{ARGIEF}

Ek het so pas ‘n volle week se lê in die bed met griep agter die rug. Soos almal weet is dit nie ‘n lekker lê nie, want jou lyf is seer en jou keel is seer en jy hoes dat jou kop klop en jy voel net ongedurig en kry jouself baie jammer. Die aanloop tot die protesterende liggaam was boekgetrou. Te besig en te min oefening.
Ek het weer die les geleer!
Lees gerus die meegaande opstel van Carel Anthonissen wat die punt van ‘n gesonde liggaam baie mooi onderstreep.

MEDITATION – THE GIFT AND RESPONSIBILITY OF GOOD HEALTH

One of the great gifts of life is the gift of good health – the fact that our minds and bodies are well kept, functioning so completely and normally that we may wake up every morning with a smile, feeling fresh, happy, energetic and fulfilled.

This is of course not true of all people. Due to a number of factors which range from hereditary weaknesses, constant pressure, unresolved tensions, poverty and bad nutrition, many people are plagued, some for most of their lives, by different kinds of ailments and sicknesses. In fact every day hundreds of people around us are struck down and die of incurable diseases, or worse still: have to cope with the shattering news that they have been diagnosed with some fatal illness. It therefore remains a gift and privileged to enjoy good health with all the vitality, energy and zest for life it entails.

Good health however is not only a gift, it also implies a huge responsibility. Like with our environment we as humans need to care for our bodies, keeping our psycho-physiological system clean from everything that is toxic and harmful. For this we need discipline and a healthy pattern of living – one which not only offers the body and mind enough rest, but also feeds and sustains them with healthy and edifying content.

For those of us who profess to be Christians this should almost be a given, a taken for granted directive. In fact we owe it to the world to show that we truly believe that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, destined to serve God’s glory and honour (1 Cor 6:19-20), specifically in the way we live and eat. And we may start by demonstrating how the old disciplines of fasting, simplicity, austerity and sufficient rest can help us attain this.

Most people go to sleep at night when they are dead-tired, not being able to stay awake any more. I have a friend who goes to sleep every evening still feeling “wide awake”. The reason: she wants to prepare herself properly for this most profound of all human activities…to rest and sleep – so that she, the following day, can serve the Lord anew with fresh commitment through a revived body and a glowing spirit.

Is this not something to seriously consider?

Carel Anthonissen

This meditation will shortly appear on our website. If you would like to comment on this or anything else, go to our blog:

http://www.christianspirit.iblog.co.za/