I Am Well: Part One: What is Wellness? (eBook)

As with fitness, it is possible to assess, measure, set goals upon, and improve each of these areas of wellness. So, someone could be in pretty awesome shape physically, they could be really smart and really balanced emotionally, but if they don’t have a job or any friends, then they are suffering in those components/ areas and the theory is that bringing remedy to the lacking areas will result in a person who is more balanced, therefore happier and healthier, and someone who will live longer. Give that person a job and some friends and they are better off right? Perhaps! But not always necessarily. You have to qualify the remedy. What if the new friends end up stealing from them or causing them to get arrested? What if the physical fitness that was previously so excellent is harmed by the new job which causes them to lose sleep, go long periods of time without eating, and subjects them to an abusive boss and dangerous working conditions? Once you take a moment to reflect on the seven components of wellness you can quickly begin to see how all of the areas impact each other in an endlessly complex set of matrixes. Usually, all seven components affect each other simultaneously, with most actions and choices affecting some areas disproportionately. We find it possible then to make a choice which improves one or several areas, but that takes away from or harms some of the other areas. Life for most people becomes reactionary; once a wellness component becomes harmed severely, it gets attention at the detriment of other components, until another area’s suffering becomes the squeaky wheel and it gets attention. Most people unfortunately go through life trying to repair what is damaged, rather than fine tuning and tweaking all of the areas wisely so that they can stay ahead of the curve and make progress toward all areas improving proactively. Proactively managing your wellness requires diligent effort, but it is possible and sure beats the alternative!

The more we understand the collective impact that our choices have on all of the different areas, we begin to develop a greater appreciation for the symphony that is wellness. We are the conductor, doing our best to get all of the different instruments to play the right notes, in the right order, at the right time, at the optimal volume to create music. Whether we are aware of this job or not, we are all orchestra conductors. Some of us make beautiful music, some of us make terrible music, and some others can barely seem to produce a single note. Some are able to manage the complexities of life long enough to produce a few measures of good music, while others are able to create volumes of scores throughout their lifetime that inspire and encourage generations. These are the wellness savants. Those who understand who they are, what they are working with, how what they are working with interacts with the world around them, who they were created to be, and how to fully leverage their talents with constrained time and limited resources. I believe we should all strive to make as much beautiful “music” as possible with the time we have.

When we become better at balancing and optimizing wellness personally, our lives usually become overwhelmingly healthier, more productive, and more meaningful. The more a family unit can appropriately balance each member’s wellness, the better the family unit is overall. Obviously, this idea continues to carry further and further as we look at larger and larger groups of people. From small businesses to entire industries, communities, cities, states, countries, continents and ultimately the entire world, the more individuals are optimizing their lives through careful and diligent maintenance of each area of wellness personally, the healthier and more productive the group will be. The really cool part is that each additional person who gets it right produces an increasing return. So, the more people get their stuff together personally, obviously the better things are for everyone, but the return is exponential as the synergy between two optimally well persons or groups produces greater than a 1:1 return. In the similar way that two people lending a hand can cut the time to complete a task (it might take 1 person an hour to complete a task, but 2 people can get it done in 15 minutes, not 30), each additional person living a life of wellness becomes a multiplier for others they interact with in life. Unfortunately, similarly, a person who is terribly out of balance and dysfunctional is usually a multiplier of chaos and destruction in the lives of the people around them. The implication of the responsibility we have not just to ourselves, but also to our families and communities becomes painfully clearer the greater we understand how we are all connected and dependent on each other. It’s a terrible burden and responsibility to which most are ignorant. Some people self-sabotage, usually not understanding that their efforts to be selfish are actually hurting themselves as much as, if not more than, others as a result. The flip side is, when we choose to make decisions consistent with balance and growth, the positive potential for our individual lives and our family’s legacy is truly incredible. If one remains committed to making helpful choices that benefit both self and others, there truly is no limit to the blessings which can be created for all.

As optimistic as I am about the power of our free will and the impact of making positive wellness choices, I’m not going to be one of those guys trying to sell the church, or anyone for that matter, the lie that somehow, we are all going to eventually figure it out individually and create some utopia where everything works and we’re all balanced and at peace. Quite the opposite actually. The world is broken and everything is not going to be fixed perfectly until Jesus returns. I believe we should continue however to do our best to fight back against all of the dysfunction, chaos, death, and destruction, despite the eventuality of the demise of this present world, if for no other reason than that God receives glory as we persist. I do believe that we should continue to do our best to be fruitful, multiply, do good works, and to do our best to live our lives to the fullest extent, helping as many people as possible to do the same, and to produce fruit for the kingdom of God by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ as long as we can until this age ends. But be aware of false teachers, and know that this wellness message has been high-jacked by deceiving spirits; there are those who will try to convince you that somehow, people are going to be able to continue making improvements until we reach this perfect balance and create heaven on earth. Some will go so far as to promise that humans are going to figure out how to avoid death entirely! This is a lie straight from Satan. From the beginning, he has tried to get us to believe the lie that we can be like God; that we can make our own rules and live forever.

Sadly, many Christians recognize the doomed fate of our flesh, and of this current world, and determine that any effort spent to improve our temporal state is somehow a futile sin. These Christians are disrespecting the holy temple of God Almighty! With our new covenant God doesn’t dwell in a temple of bricks and stone. He dwells IN US. WE are His temple. How do you think the Master feels when His servants don’t keep the gates in repair? How do you think He feels when you leave His temple with broken windows and the doors wide open? Why have you let the roof cave in, allowing water to poor in, and mold and mildew to grow on priceless curtains? I could keep going with the metaphors but you get the point. Honor the God you claim to serve by presenting the vessel He gifted to you in its best maintained and most usable state. This is not to say each person is supposed to be a bodybuilder or accomplish Ironman competitions. We’ve all been gifted with different talents and abilities, and placed in different environments working with different variables. What I’m saying is: be a diligent steward of your specific circumstances in accordance to God’s will for your life. Above everything BE OBEDIENT TO HIM. Seek an intimate, active, personal relationship with your creator and savior, the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and ask and keep asking Him to lead you, guide you, and show you the specific assignments He has for you. My goal with this book is to offer you a battle plan to accomplish just that, obedience to God and excellent completion of your specific race. We are in a war. Eternity is at stake for billions of souls, including yours. What you do with your time here matters, and since eternity is at stake, you and your decisions actually have infinite value. You build treasure in heaven based on your performance here. What level of honor do you seek? What will be your contribution to the Father’s glory? I’m going to continue to encourage you to choose wellness. Choose to fight for the fulfillment of the potential given to you by our Father, here and now in this earthly vessel. Fulfill your calling with excellence and complete your assignments. Bless the Father by doing everything you can to bless as many of His children as possible. This is accomplished when you hone yourself into the sharpest, most useful tool possible. This game of life IS the pursuit of wellness whether you recognize it yet or not. All of your hopes and dreams are wrapped up in this idea, and carefully studying the playing field (or battle field) and understanding the tools and tactics...