The glory of God is man fully alive.
St. Irenaeus
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
2 Corinthians 5:17
The Chinese bamboo tree is an interesting, gorgeous tree that grows in the Far East. When farmers plant the seed for a Chinese bamboo tree, they know they are taking on a task that will require incredible patience. Every day for four years, they will water and fertilize the seed. During that time, there will be absolutely no visible growth. The seed will stay locked away underground, and it will look as though nothing is happening. Then in the fifth year, the consistent, small steps to ensure the tree’s health will pay off. The tree will break through the soil and begin growing at an unbelievable rate. In just five weeks or so, it will grow to be ninety feet tall.
To gear up and get started, those tree farmers had to have a great deal of faith in the small steps of watering and fertilizing. They had to have a crystal clear understanding of the truth that you reap what you sow. And they had to have incredible patience, knowing that if they kept at it, their effort would pay off in a breathtaking, God-glorifying way.
The same is true for your health and wellness. But thankfully, you won’t have to wait five years to see results. Many of the small steps we have outlined in these pages will lead to fast results, while some will require longer periods of consistent nurturing before they show themselves. But all the “Small Steps to the New You,” when taken consistently over a period of time, will eventually lead to the growth of a life that will exceed your wildest dreams.
Fully Alive
When you enter a personal relationship with Jesus, as we have discussed in these pages, you are not just refreshed, reformed, or rehabilitated. You are not turning over a new leaf. You are not embarking on a self-help journey. Rather, you are transformed from the inside out—and not as a result of anything you have done or can do but because of what Jesus has done. Take another look at Paul’s words, in a little more context:
How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. (2 Cor. 5:16–18)
Again, walking in the reality of your new life in Christ doesn’t hinge on trying harder or doing better. It is about surrendering to the fullness of your new identity in him and doing your part to live out that fullness in every aspect of your daily life.
Choose to walk in the truth of who you are in Jesus every single day. Choose to take responsibility for your health and well-being in every area so that you can be an example of his goodness to an onlooking world. Choose to be a good steward of the opportunities God has given you to love others completely and fulfill his purposes. In other words, choose to water the seeds within you. Then when you least expect it, you will realize that your outer life has become an astounding reflection of the new creation you are on the inside. You will be living in the reality of the new you. Here are some final steps to help you get started.
Stop Procrastinating
Procrastination derails more good intentions than just about anything else. We always think we can eat whatever we want to today because we are going to start losing weight tomorrow. We justify staying up late tonight because we can rest when there is less going on. We put off having the hard conversation that could heal a relationship because there is no point in starting an argument right now. Who’s guilty?
The problem is that tomorrow always becomes today, and when it does, something else inevitably gives us an excuse to wait until the next tomorrow to get started. But the book of Proverbs warns, “Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring” (27:1). Tomorrow may bring circumstances that will make doing what needs to be done even harder, or tomorrow may actually be too late. Heart attacks happen in the blink of an eye. Diagnoses come out of left field. There may be seedlings of diseases lurking inside you right now that have the potential to come to fruition and overtake you if you continue to put off doing the things that create health. You don’t know when it is going to be too late to turn back; you can’t afford to keep procrastinating.
Invest in Yourself
You are committed to investing in others. You pour into your family, your friends, your coworkers, and so many other people. But how committed are you to investing in yourself? If you don’t take the time to care for your own health and well-being, you will eventually lose your ability to be there for anyone else.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that self-sacrifice to the point of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion is a badge of honor. Yes, you have responsibilities to the people in your life. Yes, you are supposed to count others’ interests ahead of your own. But you are also called to take care of yourself in a way that will allow you to continue doing those things effectively. Take a look at what Jesus had to say to his apostles when they were in a particularly busy season:
The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. (Mark 6:30–31)
If you don’t take the time to take care of yourself—to “come apart,” as some other biblical translations put it—you will soon come apart at the seams. Or as we like to say, if you don’t come apart, you will come apart. Neglecting to invest in yourself by eating properly, moving your body, resting well, reducing stress, nurturing healthy relationships, and doing the other things required for health will destroy you and your ability to do all that God has given you to do.
I (Nelson) recently heard a story about a woman who called her church’s office and asked to speak to the pastor. The secretary said, “I’m sorry, the pastor is not available. Today is his Sabbath. He’ll be in tomorrow.”
The following Sunday that woman marched up to the pastor, got right in his face, and said, “I really needed to talk to you last week, and your secretary said you were taking the day off! Satan doesn’t take a day off!”
The pastor responded, “You are exactly right. He doesn’t. And if I don’t take a day off, I’m going to end up just like Satan.” The same holds true for you. You have to care for yourself to be able to keep living and loving well.
Commit to a Healthy Lifestyle in All Four Areas
To choose new life, you must adopt a lifestyle that promotes and sustains life. As we have discussed at length, getting healthy physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally takes long-term thinking. Instead of giving in to the temptation to make a quick fix in any area, you must commit to an ongoing healthy lifestyle. The best way to determine whether the changes you are making can be part of such a lifestyle is to ask yourself, “Is this something I could continue doing for the rest of my life?” If the answer is no, you aren’t developing a lifestyle; you are simply on a crash course. Reevaluate your approach.
Your healthy lifestyle won’t look exactly like ours or anyone else’s. Yes, there are universal rules about health that we all need to work within (as we have discussed), but the day-to-day specifics of what you eat, how you exercise, when you have your quiet time with God, how you make time to rest, and the like will be unique to you. Keep those specifics conducive to your long-range goals. Focus on small steps every day and watch your life transform.
Decide to Maximize Your Impact
God gave you life so that you can make a difference. Still, as believers, we don’t always feel at home in this world. We long for the sweetness of heaven. As Paul wrote:
I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. (Phil. 1:23–25)
In this passage, Paul is essentially saying that he is choosing life, not just for his own benefit but so that he can positively influence those coming behind him.
In the same way, choose life so that you can impact those who have been placed in your path. People who choose to neglect their health, ending up sick and struggling to get through each day, rarely have much impact on the world. And dead people have even less. By deciding to get healthy, you are taking a major step toward maximizing the difference your life can make now and in generations to come.
Consider this passage: “Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren” (Deut. 4:9 NKJV). Do you have children? Do you have grandchildren? Even if you don’t right now, one day God may bless you with both. If that day comes, you owe it to them to be healthy and vibrant, ready and able to engage with them well. You owe it to yourself to be able to participate in their lives at full capacity for as long as possible. Being able to be with your loved ones for the long haul is much more significant than the few minutes of enjoyment you get out of that greasy hamburger, the sweat you avoid by not exercising, or the little bit more work you get done by refusing to rest.
The things that rob you of your health are so often the same things that rob you of your potential to live and love well—and they are just not worth it. They never will be. Short-term pleasures and easier paths aren’t worth missing out on lasting memories with your family. And they aren’t worth missing out on the plans God has for your one, wonderful life.
Living for Today, Tomorrow, and Eternity
One day—on the day you leave this world for your home in heaven—you will receive a glorified body. As Scripture teaches, there will be no more pain and no more suffering (Rev. 21:4). You will be whole and eternally healthy. What a glorious day that will be, as the old hymn says. But until that day comes, you have a responsibility to take care of the earthly vessel God has given you in a way that reveals his excellence, to make it an example of honor and strength, capable of accomplishing the purposes he has for you.
Our prayer is that, with God’s help, you will make daily choices that will allow this to happen. Choose to live in a way that will allow you to experience the abundance God offers today, to impact the people around you for a better tomorrow, and to alter eternity in a positive way forevermore.
Friend, it is time to take responsibility for your health. It is time to take responsibility for your life. Are you ready? Don’t settle for being tired, stressed, foggy, sick, and overweight. Don’t let anyone or anything convince you that you are capable of only second best in the areas that matter most.
God has given you strength; nurture it. He has given you vitality; protect it. He has given you opportunity; stay well so you can fulfill it. Choose to step away from the masses and live a better life. Choose to walk fully in the new life that God gave you when you gave yourself to him. As you do, he will be able to do more in you and through you than you have ever imagined.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. (Eph. 3:20–21)