Weekly Thought – October 8, 2013
Fred believed in his body’s ability to heal itself, sometimes to the “I can only speak personally”, but I have found when I have the right attitude my body has great recuperative power. When our children complain of a humdrum life I tell them; “There’s nothing wrong with you that a little excitement won’t cure!” Fred was severely immobilized in his last four or five years. He was quoted in a national magazine: “I am not disabled; I am delightfully dependent.” He had a joyful attitude.
Please continue to pray for the BWFLI team that is heading to East Texas Baptist University on October 22nd. Thank you for ongoing encouragement and support.
Joyful Health
Joy can live in a sick or disabled body…the spirit can overcome the physical limitations. Joy can also reside in a body that is well-respected, protected from abuse.
Very few people miss a vacation due to illness. Most of the school children who are sick to their stomachs are often “sick of school,” or afraid to face a pressured situation. I have no scientific survey to prove this, but I would daresay a class led by an exciting and loving teacher experiences less absenteeism.
I am not denying true physical illness. My good friends at Mayo Clinic have seen me through several surgical procedures and diagnosed diseases before they became debilitating. But I see people who make illness a way of life. Thankfully, I grew up in a family with a strong-willed matriarch. She suffered with heart problems and other ailments. But I have seen her line high-backed chairs up around the kitchen, walking from one to the other, in order to prepare food for her husband and five boys.
For years I kept Kipling’s poem “If” under the glass top of my desk. The phrase “when nothing but your will says go” became my life’s byline. There were many days I wanted to hunker down, but that line wouldn’t allow such pampering. I guess it reminded me too much of the great sacrifices my Mother made.
I am frightened some families substitute sympathy for love and enjoy illness because it gives them the emotional boost they desire. Staying sick to feel loved is a great price to pay — and definitely a killjoy.
Humor promotes joy and a healthy spirit. A sense of humor snuffs out the sparks of friction before they get to our fuel tank. We maintain a healthy humor muscle by exercising it. Any exercise program should include a massaging of our funnybone.
Joyful people understand the cycles of life…..the ups and downs. No one knows real joy until they have walked through the joys and scaled the peaks, holding onto the joy of living. Many of our narcotic and chemical addictions are an artificial substitute for the recognition of highs and lows in a normal life. When we attempt to fill in the holes with synthetic highs we succumb rather than overcome.
Life is painted in many colors – shades of light and dark. No one tone completely fills the canvas and the joyful, healthy person knows growth comes through endurance. Joy faces every situation with hope, faith, and the knowledge of God’s sufficiency. He has been faithful in the past and will be today and tomorrow.
Healthy living produces joy; joy enables healthy living.
This week think about: 1) When do I want to have a “sick day?” 2) What situations rob me of my joy? 3) How can I show healthy empathy?
Words of Wisdom: “I don’t have anything wrong with me that a little excitement won’t cure.”
Wisdom from the Word: “A cheerful heart brings good healing, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22 NET Bible)