“I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of the one with no common sense. I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and it’s walls were broken down. Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: a little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. Then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.” Proverbs 24:30-34
The obvious lesson here is one of gardening. Growing a vineyard, a small garden or a field of produce takes work and time to maintain. You can’t simply plant a few seeds and expect to reap a harvest. There are weeds that will grow and overtake the plants leaving the garden with little to no fruit.
I’m thinking of this now in relation to my spiritual, emotional and physical health. These areas of my life must be tended and cared for. I cannot expect to be healthy physically if I’m eating lots of junk and have little to no exercise. It’s the same with my emotional and spiritual health, they need to be cared for. I can’t ignore these areas of my life and expect health and wellness. I am responsible for my own health and growth.
Growth and health take work. There is an effort on my part that must happen. I need to strengthen the healthy areas of my life. I must also look for the areas where weeds have begun to grow and get to their root to remove them. Sometimes we have to put on hold one thing to bring health to another area.
For the past 3 months I’ve implemented a new exercise routine to my life. I’ve been using the elliptical everyday, twice a day and doing yoga several times a week. It’s been good for me and I’m getting my body moving again so I can be healthy. Unfortunately, I’m experiencing some severe hip pain. It’s a result of an injury I had as a teenager. I just made the decision today to forgo all my elliptical work outs until I can work through the hip issue. I’m bummed about it because I’m seeing good results overall. I had to decide that I can’t sacrifice my hip and continue to endure the pain for the sake of a few more lost pounds. So, for the next week or 2 my focus will be on bringing health to my hip and getting it functioning well again.
What areas of my emotional and spiritual life have I allowed to become or stay unhealthy because I haven’t been willing to put the work in? Or, willing to admit there is a problem . I really want to forget about the hip and keep doing what I’m doing. Honestly, because it makes me feel old! However, if I ignore it, I can cause more injury. My emotional and spiritual health are just as important. I can’t allow “nettles and weeds” to overtake the field.
I can’t be lazy, but I also must use common sense. Taking a break from the elliptical isn’t being lazy, it’s using common sense so that I can allow my hip to heal. Where in my spiritual and emotional life am, I being lazy? And where do I need to use common sense to allow heling to take place? I’m responsible for my physical, emotional and spiritual health, and when things aren’t healthy, I am still responsible. I must admit something is off and take action to bring health to that area.
My prayer today is for new and fresh awareness of my health, spiritually, emotionally and physically. I pray for wisdom about when I need to take action and seek out professional help or when I can use common sense to bring thing into alignment. I’m praying today for health in my body, my soul and my spirit. Amen.
What is God speaking to you today in Proverbs 24? Share in the comments below or join the conversation in our Journaling Through Proverbs Facebook Group