A few weeks ago, I went for a walk with my two damsels. It was such a beautiful evening! The sun was going down, a gentle breeze was blowing, birds were chirping, and we were chatting excitedly. As we were walking back home, we came across a middle-aged lady struggling to lift and toss the content of a really large compost bin, filled with dirt, which she had probably dug out of her garden. Before I could think too deeply about what she was doing, I took a few steps towards her and asked if she needed some help.
She looked at me, surprised that a total stranger had just offered to help. “Oh, thank you so much” she said, “It’s really heavy”. For a moment, as we both tried to lift and pour out the content of the bin, I wondered if we were even going to succeed. It was extremely heavy! I summoned up strength from within me and we were both eventually able to accomplish the task. She was very grateful and relieved that I had showed up at just the right time.
As my damsels and I continued the remaining five minutes walk home, I immediately remembered that just a day before, in one of my wellness coaching sessions, I had told my client about how strength training exercises help build up one’s strength, with the side effects of losing additional weight. I thought to myself of how the strength I now possessed, through consistent strength training exercises, eating right and sleeping well, had paid off for someone else beyond my immediate family – a total stranger!
It occurred to me that being ready and able to show love to people we meet throughout our day, is work that God expects us to do. I connected the dot from my daily exercise (channeled at building up my energy and stamina, in addition to keeping disease away) to the dot of loving others self-sacrificially. The thought that my exercising, nutrition and sleep is not about me, but for the Lord, was reinforced.
And how can you get the strength to consistently exercise, practice eating well and sleeping well? Through the joy of the Lord! “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10). When you truly make Jesus the Lord of your life, he becomes the only treasure to you in this world. You cannot but love him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. And because you live in him, through him, and for him, your only desire becomes obeying him and pleasing him. When you are in this place of seeking him with all your heart, you walk in joy unexplainable. This joy gives you the motivation and strength to do all things for his glory, all because Jesus is now your only WHY both now and eternally.
Whenever you are practicing integrative wellness through movement and exercise; nutrition and hydration; adequate rest and sleep, and you find yourself asking yourself the question: “But why?”, remember that your life is no longer about you. Remember that your well-being practices are the means that God has given you to continuously refill your energy and stamina tank. With your full tank, he expects you to do his work of loving others self-sacrificially, through which he is drawing all people to himself for the kingdom he is preparing for those who love him.
So, now that you know, what new or continued integrative wellness practices will you be engaging in this week? The Lord is counting on your strength!