Moving Towards Total Health

I am glad it is November.  From October 2015 to October 2016, I had the hardest year of my life.    It started with closing the church I had worked to plant and moving back to my hometown.  Since then, I have had two jobs that taught me exactly what my skill set does not include.  I was diagnosed with the beginning stages of type 2 diabetes.  I have lost friends.  I have been angry at God.  In October 2016, I spent 5 days in a psychiatric hospital.  I am glad it is November.
And here is what I have learned this:  Total health must encompass the body, the mind, the soul, and the tribe.

A Healthy Body

I served in the ministry of Southern Baptist churches for 15 years.  Southern Baptists frown on drunkenness, but we would rather not have to talk about gluttony.  It is an acceptable vice.  We eat.  We eat fried chicken and we love desserts too.  In that aspect of Southern Baptist life, I had no problem fitting in.  I can eat a lot.  I also enjoy sitting at a desk, writing, or visiting with someone.  I do not get a lot of exercise.  At my last annual physical, my cholesterol was somewhere over 210.  My blood sugar was 132.  I have even managed a blood pressure reading this year of 186/120.  Needless to say, I have to make some changes.

I am happy to report that I have lost 13 lbs.  I have cut out sugar almost completely.  I eat vegetables and I cook more and eat fast food less.  Exercise is tough, but even if it just means walking a couple of miles on the college campus near my home, I try to do a half hour a day.  I am getting physically healthy.

Perhaps because we fixate too much on Heaven, we Christians tend to ignore this gift of a physical body that God has given us.  It is a gift.  Life is a gift.  To be able to live long and live well is crucial to having good relationships and a good legacy.  For total health, one must look to what they put in to their body, and how they train their body.

A Healthy Mind

I have been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and General Anxiety Disorder.  I come by it naturally.  It runs in my family and I have a rare endocrine system disorder that does not help.  Thus, I have a mind that does not feel happiness they way a mind ought.  My mind can acknowledge all the good in my life and still tell my body to feel miserable.  Mine is not a healthy mind.  However, it does not have to be that way.  Medication helps, but so does exercise.  Learning to notice unhealthy (and errant) thinking and consciously retrain myself to think in truthful, helpful ways is crucial.  At the same time it is important to note what I allow my mind to take in.  I have to get rid of the junk food of thoughts, so to speak.  If I want to be healthy, I have to take care of my mind.

A Healthy Soul

​I have spent most of the last year being angry at God and angry at many of my brothers and sisters in Christ.  I neglected the spiritual aspect of my health.  Now, as I strive to be healthy, I realize that spiritual disciplines are crucial.  Spending time in scripture, prayer, being honest with my church, serving others, etc. are all building blocks to a healthy soul.  I am fortunate to have a church that is incredibly welcoming of people no matter where they are in life, but I cannot just join the crowd.  It takes effort to feed and protect the soul.  Effort that is well worth it in the long run.

A Healthy Tribe

Everyone lives within certain social circles.  For me, those circles start with my family, my extended family, my friends, my church, my neighbors, etc.  These circles are the tribe in which I live.  A tribe is only as healthy as the relationships that exist within it.  Thus, for a healthy tribe, I have to be intentional about my relationships.  I must work to be a better husband, father, son, brother, friend, church member, and neighbor.  I have to be aware of the relationships that exist in my life and work daily to strengthen them. 

Putting it All Together

Now here is something that is often goes unnoticed:  Each of these areas of health impacts the others.  If I were to sit around all day in front of the TV, gorging on junk food, it would become very hard to avoid depression.  Depression and anxiety would then get the best of me and I would begin to neglect spiritual matters.  In this state, my family would surely suffer and I would become isolated from any healthy relationship.  All of these work together.

For this reason, it is important to address total health.  To move forward intentionally building up the body, mind, soul, and tribe.  It is a lot of work, for sure, but well worth the journey!

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