Health Meditations

Harvest

Harvest is the gathering of crops and the season when ripened crops are gathered.  Harvest is a crop or yield of one growing season.  It is a supply of anything gathered, earned, realized or gained at maturity and stored.  Harvest is the result, recompense or consequence of any act, process, effort or event.  My question is:

What is the quality and quantity of your harvest?

If you are not satisfied with the quality or quantity of your harvest, consider the quality and quantity of your seed.

Job 4:8
Even as I have seen,
Those who plow iniquity
And sow trouble reap the same.

Proverbs 22:8
He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow,
And the rod of his anger will fail.

Hosea 10:12-13
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness;
Reap in mercy;
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the LORD,
Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
13 You have plowed wickedness;
You have reaped iniquity.
You have eaten the fruit of lies,
Because you trusted in your own way,
In the multitude of your mighty men.

2 Corinthians 9:6
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Performance Self-evaluation: Dependability

When it comes to your health, how dependable are you?

Body
You are consistent in keeping appointments with your doctor and your dentist.
You are dependable in maintaining and accurately carrying out your health responsibilities to a successful conclusion.
You are extremely reliable in establishing and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits.

Mind
You regularly engage in activities to develop and maintain your cognitive function.
You manage and use time effectively.

Ephesians 5:15-16
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Spirit
You regularly and consistently spend time with God.
You regularly spend time with those of like precious faith to benefit from the corporate anointing.

Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

An Action Plan for the Healthy Man: Teeth

Being in good health includes having a healthy mouth.  Your dental health should not be an afterthought.  Be as diligent about maintaining healthy teeth and healthy gums as you are about keeping the rest of your body healthy.  Establish and maintain a healthy eating lifestyle.  Avoid sugary snacks.  Brush after meals. Floss every day.  See your dentist twice a year.

Ask your doctor about how your dental health affects your health overall. 

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Journey

You cannot reach a destination without going on a journey.  A journey is a period of somewhat prolonged travel for a specific purpose.  It’s also the period of passage or progress from one stage to another.  My question is:

Are you enjoying your spiritual journey?

Your answer will depend on your perspective and your preferences. 

• Does the unknown scare you or excite you?
• Does the familiar comfort you or bore you?
• Do you yearn to learn?
• Are you driven to discover?
• When you discover the unknown, do you make it your own and prepare for the next leg of your journey?

If you spurn learning, are daunted by discovery, and you cling to comfort, your journey has not yet begun.  And every day that you delay is a missed opportunity to trust God and strengthen your faith.  Consider this:

• Noah built a boat at God's command to escape a flood having never seen rain.
• Abram left home at God's command not knowing where he was going.
• Moses led the nation of Israel out of captivity in Egypt at God's command not knowing how he would get them to the Promised Land.
• Joshua led the nation of Israel into the Promised Land at God's command not knowing how he and Israel would defeat the giants occupying the land.

In each instance, God commanded and each person obediently stepped into a leadership role and into the unknown.  In each instance, a person progressed in their faith from one stage to another and during their respective journeys:

• They learned that God is faithful.
• They discovered that God keeps His promises.
• They perceived their God-ordained purpose.

Be obedient.  Step out on faith.  Trust God.  Enjoy your journey.

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Performance Self-evaluation: Decision-Making Skills

It's time to evaluate your health-related decision-making skills.

Body
You make health-conscious decisions at each meal and at each social event that involves food.  The quality of your decisions is reflected in the content, quantity and the quality of the food and beverages you consume. 
You understand that you are not the only stakeholder when it comes to achieving and maintaining good health.  Key stakeholders include future generations who will do what they see you do rather than what they here you say.

Mind
You make health-conscious decisions when it comes to feeding your mind.
You know that you have the mind of Christ.
You know what Jesus would do because you walk with Jesus daily.

Spirit
You make wise choices when it comes to spiritual food because you are guided by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
You feast frequently on the Bread of Life, the Fruit of the Spirit, and the meat and milk of the word of God. 
Your beverage of choice is rivers of living waters.

At every opportunity, you choose life.

Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

An Action Plan for the Healthy Man: Tobacco/Alcohol/Drugs

Tobacco
Don't smoke it and don't chew it.  If you smoke or chew, ask your doctor about what you can do to quit. 

Alcohol
Don't drink alcohol.  Over time, alcohol consumption does more harm than good.  If you drink, ask your doctor about how drinking alcohol will impact your health. 

Drugs
Don't use drugs.  If you use drugs, ask your doctor about drug detoxification and rehabilitation.

Tobacco, alcohol and drugs can destroy your body. Keep your distance from these toxins.

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Destination

Your destination is the place to which you are traveling or to which you have been sent.  It is also the ultimate purpose for which you were created or intended.  Your destination is your predetermined end or purpose.  My question is:

Have you reached your destination?

If you still have opportunities to learn and grow, the answer is "No."  As you continue to learn and grow, the mystery of your final destination will continue to unfold.  Your direction may change.  You may encounter what you consider detours.  But your destination was determined before you were born. 

Romans 8:29-30
29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.  30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Ephesians 1:3-6
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved

The detours you encounter en route to your destination are the best part of your journey.  If you keep the right perspective, you will find them both educational and inspirational.  On occasion, one or another detour will stretch your faith to the limit.  Just when you think your faith cannot be stretched any further, you will meet another detour.  Each one makes your journey richer.  Enjoy.

More about journeys in a future posting.

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Performance Self-evaluation: Customer Self-service

Customer service is all about anticipating and meeting the needs of your customer.  When you rate yourself in this category, consider whether you are anticipating and meeting your health needs:

Body
You demonstrate an understanding of your physical health needs, including the need to eat right, exercise, have health insurance, have a primary care physician, have a dentist, get regular physical and dental checkups, get appropriate screening tests, and keep your immunizations up to date. 

Mind
You demonstrate an understanding of your mental health needs, including the need for rest and relaxation, and real down time when the rest of the world is on pause while your mind regroups.

Spirit
You demonstrate an understanding of your spiritual health needs, including the need for praise and worship, prayer, meditation on the word of God, and alone time when it's just you and God.

You manage your lifestyle and schedule to meet your physical, mental and spiritual health needs.

How are you doing so far?  If your performance leaves something to be desired, make the necessary changes starting today!

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

An Action Plan for the Healthy Man: Safe Sex

God invented sex for the context of a covenant relationship between a man and a woman.  Sexual intimacy in any other context is against God's will and is unsafe physically, mentally and spiritually.  To have safe sex, a man should only have sex with his wife!  (Naturally, this presumes that a woman only has sex with her husband.)

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Who Knows?

When you know, you perceive directly and grasp in your mind with clarity or certainty.  When you know, you regard as true beyond doubt.  When you know something, you have it have fixed in your mind.   When you know someone, you perceive them as familiar; because of your direct experience with them, you are able to distinguish that person from all others by their character or nature.  Knowing can be a burden or a blessing.  The nature of knowing can change depending on the attitude of the person who knows and the nature of what they know.  My question is: 

Who really knows?

Friends know some things sometimes.
Family knows some things sometimes.
God knows all things all the time.

Jeremiah 1:4-5
4 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

Do you know God?

1 John 4:7-8
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA