My wife regularly goes to the gym. I used to be a member but gave up my membership some time ago, with the excuse, “I don’t have time!” The truth is, as much as I might like physical health to be a priority, I don’t give it the priority it deserves. If it really were a priority, I’d find the time.
We are holistic people – each part of our lives impacts the others. Our physical health affects our mental health and our relational capacity affects our sense of purpose and happiness. So I’m learning, as I get older, a lesson I wished I had learned earlier in life – I need to take care of my body.
Of course, the further problem when we don’t get our own health in balance is that the same problem is often passed on to our family. It is a very common problem that unbalanced attitudes to health become generational. However, when we get personal health into balance, we can pass on a great legacy to our kids. If we show them that good nutrition and exercise are important, these become values that we can instil from a young age, giving them a better opportunity to fulfil their potential.
This is not a modern issue. The Bible reminds us that getting our lives in balance is important. Indeed the whole book of Ecclesiastes is about the importance of finding balance and the futility of working so hard that we get things out of perspective – “What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labour under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 2:22).
There are some simple steps we can take to make our health a priority – where possible, walk somewhere instead of driving, walk around the amazing lake we have in Forest Lake, or plan meals in advance to avoid unhealthy meals. These simple steps can be the first towards good health for ourselves and setting a healthy legacy for future generations.
