Healthy Living

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Some people say that suffering makes you appreciate goodness. That it causes one, for instance, to learn to smell the roses, and to be able to appreciate what might be a small thing to others.

I'm sure that has some truth to it. But it is not necessarily so. We as humans are so complex. God made us that way. We bear His image: body, soul, and spirit.

If one is sad, depressed, lonely, even when surrounded by people, or in their inner self feel that they continually fail -- it is impossible to constantly look inward, without coming up with some failures, short-comings or seemingly, empty parts.

Jesus said that 'His yoke is easy and His burden is light'. If we come to understand that God loves us, that Jesus loves us; if we begin to focus on Jesus, what He did for us at Calvary; if we pray fervent prayers, and focus our love on Jesus, laying aside ourselves occasionally -- our continual focus on ourselves, repenting time and again about the same things -- though repentance is necessary at times -- (but not to get lost in repentance, sorrowfulness and self-recriminations every time we decide to pray) -- if we determine in our minds and hearts to begin focusing on Jesus and on the Father, giving praise and thanks just because! Quoting His Word to Him, and thereby to ourselves -- this fellowship will go a long way in alleviating a lot of depression, sadness, self-recriminations, etc. Because now, God is the focus. Not us, not the person in the other room, not our failures. He, by His Spirit, shows up on the scene. And He will 'shed His love abroad in our hearts'. If we practice this kind of prayer more often, slowly but surely, light from God's presence will go with us, shining on our path; and that place of love, and awe at God's love for us, 'will keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.'

If some particular failure has hold on us, keeping us bound, it will slowly lose its "hold" and "awe" over us. Because we are in love with Jesus. And there is no-thing more important than that. If we have the Spirit of God, we are His. The Spirit of God convicts us. And once that failure is repented of and turned away from, let the focus not be on the failure or the fear of failure, but on the goodness of God, His love for us, and His power toward us. He does not condemn us, nor constantly beat us over the head. Neither does He want us doing this to ourselves.

Reading the scriptures is important. Because it 'renews' our mind and thinking processes. It interrupts our own way of thinking, and it reminds us, and puts us back into God's way of thinking. It doesn't have to be 3 chapters at one time, all the time. On occasion, just open the Bible and read where it falls. If one feels the need to read something specific, then do that. Read a verse, read it over and over again. Ask God to enlighten our understanding. And before one knows it, one might have read 3 chapters and received much from it.

Prayer does not always mean clearing out a space, getting down on our knees, setting our clocks to an hour. This is good. But in between those times, we can talk to Jesus on our way to the store; we can pray to God walking through our house; we can praise God during the TV commercial! In doing these things, we practice the presence of God. If you cannot think of anything to say to God at the moment, pray in the Spirit, if your belief allows you to do so. It can be short, or it can be longer. Whatever is your style of prayer, make it fervent, and focused. It's not a formal thing, but since we have to use words, some people call it "practicing the presence of God".

In time, God sometimes visits us, and strengthens us, in ways that, though we do not believe it at first, yet is true; and we must gain faith in God's care for us, and His communication with us. Sometimes He might give direction to one's life, clues and understanding in a dream, in a scripture, through someone else's words. We must not pass up these things just out of hand, because in the busy-ness of life, and distractions -- positive and negative -- we forget and lose hearing of what God may be saying to us.

Just like Mary, the mother of Jesus, we should "ponder these things in our hearts', and thereby find out what God is saying to us. He loved us enough to make us in His image. Though we are complex, if we strengthen our spirit and our mind, it will go a long way in leading us to God's purpose for us.

If our physicality, our body, is tired, exhausted, or unwell, God gives us wisdom how to strengthen the body. And through exercise, walks, taking good quality vitamin supplements, eating good quality protein foods, fruits, green salads, and vegetables, drinking plenty of pure water, eating fiber foods and grains, getting plenty of sleep -- this will strengthen the body in which we house spirit, and mind (soul).

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