Nourishment

“Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy. . .”

Can you name the song? Can you name the artist?

Sunshine is therapeutic isn’t it? It is also healthy. It helps us to function as we should. Think of what it provides for life. Without light, there would be no life. Without the sun, the plants could not survive. Neither could we.

Sunshine nourishes us. It sustains us. It warms us. It gives us direction because it enables us to see. It removes the darkness. It is constant. It is always there. (Yes, the earth moves and turns us away from the sun, but the sun does not move.) It is always there providing us with what we need for life.

I like snacks. I like junk food. I am very attracted to Krispy Kremes and DQ blizzards and juicy steaks. Why is it that so much of what I want to eat is NOT good for me? Why do things that taste so good have to be so bad?

I also am drawn to pop. I’m a fan of Mountain Dew and Coke. I’m a fan of coffee. Why do I like drinks that are not good for me? Why can’t I love an ice, cold glass of water as much as I love an ice cold can of Coke?

When we try and live on junk, we pay a price. When we live in darkness, we struggle. (Think about a month without sun during the winter months in Michigan.) When we try and live on food or drink that does not provide the nourishment we need, our bodies begin to struggle. We get fat. We get addicted. We get lazy. We get unhealthy. We get discouraged because we don’t feel good about ourselves even though we continue enjoying the taste (instant gratification) of junk.

God didn’t make health difficult to understand. He said our bodies are temples. He said everything we do should show our commitment to Him. He said we ought to model a life that others could follow. He wasn’t just talking about going to church.

We need to be fed. This nourishment is necessary for our health. When we are healthy we are much better equipped to serve Him. So in light of this we need to . . .

Eat healthy.
Rest. Sleep enough. Calm our lives down from busyness.
Exercise. We need to go places and meet people. Care for our temple.
Read God’s Word. Fill our lives with healthy words. Allow God to feed us.
Pray. Listen. An exercise of our commitment to God’s sovereignty.
Invest in people. Allow them to invest in us, to encourage our “health”.
Stop ingesting junk. (with mouth, eyes, ears, mind, etc.)

These are all acts of discipline. We give up what we want to pursue what we need.

Discipline. Short term costs leading to long term gains.