Proverb 17: 22
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
Do you want to know the truth about good health? I ask because I am not sure most people really want to hear the truth. They want to act foolishly and still have God give them miraculously good health. If you know God, you know that is craziness. God steers you to good health. He does not condone our bad behaviors standing by like an on call doctor just waiting to heal us of our own self-imposed diseases. Don’t misquote me. I believe in Divine Healing. I just also believe that God is trying to lead us into health every minute and to direct us away from things which endanger our health. There are so many opportunities to bless our bodies. Today we look at an oft overlooked health hazard – Attitude.
Rain happens in every life. Things don’t always go our way but the way we react to those things can have a direct and extremely powerful effect on our health. I do not want you to hear me say that God is not compassionate when you have trouble nor am I unsympathetic. What I wish to stress today is that there are times when we can manage the impact an event has on our lives.
Let me tell you this. Stress in itself isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, it can be empowering in an emergency, but I wish to put that kind of stress aside and focus only on stress which is unnecessary and harmful. Every moment we experience that internal tension we “stress” our bodies. Think about construction. You never want to put undue stress on a structure. It could snap immediately due to the strain, or it may fatigue over time so that the life span of the structure is reduced. That is how it is with us. As I watch people deal with life’s ups and downs there are times I think I can almost see the damage they are doing to their bodies.
I have to confront this too. I am a person of strong passion. My highs are very high but my reactions to negatives can be very strong too. I really have to watch this. I am learning to talk to myself and remind myself how great my God is. Instead of having a big reaction to a situation, I need to backoff and pray. I need to renew my mind with the Word of God so that I have confidence that He is on the job and taking care of me and my needs. My ability to put the situations in His hands and not worry makes those situations work out better and it guards my health.
We must confront life with joy and faith rather than fear and worry. Since I have mentioned fear, let me tell you that is one of the worst health deteriorating factors we encounter. Fear absolutely dries out the bones. You will become feeble of mind and body if you entertain fear.
If you want a healthy body, then you need a joyful heart. Many people believe joy is a matter of circumstance and chance. It is not. It is a practiced art whereby one learns to speak wisdom, truth and life to one’s heart. They learn how to react to challenge so that it does not cripple them. We must all learn mechanisms for dealing with stress, worry and fear. Developing a closer walk with the Father certainly inspires confidence. That often comes from time spent talking with Him, time in His word and prayer.
If you feel yourself getting anxious, stop and breathe. Don’t let that stress persist. It will dry out your bones.