LUKE 12:22-24
It is normal at this point in the journey to begin worrying about what will happen next. But it is important to realize that the small steps that we have been taking over the last five weeks have been adding up. We are making progress toward wellness. Each time we exercise or prepare a healthy meal, we take another step along the journey. Even setbacks are simply a part of the journey. And so it is not for us to worry but to continue on.
God of each new step, help me today to lay down my worry and to simply focus on the journey ahead. In Your holy name, Amen.
Day 35:
Healing
Morning Reflection
Today we reach the final day of the fifth week, Day 35. We are coming to the end of our six-week journey, but the larger journey is really just beginning. Think of Jesus’ forty-day walk in the wilderness. It was preparation for the rest of His life, not His entire life. Our six-week journey is the preparation for the wellness journey after the six weeks are completed. The journey to wellness is a journey toward healing. Today we will focus on how wellness heals.
Faith Life
Today read Luke 8:40-56. Then spend five minutes writing about when you have experienced God’s healing grace in your life. Keep in mind, God heals in many different ways.
Medical
One of the best ways to prevent both serious and minor illnesses (such as the common cold or staph infections) is to wash your hands frequently, particularly during times of the year when most people are inside. Also try keeping a bottle of alcohol-based hand-sanitizing gel with you.
Movement
Exercise is incredibly healing, as we saw with Kathy’s husband. Today spend ten minutes warming up your muscles with some jumping jacks or by jogging in place. Then spend at least five minutes stretching your muscles.
Work
Today at work, if you are stuck sitting for long periods of time, try to move your feet by bouncing your legs up and down or even rolling your ankles around. This will help maintain circulation in your legs and can help relieve pain or swelling that comes with sitting.
Emotional
Physical healing means very little without emotional healing. Take ten minutes and write about a time in your life that you experienced emotional healing, such as a time when you have forgiven or been forgiven.
Family and Friends
A large part of any healing is our support system. Today have a conversation with the members of your family and friends who are an important part of your support system. Tell them what healing on this journey looks like for you.
Nutrition
Cheese is the number one source of saturated fat in the American diet. Today switch to a 2-percent milk cheese and pay attention to portion size. (One serving of cheese is one ounce, about the size of six dice.)
Evening Wrap-up
“Lord, by such things people live; and my spirit finds life in them too. You restored me to health and let me live.”
ISAIAH 38:16
We are on a journey toward wellness. As we walk this journey, we realize that it is also a journey of physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. As we wrap up this week, we look back on the ways that this journey is healing those parts of us that were not whole, and we can give thanks to God for that healing. As Isaiah reminds us, God can restore us to health and help us to live. God gives us strength for the journey even when we have a difficult time finding that strength for ourselves.
Healing God, thank You for walking this journey with me. Help my body to heal as I continue on my journey toward wellness. In Your holy name, Amen.
Week 6
Deb’s Story
A little more than four years ago, Deb had a decision to make—start giving herself four insulin shots every day or change the way she was living.
“I told my doctor, ‘Give me one month to exercise and lose twenty pounds so I can stay on oral medication.’ ” Her doctor agreed.
So she started to exercise. One month later, Deb had indeed lost the twenty pounds she set out to lose, and she had gained something even more important—confidence.
Since then, Deb has lost a total of 190 pounds and has reduced the number of prescription medications she takes from ten to two. She even participated in her first-ever 5K race.
Results like those take dedication and hard work, but if you ask Deb how she did it, she’s quick to give credit to God.
“God said, ‘If you take the first step, I’ll do the rest,’ and I said, ‘God, I’m putting this in Your hands,’ ” Deb recalled. “I’ve been holding on for the ride ever since. When I look at how far God has brought me. . . Oh, thank You, Lord! I’m not fixin’ to give up. And if I can do it, you can do it, but you can’t do it for anyone but yourself. Don’t do it for your family or anyone else. Do it for yourself.”
Two years ago, Deb had a stroke. She survived. Her doctor told her that her regular exercise had likely saved her life.
Day 36:
Our Conversion Stories
Morning Reflection
Some conversions happen quickly, as with Deb’s wake-up call to change her life or go on insulin. Other conversions happen slowly and over longer periods of time. For most of us, our conversion stories are a combination of quick conversion and a longer journey. The journey to wellness is no different. We often have a singular moment when we realize that we must do something to live better. But it is only in the longer journey that we are actually changed.
Faith Life
Today try a walking meditation. Go for a slow walk around your neighborhood without a specific plan. Simply let yourself wander for about ten minutes. Try to quiet yourself and just walk.
Medical
At this point in the journey, you may want to increase your exercise level. If you are going to engage in any kind of a rigorous exercise program, make sure that you talk to your doctor first. He or she can help you safely exercise.
Movement
Getting regular exercise can lower your risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis. Today go for a walk, trying to raise your heart rate. Make sure that you breathe deeply as your heart rate rises.
Work
Bring a stash of decaffeinated, non-sweetened herbal teas into work. When you feel like drinking a cup of coffee, have a cup of herbal tea instead. That way you will be more hydrated, and you will avoid the bursts of energy and crashes that come with caffeine and sugar.
Emotional
Many times, quick conversions are what we could call mountaintop experiences. But the real work is done in the valleys. Today write about times when you have been on the mountaintop and how those experiences translate to the work in the valleys.
Family and Friends
Often, our family and friends are not on exactly the same path to conversion as us. Today if your family and friends do not seem to understand why you are on the journey, tell them your conversion story to help them understand where you are coming from.
Nutrition
If you eat canned fruit instead of fresh fruit, rinse the fruit off before you eat it. This will wash away some of the excess sugar and syrup that the fruit comes in.
Evening Wrap-up
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
ACTS 9:3-6
We probably remember the story of Saul’s conversion to Paul on the road to Damascus. But we so often focus on the moment when he fell off his horse instead of the long road that lay ahead of him. Paul’s journey really began on the road to Damascus. Likewise, our conversion to wellness might begin with a bang, but like Paul’s journey, it is in the individual steps and the long road ahead where the change actually happens.
God of the journey, help me in both my moments of instantaneous conversion and on the long road ahead. In Your holy name, Amen.