Evening Wrap-up
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
ACTS 2:46-47
We were not created to exist alone. Instead, we have been created to be part of a community. In this passage from Acts, we see that early Christians ate together, worshipped together, and grew in faith together. Their wellness was intertwined with their community. Likewise, our wellness today is not only for us, but is for our community as well. As we continue on this journey, not only is God always with us, but we have companions in our faith communities, in our families, and even in our work communities.
God of relationship, help me reach out and open up to the communities of which I am a part. Help me share my journey to wellness with them. In Your holy name, Amen.
Day 28:
Our Spirit
Morning Reflection
We have reached the final day of our fourth week. And as we have focused on the many aspects of God’s creation, we have seen air, water, sun, and bodies. But we are left with one important aspect of God’s creation that we also must care for: spirit. Though we often think of “health” as being primarily about the body, our spirits are central to wellness. Today we will focus on how our spirits contribute to our overall wellness.
Faith Life
What do you think a healthy spirit is? Today take ten minutes to pray and then write a few sentences about what a healthy spirit means to you.
Medical
File this piece of information away in your mind: If you have wounds, they should heal more or less within a week. If you have wounds, particularly on your legs and feet, that are not healing, you should see your primary care provider.
Movement
Helping out a neighbor to do yard work or even to move is a wonderful act of kindness and generosity, and it can get your heart rate up and burn calories, to boot! today try to help a friend, family member, or neighbor with a project.
Work
If you find yourself standing in one place for a period of time (making copies, talking on the phone, waiting for lunch to heat up), spend that time raising yourself onto your toes and then lowering yourself back down, increasing the strength in your calves.
Emotional
We often expect perfection of ourselves. The trouble with such expectations is that we are simply not perfect, and we can become demoralized. Today write for ten minutes about a time that you have intentionally or inadvertently expected perfection from yourself.
Family and Friends
Today recruit some family members and friends to help you with a project that you have been putting off—rearranging furniture, painting a room, mowing the lawn. Getting things accomplished is a great way to bond and lift spirits generally.
Nutrition
When you cook meat, trim the visible fat before you cook it. Do not fry the meat—bake it or grill it. When it is cooked, drain the remaining fat.
Evening Wrap-up
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
GALATIANS 5:22-25 NRSV
At this point in our journey, often we can start to notice a difference in our day-to-day lives. Perhaps we are not reaching as quickly for the bag of potato chips, or we are finding ways to add a few extra steps to each day. These changes may seem small, but they are, when added together, significant steps on the wellness journey. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul reminds us of the fruit of the Spirit. On our journey, the fruit of the Spirit that we are seeing are those extra steps.
Dear Lord God, help me to see Your Spirit at work in me as I continue on this journey to wellness. In Your holy name, Amen.
Week 5
Kathy’s Story
Kathy’s involvement in helping people to get moving was born during her years as a middle school teacher at Lincoln Junior High School. In an effort to raise money to fight hunger in Memphis, she convinced students to walk with her; their initial efforts raised over three hundred dollars. She continued to motivate students to get moving during her time at Melrose High and Dunbar Elementary School.
Kathy continued to get more people moving by organizing neighborhood walks in her area. At the same time, she developed an interest in basketball through her husband’s involvement with youth league basketball. She admits that she knew nothing about basketball prior to his coaching, but she was a fast learner.
The drive to get people moving became more personal when her husband suffered a major heart attack and was given five years to live. Following his heart surgery, her daily care for him taught her the science of healthy living. His doctors were amazed at his progress prior to his death. Her efforts in exercise and nutrition extended his life for many years.
Kathy took her exercise habits to another level by entering the Tennessee Senior Olympics. Her passion for running and basketball won her gold and silver medals in the three-mile run, the 100-meter dash, and the basketball free throw. She continued to stay active in community events through participation in many local races.
Day 29:
Varieties on the Journey
Morning Reflection
The journey to wellness is not a one-path-fits-all journey. Sometimes, as with Kathy’s story, we might begin on what we consider to be the path, and we end up looking at something different than what we expected. Kathy started on a journey to feed children and ended up winning the 100-meter dash! this week we will be considering the variety of directions our journeys might take us. In particular, we will focus on the fact that the journey is infinitely varied.
Faith Life
Our faith journey, like our wellness journey, is a long and varied one. Spend ten minutes today writing about a time in your faith journey when you thought you were beginning one particular stage of a journey but ended up somewhere else entirely.
Medical
Are you on medications? Have you been feeling better? Do not stop taking any medications until you have discussed it with your primary care provider. Stopping medication suddenly can lead to relapse, drug resistance, or unexpected side effects.
Movement
Go for a walk in your neighborhood today. Take a coin, and each time you arrive at a corner, flip the coin to decide whether to turn left or right.
Work
Each hour at work, take a minute or two just to stretch your arms and back. This will help keep you limber and can help keep you focused throughout the day.
Emotional
The unpredictability of our wellness journey can sometimes feel overwhelming. Today make a list of what your expectations are at this point in your journey. Compare them with your expectations at the beginning of the journey.
Family and Friends
Family and friends can be our constants when other things in life are unpredictable. Today make a healthy meal for your family or some friends. Enjoy the food, but focus on the company and conversation.
Nutrition
When you are trying to cut out sugar, add lemon, orange, or lime zest to a recipe. The citrus zest will add flavor and interest to a dish, so you will be less likely to miss the sugar.