Do not dwell on the part: Start investing into your well-being

Whenever I look at the pictures taken during my marriage ceremony, I beam with a smile. I  always compliment my very cute self and hold on to the fact that I have been very cute before. Certainly, my body has undergone different changes in the past few years. Age and childbirth have been instrumental in these changes. However, if I desire to have a glimpse of my cute self, I should work towards that. Admiring my photos alone will not change anything. If you are looking forward to maintaining a specific weight, do not be content just looking at the past. It doesn’t change anything. It is important to know that not everyone is able to maintain the same body appearance for years. We need to understand that genetics, age, and other factors play a major role in our physical changes. However, as much as we can, we should be intentional about investing in our health and well-being. 

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.(Isaiah 43:18‭-‬19)

Memories of the past should inspire us to strive for the best. We are not past dwellers! In fact, our faith proclaims newness. God is from the past, in the present and in our future.  He moves in each dispensation but He still remains the same. He does not just want us to dwell in the past. He does new things each day and so must we! In Isaiah 43:18-19, God encourages His people with these words: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Dwelling on the past alone stalls growth and progress. If you have tried to take care of your health in the past and have failed, do not dwell on that to determine another failure. Consciously let go of the former lifestyles that caused you pain and weariness. Motivate yourself with the word of God that your newness will spring forth and people will perceive it.

Don’t allow others to discourage you. Your past should not cause you to doubt your ability. Neither should you just dwell on past glory and fail to take action to ensure a future success. Start from somewhere: take baby steps to your health and well-being and you will notice a dramatic change in your life. You cannot change the past, but you have control over the future. Don’t be quick to give up on yourself. You are fearfully and wonderfully made to reflect the presence of God. Remember that our health and well-being is important to God. We will give account to God for how well we took care of this flesh. Start investing into your well-being and you will reap the benefits. If you know people who are struggling to let go of the past and take charge of the future, encourage them that God is interested in doing new things in their lives. Let’s bear one another into healthy lifestyles. 

Gracious words: Don’t hurt others with your words

The past few blogs have focused on healthy lifestyles. We have considered different ways to maintain a healthy Christian lifestyle. Most times,  we tend to focus on ourselves so much that we miss the point that we can cause others to live unhealthy lives because of our words. Words are so powerful and every idle word has the potential to give life or cause pain. Many people are dealing with internal conflicts about their health and well-being. For some, they have tried all means possible to live healthy lifestyles but things are just not working out. These people need encouragement and support to pull through and not to give up. However, if we start making fun of them, we shoot arrows of despair at them, this could lead to discouragement or low self esteem. These effects can also cause unnecessary health issues. 

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:6)

Not everyone is comfortable with unnecessary jokes about their looks. A person’s weight, appearance, demeanor etc. may be attributed to different things. Don’t be quick to call people ‘fat’,  ‘big’, ‘ugly’, ‘tiny’, ‘weak’ etc. In fact, the recent cause of anorexia among teenage girls is mostly caused by some of these comments. Let us teach our children to speak words that will not hurt others. School children have committed suicide because their colleagues called them bad names. Imagine the pain such an idle word brought to the family. Paul in writing to the Church in Colossae admonished that, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone”  (Colossians 4:6). Salt brings taste to food and this allusion is significant. Paul is not encouraging us to be man-pleasers. His advice is for us to use gracious words. Whatever you tell others, imagine it being told to you should you be in the position of that person. 

Instead of offering pain through our words, let’s offer care and attention. Ask if there is anything you could do to help. Extend a helping hand not a hurtful word. Let’s be intentional about what comes out of our mouth. Before you speak, consider yourself in the position of that person. Many people have lived delimited lifestyles because of what others told them about their looks or appearance. Don’t stop people from chasing their dreams because you think they are not like you. As parents, we might be too concerned about our children that we may prevent them from taking part in certain games they love. Basketball, football, badminton, tennis, swimming etc. are all healthy practices. We should help our children to engage in these should they show interest.  Never say, “you are too tiny to play basketball.” You could potentially cause them to have low self-esteem. If their size is related to eating patterns, encourage them to eat well and let them know that to be a good basketball player, they need to be physically strong. 

Remember, “the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” (Matthew 15:18‭-‬19)

To read more of these, grab my book A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE: YOUR LIVING SACRIFICE here.

Cast all your anxiety on Him

Anxiety if not well managed could be a daily struggle. There are countless situations that could possibly trigger the “feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.” Going for a job interview, preparing for an exam, meeting people for the first time, preparing for marriage, etc. demand some sort of mental preparation. If we allow the stress of every event to weigh us down, we will live in a perpetual state of anxiety.  As we have already discussed, God does not want us to be anxious. Our worries, nervousness, and unease cannot make a situation change. Anxiety affects our mental well-being and learning to maintain an anxiety-free life is very important. 

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

God is aware of all our daily struggles.  He knows our deepest fears and worries. He understands that humanity needs help to manage, regulate, and properly filter all the stress we go through. God’s plan for us is to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). He loves us so much (John 3:16) and He does not slumber nor sleep (Psalms 121:3-4) so that we remain safe in Him. God paid the ultimate price for our salvation and this price includes everything about our health and well-being. Therefore, when we struggle with anxiety and we have tried all possible ways to let go and we have not been successful, we should just leave it to God. In 1 Peter 5:7, we are told to “cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.” All means all! We should cast anything that causes anxiety on Him. 

Knowledge of this makes life easier and reduces our mental stress. Understanding that I could commit all the things that give me worries into God’s hands and free my head of stress is such a blessing. We all have different ways to manage the things that give us sleeplessness. However, we don’t need to bear the burden anymore, God is interested in the nitty-gritty of our lives. A daily reminder that God cares for us helps to take the load of the stress away. God cares about us and He is interested in the details of our lives. Therefore, there is no need for us to be anxious about life. We should commit our ways to God and live each day intentionally for eternity. Psalm 121 should be our daily reminder:
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

Don’t destroy God’s temple!

 Over the past few days, we considered healthy lifestyles and how as believers we can present our bodies to God as a healthy living sacrifice. We saw that we are God’s temple and the Holy Spirit dwells within us and as such, we should not mishandle our physical well-being. We shall continue the conversation of a healthy lifestyle this week and consider ways we can spur our others to live purposely to achieve a healthy Christian lifestyle. Most times, we tend to consider achieving a healthier lifestyle on a personal level. There are very few messages on healthy lifestyles in church. For some Christians, the focus is Spirituality and nothing about their well-being matters. These people miss the point: to be healthy is not just a physical state but a spiritual transformation. If your spiritual state is sickly, it affects your general well-being. 

Whenever we go through bouts of emotional and psychological issues, we tend to weaken physically. Many people develop health problems after an emotional or psychological impact. There are many weak and sickly people in the church who look strong on the outside, but their physical strength is being zapped by pains and worries that could be met by the church (institution). What we do not know is this: “Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God’s temple (His sanctuary), and that God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 AMPC) Individually and collectively we are God’s sanctuary and individually and collectively, God’s Spirit dwells in us.

If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:17)

When we understand that the temple of God is both an individual and collective institution, we will be more concerned about one another. When we tend to neglect others in their lowest point, we destroy the temple of God (collectively as a church). And this is the verdict: “If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3:17). Therefore, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). One of the ways as a church we can collectively do that is to open our doors for counseling, make room for seminars on wellness and healthier lifestyles and encourage others to take care of themselves. Recently, the men’s ministry in my church had a health talk and I learnt so many things about men’s health. Promoting and awareness of healthier lifestyles is important for the general well-being of the body of Christ. 

The women’s ministry in my church has a plan for a physical activity and I hope to join this healthy fun activity. What plans does your church have to promote healthy lifestyles?