Stay Healthy!

Beware!  It is that time of the year – the dreaded cold and flu season. The flu season seems to creep in around November and haunts us until March.  What happens in those months?  Nothing really sinister just that in those months our weather changes and we aren't able to get the vitamin D we need from the sun and our windows and doors are sealed against the cold air which makes the air in our homes drier. Then add the fact that kids are back in school crowded together in small class rooms sharing pencils, glue, scissors, and anything else you can imagine.  Now you have the perfect recipe for colds and flu.  I am trying to be proactive and get outside in the fresh air as much as possible, exercise every day, drink lots of orange juice, and I went and got my annual flu shot.  Take that dreaded cold and flu!

There are times in my spiritual life that I am more susceptible to getting spiritually sick.  There are those seasons of my life when change comes and my time to be with the Lord is stolen away.  There are times when I close myself off from others who would encourage me.  I become spiritually dry.  Unlike the physical, the spiritual man needs to be around others who will build him up. Bam!  You have the perfect recipe for the spiritual mulligrubs.   I know because I have had those times when I had no energy, no motivation, and I felt tired and run down.  I have had those times when spiritually I just wanted to stay in bed and hide under my nice warm covers.  Maybe I should try and be proactive in my spiritual life, as well as, my physical life. I think there are several things we can do to help prevent the spiritual blues.

Proverbs 17:22  A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

One of the easiest remedies for the spiritual blues is to laugh.  Studies have shown that laughter actually relaxes the body.  One of those deep belly laughs can actually relieve stress and relax your muscles for up to 45 minutes. Your immune system is known to respond to laughter.  A good laugh has the power to decrease stress hormones and increase immune cells.  Your infection-fighting antibodies are thrust into high gear making you more resistant to disease.  Your body’s natural feel-good endorphins are released to give your body a sense of well-being and can actually help relieve pain.  One of those good laughs can increase blood flow, improve how your blood vessels function, and even help protect you from a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.  Children do not have to be told to laugh it just comes naturally.  Studies have shown that kids laugh about 400 hundred times a day and as adults that number drops to 17.  That’s right I said 17.  I think we can do way better than that!

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Rejoicing is a preemptive strike against spiritual sickness.  When I feel down I need to rejoice.  When my soul feels sick, I need to rejoice.  No matter how bad I want to stay in bed and hide from the world, I need to rejoice.  The key to this rejoicing is that it is in the Lord.  I rejoice because He is my redeemer, my friend, my healer, my provider. I rejoice because the Lord is loving, kind, and good.  I rejoice because I am His daughter and He loves me, accepts me, and thinks I am wonderful.

Nehemiah 8:10  And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

Isaiah 12:3  With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!

Every day we should be feasting on the richness of God’s word and drinking from the wells of salvation.  We should be sharing God’s love with those who have nothing.  Just as in the natural I can take steps that will help ward off colds and the flu, I can take steps to stay spiritually healthy. 

Your prescription for today

1.  LAUGH!  You say you have nothing to laugh about.  Find something.  Watch reruns of "I Love Lucy."  Go to a park and sit and watch kids play.  Go to the zoo and look at a walrus.  Read a joke book. Laugh more than 17 times today.

2.  Rejoice in the Lord.  Make a gratitude list.  Tell the Lord why you love Him. 

3.  Feast today on God’s word and drink from the wells of salvation.