Healthy to the Glory of God

Article by: Mirdza Pavasars Hayden

When we follow a healthy lifestyle to the glory of God, He gives us victory over our health issues. So many times we get caught up in simply praying for good health, praying for miraculous healing, and meanwhile we do not glorify God in the way we treat our body. We don’t eat the foods He has given us to eat, but rather indulge in processed, high sugar foods. We don’t drink the pure water He has provided for us, but rather drink sodas with high sugar content or artificial sweeteners, or in fruit juices that really are not that healthy for us. Instead of keeping our bodies active, like God designed them to be, we have become wrapped up in how tired we are and how we just can’t commit to any physical activity, let alone any fitness program that requires any type of effort. Add to that stress and little rest and sleep, and we will live a life that is sure to be headed towards sickness. When we lead this type of lifestyle, how can we expect God to bless us with good health?

God has given each of us a mission to fulfill in the world, but it’s hard to fulfill if we don’t take care of the bodies that He has given us. Think of all the wonderful foods He has provided for us to eat, which the Bible makes reference to throughout the Bible. In Genesis 1:29, God tells us, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” Then in Genesis 3:18 He says, “You will eat the plants of the field”. In Ezekiel 16:19 He tells us “Also the food I provided for you – the fine flour, olive oil, and honey I gave you to eat”. In Matthew 15:36, Jesus took 7 loaves of barley and two small fish and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples, who in turn gave it to the people to eat. God also gave us animals to eat, though; in Deuteronomy 14:4-5 God tell us “These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.” All the foods God gives us are nutritional goldmines, as Jordan Rubin puts it, and therefore build up healthy cells in our body. He says in his book The Great Physician’s Rx for Health and Wellness that “God’s dietary guidelines contained no refined or processed carbohydrates, no altered or damaged fats, and no artificial sweeteners. When our diet is based on eating whole and natural foods everyday, we’ll be nourished and satisfied, and we will be energetic and healthy to do all the things we need to do and those we want to do.”

In addition to eating healthy, he gave us bodies that were designed to move. As Jordan Rubin puts it in the book I’ve mentioned before, “God designed us to lift, haul, stride, step, boost, drag, march, tread, run, kick and heave with our limbs. There’s a reason why the word move is so close to mobile in the dictionary. God made us to me mobile people, and throughout history, people have walked miles and miles and performed manual labor in the fields and in the cities.” Heck, even Mary and Joseph walked for 80 miles to get from Nazareth to Bethlehem, when Mary was nine months pregnant!! Mary probably rode most of the way on the donkey, but Joseph walked the entire way, with a whole bunch of other people. There were no cars or buses at the time. This was a 4-day journey, if the person walked 20 miles a day. Think about it. Now we have all the conveniences and unfortunately most people do not even walk to the store if it’s a half a mile or a mile away. It’s time to start walking or biking again, instead of taking the car everywhere we go. Not only is it better for us physically, but it is better for the environment since cars pollute the air.

God has designed us to be active healthy individuals. Let’s focus on getting healthy by eating the foods he has provided for us and by getting active every single day. God will bless our healthy lifestyle by strengthening us and energizing us to fulfill His mission in this world.