“Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.” (Proverbs 3:7–8, NLT)
Early one morning in late fall, a sixty-year-old man named Cal had chest pains upon waking. Though fading away in an hour, the pains returned later in the day. Fearing a heart attack, Cal and his wife went to the hospital. There, he was found to have a severe blockage of three arteries supplying his heart. Unable to fix the problem adequately with stents, the doctors opted for Open-Heart Surgery. Cal’s life changed a lot in the next few months. He had regular visits to rehab. His diet was changed. His sleeping schedule was altered. He became slightly depressed and irritable.
Seven months after his surgery, Cal visited his pastor just to talk. While there, he complained about the changes in his life. Then, he mentioned that he was down. He also harped about his stringent diet. On and on for seven minutes straight, he complained. Finally, Cal told his pastor, “I’m so fed up with my life right now. I can’t even concentrate when I pray or focus when I do Bible Study! What is wrong with me!”
Cal didn’t realize something very important about his faith. Do you see what he missed? When your body goes through a serious trauma; your mind and soul are also along for the ride. Accompanying the major surgery that took a great toll on Cal’s body, his mind also suffered. He grew depressed. He also could not concentrate or feel comfortable praying. Thus, his soul was affected. When one part of your life is out of whack, other areas of your life will eventually suffer consequences as well.
It may not surprise you, but “Regular exercise toughens the mind as well as the body. After working out three times a week for six months, [the exercise group in a study] was found to be 20% fitter. Bonus: they also scored 70% better in a test of complex decision making.” (American Health, quoted in November, 1985, Homemade Magazine). Through this and similar studies, scientists have concluded that there is a connection between a fit body and a fit mind. However, it is not just the body and mind that are intimately connected. Your soul is also connected to body and mind. Your soul affects both. Each reacts to the other. When one part of the body-mind-soul connection is weak, the others will be weakened as well. When one is stronger, it will aid the others. When one is corrupted, it will inevitably cause damage to the others.
Long before any of these scientific studies were done to find the interaction between body, mind, and soul, the Bible proclaimed this connection to be true. Our scripture for today points to this connection. Proverbs 3:7 argues that you should “fear the Lord and turn away from evil”. This faithful stance is good for the soul. What does this scripture above say will result from a faithful stance? “THEN you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones” (Proverbs 3:8). A solid connection with God will result in healing and wholeness in your body, even to your bones. The opposite, I’m afraid, is also true.
When Jen was in college, she was sexually assaulted. For a long time after, she didn’t date. She felt uncomfortable around men. In time, however, she began to overcome her fear and moved on with her life, or so she thought. A year after graduation, Jen walked into an elevator alone. Just before the door closed, a large man with tattoos and a biker’s vest walked into the elevator with her. As the elevator traveled with just the two aboard, Jen’s fears resurfaced. She began to sweat and had difficulty breathing. After getting off the elevator early, Jen’s symptoms seemed to calm down. Her heart stopped racing. A few months later, the same symptoms occurred to Jen during worship. She didn’t understand why she was having these “attacks”. After the humiliation of three bad experiences like this in worship, she stopped attending her church. The attacks continued, occurring more and more frequently. Finally, Jen saw her doctor.
After her doctor reviewed her symptoms, he prescribed some medicine to ease Jen's symptoms. He also enrolled her in a class about anxiety at a neighboring church. She also began to see a counselor. Through several months of different therapies, it was determined that Jen was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It took almost a year for the symptoms to become manageable. Finally, a little over a year later, Jen again attended worship and began to restore her friendships.
What began as physical violence seriously affected Jen’s faith. It kept her out of church life for more than a year. It impacted her spiritual life and her relationships with Christian friends. Physical and emotional and psychological traumas do that. Your body, mind, and spirit all affect each other. To neglect any one of the three will bring difficulties and consequences to the others. The reverse is also true. If you neglect your spiritual life, you will suffer consequences in the other areas of your life. You may think you don’t need God or need to make something right with God without realizing the toll those stands will take upon your body and mind.
Today, do a little self-examination. Which part of the body-mind-soul connection is your weak link? How well do you care for your body? Do you eat well? Do you get enough exercise? How well do you care for your mind? Do you hold grudges? Does anger creep into too many of your thoughts? Are you stressed? Are you too negative? Finally, how well do you nurture your soul? Are you quick to trust in God? Are you willing to let God forgive you? Are you too prideful to repent? Is there something holding you back from joy in Christ?
Seven months after his surgery, Cal visited his pastor just to talk. While there, he complained about the changes in his life. Then, he mentioned that he was down. He also harped about his stringent diet. On and on for seven minutes straight, he complained. Finally, Cal told his pastor, “I’m so fed up with my life right now. I can’t even concentrate when I pray or focus when I do Bible Study! What is wrong with me!”
Cal didn’t realize something very important about his faith. Do you see what he missed? When your body goes through a serious trauma; your mind and soul are also along for the ride. Accompanying the major surgery that took a great toll on Cal’s body, his mind also suffered. He grew depressed. He also could not concentrate or feel comfortable praying. Thus, his soul was affected. When one part of your life is out of whack, other areas of your life will eventually suffer consequences as well.
It may not surprise you, but “Regular exercise toughens the mind as well as the body. After working out three times a week for six months, [the exercise group in a study] was found to be 20% fitter. Bonus: they also scored 70% better in a test of complex decision making.” (American Health, quoted in November, 1985, Homemade Magazine). Through this and similar studies, scientists have concluded that there is a connection between a fit body and a fit mind. However, it is not just the body and mind that are intimately connected. Your soul is also connected to body and mind. Your soul affects both. Each reacts to the other. When one part of the body-mind-soul connection is weak, the others will be weakened as well. When one is stronger, it will aid the others. When one is corrupted, it will inevitably cause damage to the others.
Long before any of these scientific studies were done to find the interaction between body, mind, and soul, the Bible proclaimed this connection to be true. Our scripture for today points to this connection. Proverbs 3:7 argues that you should “fear the Lord and turn away from evil”. This faithful stance is good for the soul. What does this scripture above say will result from a faithful stance? “THEN you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones” (Proverbs 3:8). A solid connection with God will result in healing and wholeness in your body, even to your bones. The opposite, I’m afraid, is also true.
When Jen was in college, she was sexually assaulted. For a long time after, she didn’t date. She felt uncomfortable around men. In time, however, she began to overcome her fear and moved on with her life, or so she thought. A year after graduation, Jen walked into an elevator alone. Just before the door closed, a large man with tattoos and a biker’s vest walked into the elevator with her. As the elevator traveled with just the two aboard, Jen’s fears resurfaced. She began to sweat and had difficulty breathing. After getting off the elevator early, Jen’s symptoms seemed to calm down. Her heart stopped racing. A few months later, the same symptoms occurred to Jen during worship. She didn’t understand why she was having these “attacks”. After the humiliation of three bad experiences like this in worship, she stopped attending her church. The attacks continued, occurring more and more frequently. Finally, Jen saw her doctor.
After her doctor reviewed her symptoms, he prescribed some medicine to ease Jen's symptoms. He also enrolled her in a class about anxiety at a neighboring church. She also began to see a counselor. Through several months of different therapies, it was determined that Jen was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It took almost a year for the symptoms to become manageable. Finally, a little over a year later, Jen again attended worship and began to restore her friendships.
What began as physical violence seriously affected Jen’s faith. It kept her out of church life for more than a year. It impacted her spiritual life and her relationships with Christian friends. Physical and emotional and psychological traumas do that. Your body, mind, and spirit all affect each other. To neglect any one of the three will bring difficulties and consequences to the others. The reverse is also true. If you neglect your spiritual life, you will suffer consequences in the other areas of your life. You may think you don’t need God or need to make something right with God without realizing the toll those stands will take upon your body and mind.
Today, do a little self-examination. Which part of the body-mind-soul connection is your weak link? How well do you care for your body? Do you eat well? Do you get enough exercise? How well do you care for your mind? Do you hold grudges? Does anger creep into too many of your thoughts? Are you stressed? Are you too negative? Finally, how well do you nurture your soul? Are you quick to trust in God? Are you willing to let God forgive you? Are you too prideful to repent? Is there something holding you back from joy in Christ?