Today I wanted to talk to you about holistic health. My approach to health is usually referred to as "holistic" because it deals with all aspects of your life - spirit, soul and body. The word "holistic" as defined by the Miriam-Webster Dictionary is: "relating to or concerned with wholes or complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of or dissection into parts; holistic medicine attempts to treat both the mind and the body."
While my approach to health is considered holistic, where I differ from the definition is that I include spirit - not just soul (mind-will-emotions) and body. That, to me, is a very critical distinction. I base my approach on Jesus' own words in John 10:10: "The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."You can clearly see God is concerned with all three aspects of your being.
Perhaps to really understand why this difference is so important, we have to understand the word "life." Life in John 10:10 is the Greek word “zoe” and it means the energy, force, or power of being; the opposite of perishing; deliverance from condemnation and death; stopping or cessation of deterioration, decay and corruption; life is eternal, forever; it is the very life of God Himself that consistently knows love, joy, peace, power and responsibility; satisfaction, security, enjoyment; this life is found only in God – He is the source and author and has appointed Jesus Christ to bring this “zoe” life to man.
So what others call holistic health I call "overflowing, abundant life" or 3-D life. This is the kind of balanced, harmonious life Jesus came to enable us to experience every day on this earth. You cannot have a truly whole life and experience vibrant health without the spirit component. We will definitely be talking about this in more detail as we go along.
Another interesting thing I wanted to share with you today is this: In studying out the Hebrew word for life from “The Secrets Of Hebrew Words” by Benjamin Blech, he points out that both in the English and Hebrew the word has four letters ("life" in English and "HaYYiM" in Hebrew) Our word “life” has the word “if” in its center, surrounded by the first and last letters. Life is subject to things beyond our control and possibilities that could be blessings or curses. Central to the Hebrew word for life are two YYs, which combined form the name of God. He explains that belief in the Almighty replaces the great “if” of life! When God is central to your life, doubt and despair are replaced by confidence and divine comfort. Now that’s the kind of life I want!
Take a Step:
Is there an "if" you are dealing with regarding your health? If I could just lose weight or balance my blood sugar, lower my blood pressure, or clean up my diet. Whatever your "if" is, begin by bringing it to the Lord. Acknowledge His Lordship over each aspect of your being and ask for His wisdom in dealing with the situation. Only He can replace the "if" in your life!
Until next time, I wish you vibrant health! Ann
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Thanks for posting Ann! They great "if" of life is that place in us where we are seeking, but are still in doubt. There is a vacuum hole in our life that only fits one thing, and that is God. It's like a puzzle piece, and God is all things good. Fill that hole with other things, and you'll find that it doesn't fit, so you don't quite feel whole. This nurtures doubt, and creates the if's in our life. Remove those doubts, and seek God first, then you can do anything you put your heart and mind to.
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