Single and Healthy

Remaining Vigilant to Stay in Good Health

Are you vigilant when it comes to your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health?

The Great Wall of China is over 21,000 kilometers long. Comprised of various sections, the wall was typically manned by at least three warriors stationed between citadels 50 to 200 meters apart. Their job was to continually watch for enemies. A warrior could go weeks, months, even years without seeing an attack in his area. But he had to remain vigilant.

As singles, we need to take care in looking after ourselves, because we may not have others around us to remind us to do so.

Our health is important, because it impacts our relationship with God and with those around us—and even how we relate to ourselves. So what does the Bible say about how God views our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health?

Our physical health is influenced by many factors including genetics, environment, exercise, diet, getting enough rest, and rejecting bad food. For items in our control, 1 Corinthians 6:19 reminds us: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.”

Is the way in which we treat our physical bodies consistent with our belief that our bodies belong to God?

When illness strikes, and we don’t appear to improve even after praying through Exodus 15:26, Isaiah 53 and Matthew 8:16-17, we need to be encouraged that our God is in control. And while his purposes are mysterious, they are still good.

Our mental health is sometimes related to our thought life. Philippians 4:8 says “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Do our thoughts pass that test?

Are we this vigilant with our thinking? Are we faithfully standing guard over the entire spectrum of our thought life, or have we allowed our walled defenses to be invaded?

As singles, we need to seek godly people with whom we can share our thoughts, and have them challenged. Iron sharpens iron. And there is great help in allowing others into our thought life.

Our emotional health is often tied to our thinking, and we are reminded to be wise in not allowing our emotions to rule us. Proverbs 4:23 tells us: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Our spiritual health is only possible through the Gospel. While we sometimes think the Gospel is only “what we needed to get saved,” the Gospel is also what we need every minute of every day. What is the Gospel?

Mark 1:14b says “Repent and believe the good news.”

Are we regularly confessing our sins, realizing that we have zero ability to reach God’s holiness, and are we trusting that the righteousness of Christ through His death and resurrection made us perfect? Do we believe that our stamp of approval comes from God alone, or have we created idols of success, identity and secrecy?

Let’s be encouraged in God’s love for us, and to keep our eyes on God for all areas of our health.

/ PAUL BOGE is an author and engineer. He lives in Winnipeg.