Good Medicine

We all have the things that interest us most in life. Many people would describe those as our callings or passions. The possessions a person accumulates, lend evidence to what that person values.

Well, I like books.

And I have accumulated books on the topics that speak to my passions. When you review my collection, you will find three categories. There are books on Jesus and the Christian life, books about nutrition and health, and books pertaining to writing – thesauruses, dictionaries, grammar guides, etc.

Truth be told, I should read the grammar books more – I’ll get there.

And to all the fiction readers, you can judge me. I don’t mind. I confess that I don’t think I own a single fiction book.

Can we still be friends?

Pretty please. (Insert puppy-eyed face)

I don’t discuss nutrition or health-related topics on this blog because I simply prefer to write about Jesus, and I don’t feel He has given me any direction to write about health.

Don’t get me wrong, I can talk about nutrition for extended periods of time, and I love getting to counsel each person the Lord brings to me. However, there are loads of well-written, well-sourced health articles out there, and I am OK with not having my name on any of them.

I am drawn to nutrition and health because the Holy Spirit has always impressed upon me that God created our bodies to heal. He has given us the resources we need to support our bodies in those processes, and that’s what gets me so pumped about nutrition. He’s the provider. We just need to utilize what He has provided.

The discussion about health, and healing, can’t be had without acknowledging the One who heals.

Nutrition counseling thus becomes an avenue for ministry. As I speak with clients, I continually point them to Jesus.

Read the Bible, and you will find story after story of Jesus healing those struggling with health challenges. Visit His crucifixion, and you will quickly learn that His body was broken and destroyed so that ours would be made whole. He gave His health and life, that we may gain ours.

Praise the Lord for His sacrifice! By His stripes, we are healed!

A particular verse in Proverbs has always stood out to me, and it’s what triggered today’s ramblings about health and wellbeing.

Proverbs 17:22 (AMP) A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

I particularly like this verse in the Amplified Version of the Bible because a significant distinction is made.

A happy heart is good medicine, but a joyful mind causes healing.

When we are ill, a funny movie or time with friends can serve as wonderful medicine. Our hearts are happy, and we experience a reprieve from our symptoms. Think of those happy moments as a pain killer. It makes you feel better for a time, and for that, we are grateful, but the medicine itself doesn’t heal you.

Healing comes from a joyful mind.

And a joyful mind is a mind stayed on Jesus. He is our source of joy, and joy is something to be had regardless of our happiness.

In the opening of John chapter 15, Jesus is talking about how He is the vine, and we are the branch. If we are not in Him, we can bear no fruit because we can do nothing apart from him. He also speaks of how those who do bear fruit will be pruned to bear more fruit.

Then, in John 15:11 (ESV), He says, These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

I don’t know about you, but being pruned still hurts from time to time. The pruning process is not typically one that many of us would find to be full of happiness. Yet, after discussing pruning, Jesus goes on to talk about the fullness of our joy in Him.

This world is constantly vying for our attention. There are so many idols that we can unknowingly begin to worship.

Can we be reminded not to worship the medicine, but instead to worship Jesus?

Yes, those things that bring us happiness can be such good, good medicine, but they won’t heal you or me. They may assist in the process and supply vital resources, but…

Our only source of healing is the Lord.

May we each seek to be filled with His joy, and may the fruit of that joy become ever so evident by the health in which we walk.