Some of you know that I have battled health issues for some years. Time and again these issues have proven to be a great means of grace to me. They have forced me to seek God on a daily basis to have the energy to live and work. They also have taught me the importance of things I once took for granted like daily strength and a good nights rest. They have regularly forced me to ask, "How important is this meeting, this work, this appointment to God's calling upon my life?"
Having said this I have also tried to listen to two important people in my life---my wife and my physician. They do not always tell me what I want to hear but rather what I need to hear. This all played a role in my recent decision to stop the print version of our journal. It also played a role in my having a CT Scan of my heart in August. This scan showed the possibility of an issue related to heart disease. Upon medical counsel I then saw a cardiologist in September. This led to a cardio light stress test that took three hours on September 19. Thankfully the results of that test proved that I appear not to have any serious heart disease thus no further tests are now warranted.
Through this period of time several things have stood out to me: (1) I will someday die thus a clean bill of health now is only a delay on the reality that at some point, if I am not taken home in some other way, failing health will lead to my departure from this life. (2) I believe it is wise in the present moment to utilize the resources of modern medicine to preserve my health as much as possible. I urge everyone, especially men, to not ignore your health. So many men take the attiutude that "I would rather not know about my heart, my cholesterol, etc." My wife has properly shown me that this attitude is not one that shows love for her. (3) Paying attention to your health every day is a good response to the issue of physical stewardship. You do not have to be a a world-class athlete but you do need to pay attention to your body in a proper way. In a real sense, any other response is a type of fatalism if you think about it carefully.
Thanks to those of you who pray for me. I am truly grateful for my many friends who love me and wish me well regularly. Do listen to those who care about you and your health. Don't ignore issues that call for a proactive response. And while you are at it put more of the sabbath concept into your life. God wants you to rest.
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