By Steven K. Haught, Th.D.
This COVID-19 global pandemic has certainly reminded us that physical vitality and health can be with us one day and gone the next. Chronic ill health or a disability can have a major impact on a person’s quality of life.
As we age, health challenges such as a bout with Shingles can turn into a prolonged fight with neurological pain resulting in lasting permanent nerve damage. Hand doesn’t work like it used to. Can’t walk or run like you once could. At first, you are depressed, once active and healthy, you fear that your health will never be what it once was. One’s strength, courage, and vitality, physically and mentally are drained away.
One day to the next, we never can be sure of what life will deal us. It reminds us that none of us have complete control over our health.
Still, we can take reasonable measures to reduce the risk of ill health. But what if our health deteriorates? Does that doom us to unhappiness? Not at all, as we shall see. First, though, let us consider some principles that promote good health.
BE MODERATE IN HABITS. (1 Timothy 3:2, 11) Habitually eating or drinking to excess is obviously bad for our health —not to mention our finances! “Do not be among those who drink too much wine, among those who gorge themselves on meat, for a drunkard and a glutton will come to poverty.” —Proverbs 23:20, 21.
DO NOT POLLUTE YOUR BODY. “Let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit.” (2 Corinthians 7:1) People threaten the health of their bodies when they chew or smoke tobacco or abuse alcohol or drugs. Smoking, for example, “leads to disease and disabilities and harms nearly every organ of the body,” says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
VIEW YOUR BODY AND YOUR LIFE AS PRECIOUS GIFTS. “By [God] we have life and move and exist.” (Acts 17:28) Appreciating that fact should motivate us to avoid taking needless risks, whether we are at work, driving a car, or participating in a favorite form of recreation. A momentary thrill is not worth a life of disability!
CONTROL NEGATIVE EMOTIONS. Your mind and body are closely linked. So try to avoid undue anxiety, unbridled anger, envy, and other harmful emotions. “Let go of anger and abandon rage,” says Psalm 37:8. We also read: “Never be anxious
about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties.” Matthew 6:34.
TRY TO FOCUS ON POSITIVE THOUGHTS. “A calm heart gives life to the body,” says Proverbs 14:30. The Bible also states: “A joyful heart is good medicine.” (Proverbs 17:22) That is a scientifically sound statement. “If you are happy,” said a doctor in Scotland, “you are likely in the future to have less in the way of physical illness than those who are unhappy.”
BUILD RESILIENCE. There will be things that happen to us, unexpected illnesses, even things like the global coronavirus pandemic that cause stress and can give us a sense of hopelessness if we allow it. We may have no choice but to endure a persistent trial. Still, we can choose how we endure. Some become overwhelmed with discouragement, which may only make matters worse. “If you become discouraged in the day of distress, your strength will be meager,” says Proverbs 24:10.
Covid-19 has caused many people around the world to have a sense of foreboding, fear and anxiety. Perhaps after initial feelings of despair, you bounce back quickly. You find ways to cope and adapt. As is often said… “you go with the flow.”
When things are difficult, where do you turn? Why not consider increasing your personal and private time with God? Prayer and meditation on the Bible’s positive message, can change one’s outlook on life and the problems of health.
You begin to see opportunities instead of obstacles. The benefits of persevering through life’s trials teaches valuable lessons in compassion and empathy, which will move a follower of Christ to share the Bible’s comforting messages with others.
God loves His family and will always give you the strength and positive outlook to endure anything that comes your way. Trust Him, and walk faithfully with Him each day. No better journey than to walk with the Lord at your side!
___________________________________________
