Taking responsibility for your own health leads to freedom.

Does it really matter that we care for our bodies if our spirits will someday depart to be with Jesus? In caring for our bodies, does it really matter that we use natural products when man made health care systems are extending our life expectancy so greatly?

We have had friends who really denigrated the idea that they should be careful about what they eat, what kind of chemicals they use for cleaning and what they put in their bodies to combat illness. They said that we should focus on our spiritual health to best prepare for heaven. (These same friends did seek medical assistance to have cancer removed.)

I also once had a friend who said that the modern medical establishment was a blessing from God because of how it has increased our life expectancy. (The worldwide life expectancy has gone from just over 50 in 1950 to just under 75 now.) I believe factors other than the modern medical system have contributed to this improvement in life expectancy. If it were all about modern medicine, one should expect the wealthiest nation to have the greatest life expectancy, but the US is in 46th place. For the sake of my point, however, let’s assume that our increased life expectancy is because of our medical advancements….

We were created to glorify God, to spread and establish His kingdom in the Earth, and to love and bless those around us. On the third day, God provided the means of our healing. The leaves of the trees are for healing (Ezekiel 47:12). They also happen to work well for cleaning. If we care for creation, our bodies can be maintained at the highest levels of wellness (for our entire lives) through the use of things found in nature. If, like Caleb in the Bible, we can say at 80 that we are as strong as when we were 40, we can glorify God, spread His kingdom and love those around us at the highest levels for so much longer. It is not worth adding 10 years to your life if the last 20 years will be spent fighting deterioration of your body, living in a nursing home, and spending any money you may have saved over the years.

Finally, there is the part about being faithful over a little and being given more. Yes, we will leave these bodies eventually, but we have a responsibility to care for them while we have them because God desires us to be faithful with everything He gives us regardless of how important or lasting we view those gifts to be. Jesus told parables teaching us to carefully invest what God has given us. He also told parables teaching that God will not deal lightly with those who do not treat His servants properly. Jesus paid for you with His blood. You are His. Treating God’s servant (yourself) properly is a spiritual matter not to be neglected for the purpose of “preparing for Heaven.”

I have spent many years in ignorance treating my body harshly. I have spent a few years now learning to trust God’s provision, learning to recognize it, and learning to rest in it. I can tell you that it’s worth it. I can also tell you that it often does not take a long time doing things the better way before you begin to enjoy the benefits.

Taking responsibility for your own health leads to freedom.
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