Since I began this blog several years ago, one of my main goals was to help people make the connection between spirituality and health. Many of us have heard these lines from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body” (19-20). I’ve always been struck by the challenge of glorifying God in (with) our body, and how difficult it is to live that out each day. I know it is for me.
Friends, our world is now confronted with the very serious and deadly Corona virus. Over the last several weeks, I’ve heard that when someone dies from this virus, it’s often because they had “existing health problems.” Although I’m no expert and cannot say for certain, my guess is that many of these “existing health problems” are those same chronic health issues which lead me to create this blog. Over ten years ago, I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. I was obese, and was not taking care of my physical body in the way one should if they are attempting to bring glory to God through it. I could go on and on, but for now I want to tell you that I prayed very hard for a solution, and in the end, prayer was a huge part of the solution. So was changing my diet and exercising every day. Prayer, Diet and Exercise. What seemed like an insurmountable mountain turned out to be something I could get to the other side of, but it didn’t take place overnight and certainly wasn’t easy. It took months, and then, once I got to the other side and was healthy again in all areas of my life (body, mind, and spirit), I realized I needed to share what I had done with others, trusting that what happened to me was doable for others.
Over the years, I’ve learned that small changes, done consistently over time, can greatly help people get well in all areas of their lives. If you are suffering from a chronic illness but have not really made those necessary changes to improve, now is the time to act. Today! This morning in my own prayer, I made a commitment to start writing on this blog daily from now until Divine Mercy Sunday (April 19th), offering suggestions on what you can do right now to get yourself back on track in all areas of your life. We have to take personal responsibility for ourselves, and during this time of uncertainty, we can begin our journey to health. We can do this. God wants us well.
