“Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering.”
(St. Augustine)

 

You might be asking yourself what this quote is doing in the health section.  Augustine was on to something when he recognized our humanly habit to marvel so often at God’s creation around us, while too often forgetting to marvel at God’s most complex creation: mankind.  Did you know that in all of the world, and in all of existence, there never has been and never will be another creation just like you?  God took the time and carefulness to make each of us unique in ways that we can’t even imagine.  And with all of our unique physical, emotional and spiritual qualities comes a great responsibility to take care of that with which we’ve been blessed.  Just as we are to nourish our minds with spiritual thought and study from His Word, we have a responsibility to nourish our physical bodies with good health that we may be active in bringing Christ to the world.  Let’s decide today to take full responsibility for our health, and work toward being better to our bodies since they are God’s beautiful creation!  Remember, how we choose to treat God’s creation reflects how we feel about our Creator.

In today’s world we have more access to knowledge about health than ever before.  There are things we can know now that even our own parents didn’t know.  We know, for instance, that the decisions we make about the foods we consume affect every aspect of our lives; how we feel emotionally can be affected by certain foods, and many illnesses and diseases can be prevented by the foods we do or do not eat.  Sometimes being bombarded with the plethora of health labels in a grocery store and all of that information out there can be very overwhelming!  So here are some simple tips to try to implement in the next few weeks:

• Instead of grabbing a packaged snack, reach for something that came straight from the earth.  Fresh fruits and veggies are what God chose to fill His beautiful Garden of Eden, and they are still the best choice for our bodies today.  Look at the ingredients in a packaged snack.  Recognize many of the words?  Most of us cannot even pronounce those words because they are chemicals that we know nothing about.  Take responsibility for your health by knowing what you are putting in your body.  Great snack suggestion: slice a pear, drizzle with honey (try to use honey harvested locally), then sprinkle with goat cheese.  Sound weird?  Just give it a try!
  
  
  
• Try to consume less sugar this week.  The wrong kinds of sugars (the stuff found in sodas, desserts, and many breakfast foods) can do a lot of bad things to our bodies and our minds.  Refined sugars are very difficult for our bodies to digest, detox and eliminate, and leave our bodies drained of important vitamins and minerals that are used to fight off illness and disease.  So leave that soda behind!
  
  
• Take a deep breath.  We know that we can’t live without breathing, but many of us don’t take the time to breath in a way that benefits our body the most.  Our busy schedules tend to promote quick and shallow breathing, but slower, deeper breathing helps our bodies stay energized and promotes wellness.  This week pay attention to how you breathe.  Take a break twice a day to close your eyes and focus on at least ten deep breaths (in and out through your nose, slow and long).  You’ll love the results!
  
  
• Last, but certainly not least, pray everyday to God for the strength to take care of yourself the way that He desires.  Daniel could have chosen to eat the king’s rich and heavy food, but he practiced self-control, putting God’s desires before his own.  We know that Daniel was a man of prayer, and couldn’t have resisted temptation without a close relationship with God.  Every day we make decisions (consciously or not) about how we will treat God’s creation.  We will only make the best decisions if we are in constant prayer and communion with God!

 Amanda Scott is a graduate of Freed-Hardeman University who now works as a freelance photographer.  She and her husband Boo work with the Westside Church of Christ in Norman, OK and are expecting a daughter in September.