People often take their physical health for granted and it is only when a big illness or life altering accident happens to either us or those close around us, do we then see the fragility of life and realise just how precious good health really is.
But a question I have is, do we really value our Spiritual Health in the same way?
Many of us say we are Christians and attend a church, but do we know what our spiritual health is like? We often know how to look after our physical health by eating right, exercising and sleeping well. There is a lot of increasing focus now on our mental health too as this has been neglected for a long time. All these faculties help us live life to our physical maximum and mentally cope with anything that comes our way. Everything stems from the right intake, the right action, the right belief and the right rest… all of these things within a healthy balance create the best physical and mental you.
This is the same when we look at our faith and for us to be strong in a Holy Spirit lifestyle, we must do the same practices as we would for our physical or mental health, this promotes spiritual health. 1 Peter 2 v 2 says Like new-born babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it they may grow up in their salvation.
The New Testament guides and teaches us this and my first point to help up is that we must devote ourselves to the word of God which brings us the right diet and knowledge in order to have spiritual health. We must then have the right understanding and belief about who we are in Christ as well as who we are in the world.
My second point is that we need to exercise within our gifting’s, calling and hobbies. Just like I enjoy football and basketball, I need to play in order to have fun and get fitter, so I would need to move in my spiritual gifting’s to improve my connection with God and my spiritual health. That outwardly action not only brings mental stimulation and pleasure, it also exercises my faith and spiritual muscle to maintain the gifts I have been given.
Thirdly and something very important that we often overlook is rest. Peace of mind, body and spirit is a huge thing. We can get over-tired, or over-think, or over-react when we try too much and overstretch ourselves. These actions no longer come from a place of comfort or ability but from a desire to do more and this actually puts more strain on ourselves. This can lead to illness or injury, whether that be physical or mental leading to anxiety or depression. Spiritually we burn out and in all examples we cannot carry on.
You may ask how can we overstretch the Holy Spirit with his infinite power? Well as we look to do more, it is us that makes the effort and not the Holy Spirit. God will only do what is necessary and right, remember when God created the earth and everything around it, He did it in 6 days and on the 7th, God rested. Rest is paramount to us as we need to recuperate our energy and sense of fun in tasks, hobbies or work. Rest comes in many forms just like diets and exercises. We must find what works for us best to help keep us on top of our health whether that be physical, mental or spiritual.
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