Third Thursday Wellness!

I’m so excited to welcome you to the Third Thursday!  The more  I write, the more I meet other wonderful writer friends.  I want to share their words with you, so each month on the Third Thursday, you’ll meet one of my friends here! To start us off, we are going to continue the wellness theme from the Spring into Wellness Challenge with Jennifer Moye.  After talking with Jennifer, I knew we had similar views on wellness and faith.  You can read more of Jennifer’s words at her blog A Momma’s Joy. Stop by and tell her hello!   Here’s a little about Jennifer and her words for us today on wellness…

Jennifer is wife to an Airman and mom to three rambunctious little boys. With excitement on a daily basis and grace around every corner, she believes we are meant to live this life in community with others and with the mercy to mess up and try again….and again.  Being a mom is hard, but it is also one of the greatest callings we can have in this life. Her ministry to women is relevant and heartfelt with her core passion being that we learn to glorify God in our parenting,  marriage, and  everyday lives. She believes being “well” is about more than just looking thin or being active. Being well comes from a heart  chasing after Christ with everything we have.[tweetthis]Being well comes from a heart chasing after Jesus thanks @jenmoyewrites #ThirdThursday #wellness[/tweetthis]

God’s Word has a lot to say about our personal wellness, both spiritual AND physical.

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. ~1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)

How can I honor God with my body? Here are a three things I have learned in my journey. I hope they will help you be well with Him.

1.  I honor God with my body by resting in Him.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ~Matthew 11:28-29 (NLT)

Physical stress is everywhere around us. It comes from kids, work, marriage, friendships and it wears our bodies down. It manifests as pain, weight gain or loss, fatigue, and so many other ways. Jesus tells us that we are to come to Him with our burdens. In Him, we can find rest. We must be willing to go to Him and not try to handle things in our own strength.

2.  I honor God with my body by finding our satisfaction and comfort in Him rather than food.

You satisfy me more than the richest of foods.  ~Psalms 63:5 (NLT)

What is the first thing you think of when your day goes badly and you need comfort? For me, it has always been food. Particularly in the ice cream, Mexican cheese dip, or Japanese food variety. Why do those things give me comfort? Why don’t I run to God first for my comfort? I want to run to Jesus but often don’t.  Maybe we are there together, but we cannot stay there.

3. I honor God with my body by being in His presence and obeying His commands.

The Lord will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too.  You will be like a well-watered garden like an ever-flowing spring. ~Isaiah 58:11 (NLT)

God is blessed when we spend time with Him. He tells us throughout scripture that our bodies are a temple where He resides. I am sure if we talked to different biblical scholars we could learn a lot more about those verses. I must understand  my body is not mine, it is given to me by God, not for my own personal use and agenda, but to be a vessel and a tool to carry out His plans and His abounding love.

When my physical body is not cared for, weak and tired, I am not a very good messenger of the gospel. In order to reach “the ends of the earth” for Him, I need to be prepared spiritually, mentally, and physically!

I will never forget your commandments, for you have used them to restore my joy and health.  ~ Psalms 119: 93 (NLT)

What God has been showing me is maybe “wellness” doesn’t mean 110 pounds and star of the track team. Maybe “wellness” means something much more. To be well with my Savior. To know Him so intimately that I inherently crave to be with Him and do things that make Him smile. Maybe if I focused less on looking like Barbie or the perfect soccer mom next door, I would start to look more like Jesus. Maybe . . .

I’m linking up with Suzie Eller at #liveFree, Dawn Klinge at #GraceandTruth, Crystal Storms at #IntentionalTuesday, Holley Gerth at #CoffeeForYourHeart, Jaime Wiebel at #SittingAmongFriends and Susan Mead at #DanceWithJesus