HEALTHY LIVING

“Lose ten, twenty, or fifty pounds if you follow the plan.”

Every day, commercials promise incredible health results. However, positive results are possible only if we follow the suggested protocol.

After working through a recent health issue, a friend suggested a diet she thought might help. The information was two pages long: the “No” list and the “Yes” list. Wow, I thought to myself, this is great. I like the simplicity of having someone lay out what is good and what is bad. Oh, but wait a minute. What’s that on the “No” list? Pasta, rice, bananas, peanuts? But, I LOVE peanut butter. And on the “Yes” list? Hemp seeds, psyllium …

Isn’t it funny how we want good results without having to make tough choices? When God created human beings, He designed within us the ability to choose between right (the “yes” list) and wrong (the “no” list). He calls it free will.

My friend wanted her diet plan to make me feel better physically. God’s precepts help me thrive both in this world with others and in my relationship with Him. I’ve found some of God’s principles are easier to follow than others. Yes, He has given me a choice, but if I decide I don’t want to follow His plan, then the results will likely cause pain and suffering for me or someone else.

The philosophy of the world promises we can have things our way. Such as when ordering a hamburger. I don’t want to think the consequences of my choices are only personal and affect no one but me. The “me generation” is nothing new and began in the Garden of Eden.

Free will is both beautiful and daunting. Thank God, Jesus chose well. He gave everything for me, for us—right up to the cross.

Ask God to give you a mind for healthy living.