through a healthy diet and appropriate exercise, sufficient physical and spiritual rest, and getting medical help when necessary.

Mental and emotional well-being

The ways in which our body’s physiology interacts with our mental and emotional behavior is a vast subject. There are many causes of mental illness, ranging from past experiences and hurts that one has not come to grips with, to physical imbalances that affect one’s reasoning and emotions, to feelings of extreme fear or guilt or negativity or depression, or addictions, or intense physical pain, or stress, or even simply a lack of sleep over a period of time. How an individual is affected by those causes and for how long also vary greatly, depending on how that person deals with them and whether or not the cause can be eliminated.

More and more medical professionals are recognizing the benefit of faith in overcoming mental and emotional problems, especially those brought on by trauma. Patients who turn to God for comfort and help tend to recover more quickly.

Stress

Stress undermines health, in part by weakening your nervous system and in part by undermining whatever steps you are taking to improve your health. Reducing stress often involves reassessing your priorities and lifestyle choices. What do you need to start doing differently in order to bring your life into better balance? What will it cost you? What is your health worth?

Healing takes time

Be leery of products, methods, and treatments that claim to give instant results. Most systems in the body take time to regulate. While a certain pharmaceutical product, dietary supplement, or exercise gadget might relieve one symptom or help you overcome one problem, it may have side effects that could cause worse damage. Others are simply a waste of time and money.

As you consider the options for healing and health, it’s good to remember that healing of all kinds—physical, mental, spiritual, emotional—usually takes time. That’s the way God designed it. While He might sometimes choose to restore us to full health miraculously and speedily, for the most part it takes time for our bodies and spirits to be renewed or repaired. This is the way He’s made our bodies and how they function. It’s also one of the ways in which He deepens our spirit and perspective on life, and helps us to learn lessons and gain valuable experience and maturity.

Healing just takes time. It’s a process. If something is out of balance in your body, work on getting it back in balance through healthy living choices, through steady improvement, through incremental changes. Give your body time to heal from the inside out, to be strengthened, and to repair itself. And during that time, let Jesus work in your spirit and bring about beautiful and worthwhile changes and results that will stick with you for a lifetime. “Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

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1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV – So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 3:17 ESV – If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

1 Corinthians 9:27 ESV – But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.