Today was the first day that I finally felt 100 percent. For four days now, I’ve been dragging my feet, feeling sickly and fatigued. With my physical health compromised, my spiritual and emotional life were being dwarfed as well.
So many times we practice the discipline of spiritual devotion, physical fitness, and strong work ethic–that we forget that if our health fails…everything else seems to disintegrate along with it.
Today, with multi-vitamins in high dosage and sufficient sleep in ample reserve, I feel able to conquer the little tasks along with the big ones. The color has returned to my cheeks and the life restored in my eyes. It feels really nice to be back on the offensive rather than the defensive when it comes to combating the daily obstacles of life.
Another thing that really helped…I’m reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. One passage says, “I found myself trying to love the right things without God’s help, and it was impossible. I tried to go one week without thinking a negative thought about another human being, and I couldn’t do it….My answer to this dilemma was self-discipline.”
Health and Self-Discipline, they go hand in hand. If you don’t take care of yourself, your health deteriorates- If you are incapable of controlling your Self your Self deteriorates.
Today, I’m learning that it’s okay to have a bad day or a bad week. But really, it’s how you handle life’s discipline and how you prepare to be on the offense that’s really going to make your spiritual life rock solid.
Tags: blue like jazz, body, care, donald miller, emotional, march, soul, spiritual
I am convinced that the New Testament writers viewed “salvation” as a restoration unto wholeness—Salvation is the action, wholeness is the product. There is no distinction between physical health, emotional well-being, intellectual nurturing, and spiritual vibrancy. I’m suggesting that medicine, spirituality, fitness, diet, philosophy, and emotional care are all interconnected.
Most of us are fully aware of our brokenness in all these areas, and yet for some reason our modern day western faith compartmentalizes these domains. Jesus exemplified a gospel that was holistic. He didn’t just heal people spiritually, he healed their physical and emotional brokenness as well.
Now ‘beyond retirement age’ but still joyful to be able to work: I discovered your web blogs today, and am very encouraged to read a real depth of wisdom and understanding from damian and cheryl. Some day I shall return to the site and read others … expecting to find the same.
Now a complex sentence for possible reflection and application:
To have the intentionality of life and with life to live life
with what you already know
in the years months days hours minutes seconds before you
without undue regret for those behind you
is a Grace from God himself.