Science is progressing, and people are finding new and more exciting ways to care for their health. There are different exercise regimes, new medications, and new herbal mixtures that are new discoveries. When we, however, have ancient hacks that still work, it’s a real treasure.
In my devotion this morning, I stumbled on an ancient life hack. The book of Proverbs offers a variety of ancient life hacks for taking care of different aspects of our lives. This morning, as I read Proverbs chapter 3. I found an interesting life hack. The simple hack is to change the lens through which we see the world, and rather than see ourselves as the source of all things, to recognize the existence of God and center our trust and life around Him. Once this life hack is implemented, a few interesting insights come to life. Here are a few key pieces of advice from the chapter and how they relate to healthy living.
1. Trust in the Lord: The chapter begins with an exhortation to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and to not lean on our own understanding. This suggests that spiritual well-being is an important aspect of overall health. There is also significant data from research that shows that people that trust in God or higher power have lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, enjoy improved mental and emotional health, and enjoy lower levels of inflammatory markers, which are associated with a range of health problems including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. They also have better-coping mechanisms and resilience.
2. Honour the Lord with your wealth: Verse 9 encourages us to honour the Lord with our wealth and with the first fruits of all our produce. This is a direct admonition to practice generosity, which has been shown to have a positive impact on mental and physical health.
3. Do not despise the Lord’s discipline: The chapter suggests that God’s discipline is an expression of his love and that we should not despise it. This can be interpreted as an encouragement to accept and learn from difficult experiences rather than becoming bitter or resentful. Once you see discipline the right way, it takes your energies off what causes depression.
4. Keep wisdom and understanding close: The chapter advises us to keep wisdom and understanding close to us, as they will bring us health and prosperity. This is a call to cultivate knowledge and intelligence, which are important for making good decisions about our health.
5. Do not be afraid: The chapter repeatedly advises us not to be afraid but to trust in the Lord. This is a reminder that anxiety and stress can have negative effects on our health and that cultivating faith and hope can help us maintain emotional resilience.
Overall, Proverbs chapter 3 offers a holistic vision of health that includes spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. By trusting in God, practicing generosity, learning from difficult experiences, cultivating knowledge and intelligence, and avoiding anxiety and stress, we can take care of our health and flourish in all areas of life.
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Kind Regards,
Adeolu Akinyemi.
