Health and Stewardship

In charting my spiritual growth (as it might be said), I’ve experienced a kind of revelation. Often, I’ll do things or not do things due to consequences. If I think there will be a negative consequence for an action, then I won’t do it; or if I think there will be a positive consequence for an action, I will do it. But this doesn’t always work. If I’m the type of person—and I am—who often doesn’t immediately experience these consequences, or if I think I can live with them, or something along those lines, then I’ll do the action (or not do it, whatever the case may be).

This is a fundamentally wrongheaded way to go about life. In fact, it’s almost a focus on the exterior. If this consequence happens to me, then I won’t look good. I want to look good in front of others; therefore, I should avoid that consequence.

It is better, instead, to be the type of person that God would have you to be. I had to come to grips with a lot of things lately (and I still am) about what kind of person I am and what I am doing. Scripture and prayer really do act as mirrors to show us these things! Through this and recent study of the Ten Commandments, I am slowly realizing how much things come down to stewardship of the resources God has given us. God has given me a family—take care of them. God has given me a job—take care of it. God has given us financial resources—take care of them. God has given us bodies—take care of them.

This last one especially has been a problem for me (well, all of them have, but I’m choosing to focus on this one). I have been ignoring my health for quite some time, and recently discovered that I was quite unhealthy. This occurred due to an anxiety attack brought on by way too much caffeine intake. I hadn’t even been keeping track of how much I had consumed that day, but when I recounted, it wasn’t good. I’m also pretty sure my blood pressure is too high. In response (well, I didn’t really respond much when that happened, but I’ve felt jittery again since then at lower amounts of caffeine), I’ve finally cut out caffeinated beverages altogether (going strong at 11 days), and only just now am realizing that sodium and sugar are really easy to far exceed the maximum amount. I’m doing some lighter exercise to burn calories and limiting my intake, as well as trying to stay balanced and healthy. It’s a consequence issue, sure. But given stewardship, it’s a right-and-wrong issue!