The giving and receiving of gifts is woven into the
fabric of life.
Whether children or adults, a present represents a
joyful
surprise and an opportunity to expect something
wonderful.
While gift exchanging is a common practice, there is
one gift
that cannot be given, namely the gift of health. As
much as
we would like to give loved ones excellent health,
especially
those who are suffering sickness, it is not possible.
The gift
of health is one that we can only give ourselves.
HEALTH: What is it?
The word health
is the state of being whole or complete
in
the sense that all parts of a living organism, be it
plant,
animal or human, are well organized and perform
freely
in their intended, natural functions. Furthermore, health
refers to soundness of mind, body, and
vigor which can
and often does imply a moral sense of purity and
goodness.
HEALTH: Where does it originate?
Health or wholeness
originates from YHVH Almighty and
was imparted to man in his inception. True to His
nature,
the Most High formed man in His likeness and endowed
him with a superior quality of life that afforded man
the
ability to prosper and enjoy life in the fullest.
YHVH perfectly
designed man's body to function problem-free in a
harmonious
relationship with Him. Nevertheless, when man turned
away
from YHVH, his quality of life was compromised and
thus cut
short. His health deteriorated and was eventually
ravaged by
sickness and death. Thus man's original wholeness was
sadly fractured and fragmented, a condition that
remains
widespread in the world today.
HEALTH: What to do about it
Health has become a popular topic but for
all the talk and
clamor, there yet remains little understanding of
what
constitutes true health/wholeness much less how to
achieve
it. To be sure, health means many things to many
people,
but finding, proving, and possessing a superior
quality of life
is often a rare find; for being truly healthy, is a
personal
responsibility. Inlearning harmful lifestyle elements
and
replacing them with wholesome ones requires education
and discipline. Nevertheless, renewing life vigor is
possible,
for the body is self-healing!
HEALTH: How to make it happen
Countless numbers of diets and lifestyles
exist, but not all
produce healthy results. Despite widespread opinions,
many health advocates and even some medical
professionals
agree that adopting a natural approach to life is the
best road
to superior health. It stands to reason that since
the body is
a living organism, it responds best to natural care.
This being
so, consider the following guidelines.
- Decide
your priorities- Determine your life
values:
what you want out of life, what is most
important to you,
what are your goals, future plans, what you
hope to
achieve in life, etc. Focus on what is
important to you
and pursue them. Leave the rest behind.
- Improve
your diet- What you eat determines
the quality
of your life. Natural, living foods support
health; man-
made, processed, and animal-based foods
promote
sickness, pain, and disease. Eat
predominately living
foods: fresh vegetables, fruit, seeds, nuts,
and sprouted
grains in their natural, raw state. An
organic, vegan diet
of 85% living foods and 15% cooked food
provides the
body with the necessary nutrients it needs
for being
vibrantly healthy.
- Drink
healthy water- Avoid tap water in
favor of drinking
trusted sources of purified, distilled, well
or spring water.
Very few bottled waters are considered safe
to consume.
- Eliminate
unhealthy habits- Stop smoking,
consumption
of alcoholic beverages, and recreational
drugs, all of
which harm the body.
- Avoid
pharmaceutical drugs- As much as
possible,
choose natural remedies to solve existing
health
problems, since all conventional drugs are
toxic and
actually cause additional health problems.
- Products-
Choose naturally- sourced products for
home and personal care. Chemically-based
products
are unnatural and are thus toxic to the body.
Eliminating
products that have harmful ingredients
enhances
personal well-being.
- Clothing-
Choose apparel that is made of natural
fibers (linen, cotton, silk, wool). Man-made,
synthetic
fabrics do not allow the body to breathe plus
they
contain toxic residues that enter the body
through
the pores of the skin. These residues can
cause
serious health problems such as cancer,
infertility,
allergies, hormonal imbalances, etc.
- Exercise-
The body naturally likes to move. Therefore
incorporate exercise into your daily routine.
Physical
activity should be moderate and of a
reasonable duration
Simple exercises such as stretching,
rebounding, and
walking are excellent solutions for a daily
routine.
- Relationships-
Seek and foster relationships that
are life-enhancing. Resolve or eliminate
relationships
that have a negative impact on your life,
since toxic
relationships are stressful and therefore
unhealthy.
- Technology-
Electronic devices are tools of convenience
that can and often destroy relationships as
well as
personal health. Therefore make wise tech
choices
and limit their use, especially by children.
Simplify and
streamline communications by avoiding modern
tech
devices in favor of making 'old fashioned'
phone calls,
writing letters, and personally visiting
family and friends.
The
gift of health is not complete without spiritual
awareness.
Exercising the inner man and making the all-important
connection to YHVH through Yahshua Messiah is the
life
line that we need to make on a consistent basis
daily. The
Giver of Life delights to give and supply our needs.
He
looks forward to hearing from us. Do not disappoint
Him.
Immerse yourself in His word, meditate upon Him, talk
to
him. He is available 24/7. 'He is able to accomplish
infinitely
more than we might ask or think.' (Ephesians
3:20).
Conclusion
In the beginning YHVH Almighty formed man
perfectly
healthy/whole. Sickness, pain, and dis-ease
were never part
of His plan. Nevertheless, when man turned away from
YHVH and went his own way, his quality of life
diminished.
His health was compromised. Much of this compromise
was
and continues to be the result of poor lifestyle
choices,
especially diet.
No where in scripture did YHVH make
unnatural provision
for man. The foods that He made and instructed man to
eat were natural in origin, custom made by His hand
to
ensure that man had all the necessary nutrients for
his
well-being. Over the course of time, however, man has
sought to 'improve' on what YHVH made by taking
natually-sourced, living foods and turning them into
substances that are sub-standard food substitutes.
These
low quality 'foods,' aka junk foods,
fake foods, and
convenience foods are known to be the cause of
most
health problems.
Quality of life is a personal choice,
and judging from the
amount of sickness in the world, it is obvious that
most
people have made poor lifestyle choices. This should
not
be. There is a better way to live, and it is up to
each of us
to prove it.
We only have one life to live and how we
choose to live
it ultimately determines our well being. We cannot be
healthy for someone else, but we can make healthy
choices for ourselves that will inspire others.
In the end, we must learn that life is a
precious commodity,
a gift from YHVH that deserves to be lived well in
the purest
sense as He intends. Therefore take hold of the life
that He
has given you by pursuing superior health. Give
yourself
the gift of health that keeps on giving.
Every good gift and
every perfect gift is from
above, and cometh down from the Father of
lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning.- James 1:17
Beloved, I wish above
all things that thou
mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy
soul prospereth.- 3 John 1:2
________________________________________________________________
Resources:
Books:
God's Way to Ultimate Health, The Hallelujah
Diet-
by George Malkmus
Recipes for Life from God's Garden- by Rhonda
Malkmus
Eat to Live- by Dr. Joel Fuhrman
Reclaim Your Health- Free on-line program
LIVING Letter archives- access past issues
Back to LIVING Letter #116 / Index
