What Will You Build this New Year?
At the top of each new year comes the opportunity to both reflect, and to project (pronounced with a long O). The word “project” begins with the prefix, “pro-” which is Latin for the word “forward.” It’s a pro-active prefix in which some future-minded action is understood, a looking ahead, if you will. The suffix “-ject” means “thrown” or more subtly, to “put into place.”
As you and I begin our journey together towards Getting Healthy for Heaven’s Sake in 2023, let’s imagine our bodies to be a precious city in need of a robust security system—much like the bustling Old Testament city of Jerusalem had in it’s encompassing wall and gate system, before its destruction by the Babylonian empire.
In my 2001 book, Get Healthy for Heaven’s Sake, I describe the subsequent re-building of these two life-enhancing structures—a task led by the prophet Nehemiah—in an analogous way to shoring up our own health by re-installing fortified walls and functioning gates.
Walls, in my analogy, are erected to keep harmful habits out. When we think of our health pursuit, practices such as frequently eating processed foods, smoking, sedentary living, unaddressed sleep apnea, and drinking excessive alcohol are some of what we need to keep out of our lives. Purposefully erected walls will block these intruders from entering our “city” and chipping away at our health.
Gates, on the other hand, are installed to allow good things to enter into our “city.” The practices of getting adequate sleep (7-8 hours/night), daily intake of fresh, brightly colored fruits and vegetables, and participating in regular exercise (including stretching, strengthening and cardiovascular training) all need to gain unhindered access into our lives if we are going to have a fighting chance of living our FULL intended lifespan with wellness of both body and mind, right up to the end.
So, before this first week of the new year gets away from you, reflect on your self-care in 2022 and project into 2023. What will you build this year? Identify one piece of your wall and one gate which you really need to install in the coming year. Then, ask for the Lord to give you success, create a specific action plan, and then tell a friend, or grab a buddy to join you in your building project. Two are better than one!