This is a piece I wrote for the Dean of Students Newsletter at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
I remember stepping on that scale three years ago and realizing that I had enough. If I was truly going to go wherever God wanted me to, I had to change my lifestyle. I just knew that if God called me to a remote part of the world at 300 plus pounds, that I would struggle the whole time there. Sadly, I would not be able to honor and serve God to my fullest ability.
Excellence in physical health and wellness is vital not only for being available to go wherever God wants you but also for your own well-being. Physical health and wellness, when placed in the top tier of our priorities help with stress and anxiety. It also helps with battling depression, it affects your work performance, protects against heart disease, and other medical issues that we encounter in our lives.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
Take some time this summer and reflect on where you are with your health. See which areas in your physical health and wellness that are not glorifying God at the current moment and work on those areas. Then, get busy getting healthy in order to go where God wants you and to glorify Him in that aspect of your life. It’s tough, but you can do this!
I must Decrease 