In thinking about building up immunity, we are all encouraged and it is socially acceptable in our culture to practice good habits for physical immunity. Eat well . . . supplement . . . exercise . . . buy organic . . . de-tox . . . etc.
There is a sense of pride around the proverbial water cooler when you can contribute an idea about the latest and best anti-oxident juice or essential oil therapy. And this is good - - absolutely - - as we are commanded to care for the temple that is our earthly body. It is our responsibility as outlined in 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. "
What is counter-cultural, though, or "weird" is taking pride in the practices that nurture and build our spiritual immunity. A couple of these "essentials" as I'm discovering, are solitude and silence. Who saunters up to a conversation circle and declares, with pride, to colleagues, "I did absolutely nothing last night. I shut myself off from my family and friends and I sat, in silence, for most of the evening." Maybe it's just the crowd I currently "hang" with but it seems to me that a status symbol indicating your importance and worth to this world is how BUSY you are - - how STRESSED you are - - how FULL you calendar is - - you get the point. We are told to "Be still, and know that He is God." (Psalm 46) This is not a practice that is comfortable in our culture - but one worthy of significant attention.
As Paul coached Timothy in this regard, "Train yourself toward godliness (piety), [keeping yourself spiritually fit]. For physical training is of some value (useful for a little), but godliness (spiritual training) is useful and of value in everything and in every way, for it holds promise for the present life and also for the life which is to come. This saying is reliable and worthy of complete acceptance by everybody. With a view to this we toil and strive, [yes and] suffer reproach, because we have [fixed our] hope on the living God, who is the Savior (Preserver, Maintainer, Deliverer) of all men, especially of those who believe (trust in, rely on, and adhere to Him)." (1 Timothy 4:7-10)
I will be practicing some silence and solitude this week, resting on the promise that God will meet with me under these conditions . . .
For those like me who are ministered to through music, please listen to Steven Curtis Chapman's song, "Be Still and Know that He is God."
For those of you following our journey with cancer at Caring Bridge, this post will be a "repeat" . . .
We take for granted the incredible way in which God put our bodies together. Every moment of every day, in each of us, we have an army of fighters and defenders (white blood cells; neutrophils etc.) at combat - - killing off germs as they enter our bodies through the air we breathe, the food we eat and the things with which we come in contact.
My wife, Paula (blogger at created 2B creative), is fighting a cold - - not a big deal to most of us - - but we are seeing first hand that when our immune system is compromised, even something as simple as a head cold is enough to knock us off our feet (literally). Paula spent most of last week in bed or on the couch - - frustrating for her, I know, as she watched me scurry around packing up Christmas for another year. She so desperately wanted to participate in the clean up but, alas, she could not.
On Thursday morning she felt a little and thought she would try to do her morning regime of stretching excercises and walking on the spot to get the lymph flowing in her body. This was NOT a good idea for after a few short minutes, she needed to sit and felt as though she might pass out.
I, too, have been battling the same cold with much greater success. As I've been thinking about our bodies' ability to fight off colds, I notice a considerable difference in Paula's ability to do so (with her weakened physical system) as compared to my stronger physical body. Not rocket-science, I know - - call me "captain obvious".
However, an "a-ha" moment for me came as I began to think about this from a spiritual perspective. When we "flex" our "spiritual muscles" - - practise spiritual disciplines (e.g. solitude, silence, fasting, prayer, frugality, worship, sacrifice, fellowship, gratitude, studying the Word, acts of service etc.) - - we are better prepared to combat the negative spiritual forces that bombard us daily through media, culture, well-intentioned loved ones, etc. etc. When we do not care for our spiritual immune system, we leave ourselves open to the "germs" that rob us of our spiritual well-being. If you are one of those who make resolutions in January, let me encourage you to be thinking of some spiritual resolutions in addition to any physical resolutions you have made.
I continue to think about spiritual immunity and plan to camp out on this idea for a few posts . . .
How do we build spiritual immunity in ourselves? How do we nurture it in our children? What responsibility do we have as a church body to develop spiritual immunity in our "community" (both within the church body and in our neighbourhood at large)?
If you have any ideas or comments to share about how you care for you or your family's spiritual immune system(s) please leave these in the comments so that we can all benefit from the exchange of ideas. God bless you all!
Greetings and welcome to Free to Release.
This blog is a compilation of my thoughts, reflections and collections of other people's great ideas. As I approach "mid-life" I am learning just how much of a prisoner I have allowed myself to become. In an effort to "fit-in" to an ever-changing, forever-broken culture, I am realizing that there is simply . . . too . . . much. It is time to take action and that action is a simple one - - release. Join me on my journey this year as I give myself permission to "release" the chains that bind me to a lifestyle of defeat. Share with me the struggle to create margin and space in our jam-packed life. There is so much to think about and write about on this topic so while it may, at times, seem scattered, my hope is that the common thread that will run through these blog entries is one of hope and anticipation of the possibility of living an abundant life here and now - - all from a biblical worldview perspective. Scripture is clear, Christ is the key to abundant living. The New Living Translation of Romans 12, verse 2 says, "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
So, enough copying the world - - enough of trying to keep up with the proverbial "Jones" family. Embrace the action of release and give yourself permission to let go of the "stuff" of this world that holds you captive. As Craig Groeschel writes about in his book, let's be WEIRD this year.
