The worst year of my life was probably 2019. I went through a lot of really hard things that year, and was ultimately diagnosed with bipolar disorder. By the beginning of 2020, I was 40 pounds overweight, was distant from God, and in the worst mental condition I had ever been. I was in the mess of a trifecta of unwellness and exhausted from a series of trials and a mental breakdown. Aside from nearly dying, I was in my worst overall health I had ever been.
When we think about our health, we often focus on the physical. But Jesus’ ministry was also about the mental and the spiritual. Yes, he healed illnesses–both physical and mental, but he also cast out demons and challenged people to grow in their faith in God. The Bible makes it clear that we were designed to have a sound mind.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)
So, what does wellness look like in a Biblical perspective?
Being Physically Well
In fall of 2020 when schools were opening back up again after the COVID shut down, my son, Arthur, was in preschool. I had slowly been losing the extra weight, but not as successfully as I would have liked. I was eating really healthy, gardening, and riding my bike a couple times a week. One day after dropping Arthur off at school, I decided to walk around a nearby lake. I started off on my walk and then I felt like running.
As a former collegiate runner who had previously given up on the sport years ago, this was a big deal. I stopped running because I was putting too much pressure on myself to compete. I analyzed every run and got down on myself if I didn’t go far enough or fast enough. The sport had lost its joy. On this day, however, I just liked how it felt to run, so I ran. And I kept running! Three years later, I signed up for a 10k race to celebrate my 40th birthday. Soon after that, I signed up for a half marathon.
God calls us to take care of our bodies. Paul challenges the Corinthians, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Paul also told the Corinthians, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
How are we to do all of the things God calls us to do unless we are physically fit and well?
- God warns us about being overindulgent. (Ephesians 5:18, Titus 2:3-5)
- God gives us strength. (Proverbs 31:17, Isaiah 40:29-31)
- God encourages us to pursue physical health for his glory.
In fact, Paul often compares strengthening our faith to athletic competition. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 2 Timothy 4:7, Romans 12:1) The Corinthians and Romans were just as much sports fanatics as we are today, so Paul used sports analogies to help them understand God’s calling and how to fulfill it.
God cares about our physical wellness. And science backs it up. For example, exercise and eating are proven by doctors to:
- Help to control your weight
- Combat health conditions and diseases
- Increase your energy
- Promote better sleep
- Beneficial to your mental health.
Being Mentally Well
God cares just as much for our mental wellness as for our physical wellness.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)
Worry is one thing that can really get us down mentally and is addressed in scripture. God does not want us to live with worry (Philippians 4:6-7, Matthew 6:34). He wants us to find mental wellness with him, through his Holy Spirit.
Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:17-24 (ESV)
When we become unwell in our minds, God provides healing. (Psalm 147:3)
God has closely connected our pursuit of physical wellness, with the renewing of our minds. Cardiovascular activity, specifically running, has direct benefits to our brain health. The American Psychological Association (APA) links exercise to “a release of dopamine and serotonin, which can improve mood.” The APA says, “Recent studies suggest physical activity benefits white and gray matter in the brain, which leads to enhancement of cognitive processes like thinking and memory, attention span, and perception.”
According to Ben Martynoga, “In 2008, German neuroscientists…used functional brain imaging to show that, in trained runners, beta-endorphin levels do indeed spike in the brain after a two-hour run. Increased levels endorphin activity in the brain also correlated with the runners’ self-reported feelings of euphoria.” This is why, even though I struggle to get out of bed, much less lace up my running shoes, going for a run is so good for me when I’m in a depressive episode.
David J. Linden, Ph.D., explains “Unlike endorphins, endocannabinoids can move easily through the cellular barrier separating the bloodstream from the brain, where these mood-improving neuromodulators promote short-term psychoactive effects such as reduced anxiety and feelings of calm…Exercise has a dramatic antidepressive effect. It blunts the brain’s response to physical and emotional stress.”
Martynoga also reports that, “Brain scans show that meditation and running can have a somewhat similar effect on the brain. In the midst of a run, you are likely to be immersed in the present moment, tuned into your bodily state and conscious of your breath – all key aims of mindfulness-based practises.”
These findings don’t surprise me at all. I have some of my best prayer moments when I’m out on a long run. As I log the miles, I wrestle with God about what’s on my mind and seek him through it. I can start a run ill at ease about something in my mind and end the run feeling like I’ve found a resolution.
Being Spiritually Well
For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
1 Timothy 4:8 (ESV)
Ultimately, our lives need to reflect that which is eternal–Jesus Christ. If we are not spiritually right with God, it doesn’t matter if we are physically and mentally fit. We can’t have any kind of wellness without the Holy Spirit directing us.
As God said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Our physical and mental health should not be a burden, but an avenue for us to find spiritual wellness (Matthew 11:28-30).
Finding Holistic Wellness
We need holistic wellness in our life in order to serve God in the ways he has called us. We need to seek out physical, mental, and spiritual wellness on a daily basis. They go hand in hand. How do we find holistic wellness? By being intentional about all three, ultimately through trusting God daily.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
Proverbs 3:5-8 (ESV)
Bethany Marinelli is an author and speaker out of Orlando, Florida. She also supports her husband, Andrew, in his auto repair business and homeschools her son, Arthur.
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