To be completely candid, I have always been more of a geek than a jock. Sure, I played hide & seek and the occasional football, but while some of the other kids were playing sports, jumping hurdles or running up and down the mall, I was taking electronics apart (much to my Mother’s horror), studying eschatology or standing in Radio Shack learning to program a computer.
Honestly, and with apologies to my health-minded friends, I have often found the zealousness of health nuts to be a little over the top. Okay, to be totally honest, I thought they were a little weird. That was until…
A while back, I had to go to Urgent Care for a bad ear infection. At that point I didn’t think the day could get much worse, but boy was I wrong. The nurse checked my blood pressure and displayed a concerning scowl. She asked, “Is your blood pressure always this high?” I responded, “Not that I am aware.” The problem is, I didn’t really know because I hadn’t been monitoring it – or any of my other physical health indicators for that matter. She told me twice that I needed to see my regular doctor as soon as possible. About an hour later, I received a call from the on-call doctor reminding me that my blood pressure was high and that I needed to see my doctor as soon as possible.
At that point, my earache seemed like the least of my challenges. After jumping through several modern-day healthcare hurdles, I finally got through to my doctor who gave me the dreaded obligatory lecture. He informed me in very eloquent medical terms that I could have a stroke or heart-attack at any minute. I was out of town at the time, so the appointment would have to wait, but he informed me to keep a check on it and told me what I could and could not eat.
When I finally made it to my doctor, my numbers were down, but still not where they needed to be. I don’t have to tell you all the things that were running through my mind. I have two daughters and a wife who depend on me. I don’t have time to be hospitalized, and I certainly don’t have time to die right now.
It was during this health crisis that I became a Health Nut. I started regular exercise, began careful analysis of the food that I consumed and basically started becoming one of those people that I used to think were weird. The good news is, my numbers look a lot better now – without medication – and I feel better than I have in a long time.
In the midst of all of this, I learned a truism. Health Nuts are often health nuts because they have to be. You see, over the years I had times of dieting and exercise, but it never lasted because I wasn’t truly committed to the cause. I would lose a few pounds only to put most of them right back on when I started feeling comfortable. It wasn’t until I became a health nut that the efforts really began to pay off.
The same is true for Jesus Freaks. There are a lot of folks who try a little Jesus, but don’t want to go all of the way. They tell their friends, “I tried that, it didn’t work for me.” But just like being healthy, it only works if you are completely committed. Have you checked your spiritual health indicators lately? If not, maybe it is time for a checkup.