Proverbs 19:20-21 NLT

'Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life. You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.'

The World Health Organization identifies health, participation and security as critical areas we need to consider as we plan for our future. God intends that we live well and to our fullest potential. In our Western societies the temptation is to serve our natural appetites that will seriously impact our viability as both a human and an active servant of God. It is with reason that God calls us to follow wise advice and accept discipline, the true meaning of “instruction” in the text.

We can make many plans, yet we are wise if we seek to identify God’s plan for us. Typically, health becomes more vulnerable as we age. There is an issue of obesity in society at all ages. This is in the main a social disease which we can manage through good discipline. It’s knowing what we eat and why. The impact of weight on health is today well-established. None of us likes to hear this, but it is a truth that is best addressed before we too encounter related health challenges. These can seriously impact the plans we carry. They may restrict our ability to respond to God’s plans for us.

I failed to eat wisely and became obese. I lacked the resolve and self-discipline, as well as the knowledge, to address my weight, and related health, challenge. So began my battle to take back control of my life. As I did so I found that I was better able to love and serve God because I now had the discipline to take actions that required an act of my will. Slowly losing weight and learning to live a disciplined life also deepened my appreciation of how to live my Christian life in serving God ahead of my own felt needs and inner desires. I discovered a new-found freedom to live as I chose and took back control of the future I wanted in God.

QUESTION: What health challenges do you face?

PRAYER: Help me to exercise control and make good choices so I can better live the future I believe you have for me.