One of the questions I am most often asked is, “How do you stay healthy when you are so busy?” I expect the question arises when the questioner has read my itinerary and learned I have just gotten back from speaking in Korea, or picked up my latest book, and now sits at the table next to me in McDonalds watching me corral a number of my grandkids.
I assure this person that I was not doing all of those things at the same time, and that I am no busier than he or she is. We are just busy doing different things. Perhaps my particular things are more visible than her things so it appears like I’m doing the impossible, but both of us have exactly the same amount of moments in each day to accomplish what God has called us to do.
We need to also keep in mind that we are all different, so we shouldn’t compare ourselves with each other. Some of us have larger capacities than others, and others flourish when they focus on one task at a time. By coming to understand how God has made us, we’ll come to better understand our own limitations - and that will make for a healthier life.
Especially as women, when it’s so easy to take care of everyone else, we can neglect our own health. But by doing only those things that God has assigned to us, we will become healthier overall.
There are wonderful promises for renewed and supernatural strength for those who weary themselves in kingdom work such as the prophet’s promise of rising like an eagle above life’s wearing challenges. “They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They shall rise up on wings like the eagle, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isa. 40:31).
SPIRITUAL HEALTH
H - The secret of good spiritual health is hope. An Arabian proverb says, “He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.” The word, hope, means having confidence, looking to God for our everything. It involves trusting God to be God enough for all of our health needs in a life lived for Him.
E - Keeping spiritually healthy involves exploring and finding the will of God - and doing it.
A - Spiritual health also includes activity - serving, praying and knowing God’s Word.
L - Above all else, being spiritually health means loving God and others better than yourself. Loving others is the healthiest thing you can do for your personal health, because as you give yourself away to others, God meets your own needs in the process.
T - Thinking helps a person stay spiritually healthy by keeping interested in our world and all that is happening. Charles Spurgeon told a story about a little girl who, when asked what she thought her soul was, replied, “My soul is my think.” Spurgeon responded, “If that were the case then a lot of people do not have very much soul.” It’s hard to read and stay aware of what’s happening when the pressures of our ministry press in on us, but healthy, inquisitive minds help us to have healthy bodies and spirits.
H - is for helping. If we are gloriously busy doing all these things, our soul will prosper, and a prosperous soul knows how to help others live long enough and stay well enough to honor and glorify Him.
