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TRUST THE POWER OF YOUR CREATOR
~ Walter Anderson
Atrusting relationship with our Creator begins with the realization that He loves us unconditionally and desires to prosper us. He says to us, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” Jeremiah 29:11. Creator’s love is the key that unlocks human potential. His love transforms our lives. It empowers us to rise above our challenges, and this love helps to heal our wounds. Researchers have found that emotions powerfully impact our health, either positively or negatively. Experts have singled out love as foremost among the human emotions capable of promoting and maintaining health and achieving healing. “It seems something deep inside our cells responds positively when we feel love. Love appears capable of sparking healthy biological reactions in much the same way as good food and fitness.”
Dr. Bernie Siegel, a Yale physician and the author of the bestselling book Love, Medicine and Miracles, affirms the power of love. “Unconditional love is the most powerful stimulant of the immune system.” The truth is love heals. This gift of love from Creator is a wonderful promoter of well-being and has amazing healing effects, not only when it is shared between Creator and man, but also in relationships with others. One study found that recipients of love can reduce the risk of coronary artery disease, hypertension, cancer, and alcoholism. Another reports that feeling loved is the strongest predictor of an individual’s sense of positive self-esteem. Other benefits of being loved include increased levels of immunoglobulin A (a marker of immune function) and smoother, more regular heart rhythms.
On the other hand, another study found that a lack of love shown to parents by their children was associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Loss of love was among the most common reasons given for suicide or suicidal behavior. The results of these studies add an important perspective to our understanding of how belief in Creator affects our well-being. How we believe in Creator is also important. We receive the most benefits when we place our trust in Creator’s unconditional love for us. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your Creator with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself,” Matthew 22:37, 39.
Only when we have pure love for Creator and for ourselves can we truly love our neighbors. This amazing flow of love promotes life and healing. Love will motivate us to make healthy choices, to rest in His peace, to surround ourselves with a healing, healthpromoting environment, to be active in mind and body, to trust fully in Him, to serve others, to have a positive outlook colored by love’s grace, and to eat for strength, vigor, and health.
HEALING LOVE
The American Heritage Dictionary defines “trust” as “firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing; confident belief; faith.” These expectations have a powerful effect on our well-being, more so than many of us understand. This fact is illustrated by a report in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association in 1994. It reviewed pain medications over the previous twenty-five-plus years. The
conclusion was stated like this: “The quality of interaction or trust between the patient and the physician can be extremely influential in patient outcomes, and in some (perhaps many) cases, patient and provider expectations and interactions may be more important than the specific treatments.”
THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness has an important role to play in trusting relationships as well. Forgiveness has long been considered to be one of the foundational principles of spiritual wellbeing. Research now suggests that its healing effects extend beyond the spiritual realm. “The practice of forgiveness has been shown to reduce anger, hurt, depression and stress and leads to greater feelings of hope, peace, compassion and self-confidence.” Dr. Dick Tibbits, in his book Forgive to Live, writes about the healing that forgiveness brings to inmates and how this changes their outlook for the future. Researchers found that when subjects were encouraged to think forgiving thoughts, the stress response was diminished. Another study found that forgiveness is directly related to fewer problems with substance abuse. Science has shown the powerful, positive impact of exercising forgiveness. This supports the biblical instruction to forgive those who have hurt us. While it is not easy to do, the effort can pay off in improved relationships and physical health. If you would like further help with this process, go to www.forgivetolive.net.
FAITH AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH
Studies looking at the role of faith in the process of coping with stress, loss, or death have found it to be an important variable. One study found that faith was rated as the single most effective coping strategy in dealing with loss; another study found 78% of the respondents reporting that religion was involved in helping them cope with a significant negative life event. Religion has been identified as an important coping resource for many health challenges. Positive impacts have been noted, including reducing depressive symptoms, increasing satisfaction with life, reducing the length of hospital stay, and reducing the risk of alcohol abuse. More than eighty studies published over the last one hundred years showed that religious/spiritual factors were generally linked with lower rates of depression. Researchers have found that spiritual resources contribute to a patient’s ability to deal with the physical and emotional stresses of surgery or chronic or serious medical illness as well. One particular study revealed that, after controlling for severity of fracture, elderly women who underwent surgery for hip fractures had the best surgical outcome when they indicated that Creator was a strong source of strength and comfort and that they attended religious services frequently. These women were less depressed and walked farther when discharged from the hospital than those who lacked a strong religious commitment.
THE POWER OF PRAYER
Frequent prayer, whether public or private, is associated with better health and emotional well-being and lower levels of psychological distress. Researchers have found this to be true, irrespective of ethnic group or religious denominational affiliation. Prayer is a powerful promoter of well-being. It connects us with the Almighty. Prayer is our time to talk with our Creator as a friend. We can share with Him our joys, challenges, and requests, but prayer is much more than making requests of Creator. Being in communication with Him has a powerful influence on our lives. Prayer is a powerful means of confiding in the Creator. He loves us unconditionally and wants to help us with every challenge, big or small. Another way prayer benefits us is through our expressions of gratitude to the Creator. The benefits of gratitude are many.
~ Author Unknown
Adapted from CREATION Life (AdventHealth Press, 2014). Used with permission.
