Riddle Me This
What's something we take for granted when we have it, then desperately crave it when we don't?
It's relatively affordable to keep, but very expensive to get back.
Though we know it's important, we'll trade it away for things that feel even more important.
Do you have a guess?
Our health. We have an interesting relationship with health in our culture. On one hand, we're obsessed with fad diets, drinking plenty of water, and getting exercise. These are multi-billion-dollar industries, after all. On the other hand, we simultaneously sabotage ourselves when it comes to actually being healthy. We're so busy with the rigors of life, parenting, activities, and trying to make money that we're high on stress, lacking in sleep, and strained every which way. We make a few good decisions, then make a bunch of bad ones. Then, make a few more good ones, followed by a bunch more bad ones.
For the record, I'm not talking down to you. I'm one of the worst offenders. Coincidentally (or not!), my health has been terrible lately. Frequent migraines, a lack of sleep, and a sickness that's come and gone for several weeks now. I'm not living my best life.....far from it. It would be easy for me to blame a bug my kids brought home from school, or simply bad luck, but there's no doubt my decisions have played an influential negative role. I take my health for granted when I have it, but I'm desperate to get it back when it leaves. That's where I'm at right now.
At the same time, many people in my life are dealing with significant health issues. Scary times. Life-altering situations. I feel for them so much. Like me, they may have taken health for granted when they had it.......but now want nothing more than to get it back.
It's humbling. It's scary. It's a wake-up call. Regardless of what endeavors we pursue in life (and many are amazing), we ought not lose sight of our health. There's no amount of money, status, or accomplishment that's worth losing our health over. If we have all the money in the world but can't live a respectable quality of life due to our health, what do we really have?
It's a sobering reminder. Many people have learned this lesson the hard way.....sometimes too late. Maybe we don't have to. Maybe we can use this as a reminder to reset our priorities and values to focus on the right measuring stick.
We should invest in our health. The word "invest" probably has many meanings here. We can literally invest money into a healthier lifestyle. But we need to invest our time, energy, and discipline into being intentional with our health. The best news is those things are free! Talk about a positive return on investment! This will be one of my top focuses in the weeks and months to come. I said it, and now I need to live it.
Stay healthy, friends!