Being healthy is important, don't get me wrong. What if I told you that there was something even more important to have first? Proverbs 3:7-8 states: "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."
How backwards we must have it these days to believe that being healthy first will be what brings us joy. I am reminded that this is an opportunity for us to get to know the Lord even more, and let Him be the FIRST source of health in our bodies. Here are two insights I wish I had known about health as a teen girl:
I can never be fully healthy in a physical manner, if I'm not healthy spiritually. The verses in Proverbs 3 sum it up best. How can you be healthy if God is not filling your soul? How you can you be full of joy and hope if all you have is physical health? The answer is…it's very hard and almost impossible. As a 20 something, I am now understanding what my 14, 15, 16 year old self had trouble believing. And this lesson is necessary for you to embrace. You are so much more than a physical being. You have a heart and a soul. These are deeply spiritual parts of you that need something more than the physical things this life has to offer. Just as you need physical health to fuel your body, you have to have spiritual health to fuel your life!
Being healthy spiritually allows you to pursue health in a way that is safe (for your body, mind, and ESPECIALLY your emotions). I know there are so many people and sources telling you to look a certain way, to be a certain way, to have certain physical attributes. But let me remind you first that the Lord created you, and those are not things He requires of you. As a teen girl, it can be hard to remember that your value doesn't come from society's standards. No matter your appearance, the Lord loves you and HE wants your heart. And knowing this helps you to pursue health in a logical way. When you are at peace with the Lord and who He has made you to be, it takes off the pressure to conform to this worlds standards. Rather than approaching health in order to look and be a certain way, you can pursue being healthy, strong, and able to live your life for the Lord!
As you are nourished and strengthened by the Lord, you will then be able to become physically healthy as well. Will you take the time to pursue God as your first form of health?
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