Second Chances

Jonah 3:1-3 NLT "Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: Get up and go to the great city of Ninevah, and deliver the message of judgment I have given you. This time Jonah obeyed the Lord's command..."

What an incredibly encouraging portion of scripture this is! Jonah ignored the Lord's command the first time. How many times do we hear deep within our spirits that we should (or shouldn't!) do a certain thing and just ignore or overlook it? Many times we find out later exactly why we got that warning and must pay the consequences for neglecting to pay attention.

Haven't we all experienced that awful feeling that we've blown it big time. We were warned - we just didn't listen. It's too late now. But God.

Those are the two best words you can imagine. But God...always gives us second chances, and third and fourth and however many it takes to finally "get it." He is so generous and so gracious. That is not to say we may not have to pay the consequences for disobeying the first time. But He doesn't just give up on us as we so often do ourselves.

Jonah out and out disobeyed and ran in the opposite direction! (Sound familiar to anyone?) God did not just wash His hands of him and find someone else to do the job. No. He pursued him and gave him another chance to obey. To his credit Jonah did and fulfilled the call on his life.

Jonah wasn't the only one to experience God's grace in this way. Think about Peter who denied Christ three times. Couldn't God have just said - that's too much, he's gone too far? Sure He could have, but He didn't. He called all His disciples and gave a special, personal invitation to Peter to make sure He knew he was forgiven and He gave him a second chance.

What about Saul? He persecuted Christians. He went so far as to hold the cloaks of those who were stoning Stephen. Surely God couldn't use this man who was an accessory to murder? But He gave him another chance and Saul became Paul and wrote much of the New Testament!

Do you feel like you've blown it? Think it's hopeless? Feel like you've gone too far and God couldn't possibly forgive you or use you? Think again. God is the God of second chances...and third...and fourth! He doesn't give up on us.

If you're wondering what this has to do with health and how science and scripture agree - research shows the emotion most destructive to your health is hopelessness! People who ate properly, exercised and were not overweight developed diabetes solely when they felt hopelessness for an extended period of time. The same is true of some cancer patients. One of the most stress inducing emotions is a sense of helplessness. Believing you have messed up beyond repair and there's no turning back.

Don't fall for that lie! God is always present and His desire is always to redeem you, bring you back, renew your hope. Remember, scripture tells us 3 things will remain - faith, hope and love. While love is the greatest, it is intimately related to faith (faith works by love) and faith must have something to connect to and that is hope! Never, never lose hope! That's a command straight from the Father and He always knows best.

Didn't Even Think to Ask!

Ephesians 3:20 NIV Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

Do you think God cares about the things that concern you? Do youreally and deeply believe He does? I definitely do and I want to share a story to illustrate why. Maybe it will encourage you.

I try to lift any and all needs in prayer. I’m great at praying for someone when they ask specifically or even if they just mention a problem or need – I’m on it! However, sometimes I don’t even think to bring an issue to God. Yes, I know we are to bring every need and concern to Him – large and small. Maybe you do what I sometimes do and did this past week. Let me share:

My brother got tickets to a Mets game for my children and me this Saturday. It is a night game. Not a problem, except I am a really early riser and my body is so used to being up very early, that by 8:30 or 9:00 pm my eyes are at half-mast most times. I mentioned to my husband and kids – half jokingly, but truly, only half - that I hoped I could stay awake. You see we will take a train from upstate NY into the city to meet my oldest son and go to Queens from there. If the game is over at 7 or 8 o’clock we most likely will not get back to the train station until at least 11 pm. Waaaay past my usual bedtime!

Anyway – I mentioned my concern several times and they all thought it was hilarious that mom would probably be the one struggling to keep her eyes open on the train (a slightly scary thought for me, actually).

We were watching another game on TV this past Saturday and at the very end they mentioned the “games of the week” to be televised next Saturday – the day we are going to Citi Field. They showed the Mets logo and my son saw they listed it as being televised at 4:00 pm. Really? He went on line and found that because they are televising it on that channel, the time was moved up to 4:00 pm instead of 7:00 as originally scheduled.

I don’t know about you – but I take things like this VERY personally! I was thrilled that the Lord would take into consideration my concern over such a minor and unimportant detail. And even though I didn't think to ask Him to rearrange the time, He still arranged for the game to take place earlier! You see, I have a very personal relationship with my Lord and I believe He pays attention to everything (and I do mean everything!) that concerns me! I couldn’t stop thanking Him for making this change for me. And I truly believe that is the case.

But it also brought the wonderful scripture in Ephesians 3:20 to mind. I especially love the Amplified version: "Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and} do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams}. Every version I looked at used words like “infinitely, immeasurably more than we can ask or request” and the Message Translation adds “in your wildest dreams.”

I know the Bible tells us we have not because we ask not and most times I do make it a point to ask. But how wonderful that even when I forget or just don’t even think to do it – He still knows and responds.

Father not only always knows best - He is the best!

Eternal Words

Matthew 12:36
The Message: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation."
New Century Version
And I tell you that on the Judgment Day people will be responsible for every careless thing they have said.

Once you speak a word, it exists forever. The laws of physics tell us that energy in the universe is never lost. It is transformed from one state to another. Sound waves never disappear. Sound is an energetic disturbance that causes a movement of particles. Because space is a vacuum with no matter, sound is unable to “travel.”

Think about the implications – if we had the right equipment voices from the beginning of time could be retrieved. We could actually hear the voices of Adam and Eve themselves speaking to God or Abraham Lincoln’s voice as he spoke the Gettysburg address or Jesus’ own voice speaking the Beatitudes! What an awesome thought!

Words may be spoken to a specific person at a specific time, but they exist in the atmosphere forever. Scripture tells us God’s Word stands forever; and the prayers of the saints are ever before Him. Your prayers exist forever and are before the Father continuously.

But consider the flip side. Every careless, nasty, hurtful, doubt-filled, angry word you’ve ever spoken is still floating around, and not only that. You will be required to answer to God for them. Now if that doesn’t make you stop and think long and hard the next time you are about to criticize someone or spew a word of fear or doubt, I don’t know what will! Our words are eternal in the most basic sense.

We are encouraged and commanded in many places in the Bible to carefully watch what we say. Ephesians 4:29 NIV says: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. I love the way The Message translates this verse: Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift. That says it all.

Are You Paying Attention - or on Autopilot?

Matthew 6:34 NIV Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Message Translation Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

How often do you get "worked up" over what might happen? If you're like me and most people and you are honest, the answer is probably every day! What a total waste of time. We spend more time worrying about the future or regretting and rehashing the past than we do living in the present moment. We tend to fly through the days on autopilot. Doing things automatically and not really being present and aware. We don't pay attention! The crazy thing is the only thing we really have is this present moment and we waste more of them than we appreciate and live to the fullest.

We tend to do things "mindlessly" rather than "mindfully." You know what I mean. You can sit down with a bag of cookies and before you even realize what has happened, you've inhaled half the bag and barely even tasted one of them. The most precious resource God has gifted us with is time and we value other things so much more highly and waste this most valuable commodity. We only have a limited amount of time and number of days and living each to the fullest is a way of thanking God and appreciating His grace and generosity.

So how to do this? We can obey Jesus' words in the scripture quoted above and learn to practice mindfulness. That's simply the practice of learning to pay attention to what is happening in your life from moment to moment. Studies have shown that mindfulness can provide the following benefits:
Reduce anxiety;
Decrease stress hormones;
Boost the immune system;
Help you change negative habits;
Combat pain;
Deal with depression; and
Increase the benefits of exercise.

One great way to practice mindfulness is to replace dissatisfied thoughts about what you could or should have done or what things you wish you had with thoughts of gratitude. Focus on how much you do have and not what you don't have. Another strategy is to focus on your breathing - the rhythm of it, the way your lungs fill and empty. Pay attention to what is going on around you. How does the sun feel on your back? Look - really look - at a flower. Take time to really enjoy your food - the way it looks, how it smells, and really taste and savor it - slowly. Enjoy the feeling of you muscles moving and stretching as you walk or exercise.

These are all gifts we are blessed to get every day of our lives! Learn to pay attention and live in the moment. It is called "the present" and it really is!!

Let's Be Real

Genesis 1:29 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed: to you it shall be for food.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 Test all things; hold fast to what is good.

I did an email to subscribers of my website last week about the dangers of artificial sweeteners, specifically aspartame and sucralose (Nutrasweet and Splenda). One reader raised a question. I mentioned that aspartame breaks down in the body into methanol (wood alcohol), formaldehyde (embalming fluid) and Phenylalanine. This reader noticed that this same substance (phenylalanine) is also listed as an ingredient in his whey protein and was concerned that this could create problems. I appreciate questions like this!

Phenylalanine is an amino acid - a building block of protein. That is why it is an ingredient in whey protein, as well as chicken, eggs or other sources of protein. However, in these real foods it is found in combination and proper ratio with the other amino acids. In diet soda, this synthetic chemical breaks down and there is a large amount of just this amino acid. The warning on the label is for people who lack the necessary enzyme to process and digest it. Since people drink large amounts of diet soda, this can pose a health risk (aside from just consuming diet soda itself!) Most people do not consume liters of whey protein daily. And if you lack this enzyme, you would have to monitor all your protein consumption as well - not just what is found in diet soda.

This illustrates the principle I advocate - eat your food in a form as close to how God created it as possible and you can't go wrong! There have been other, similar instances where people are misled. For example, years ago a study, commissioned by the cereal industry, said eggs raise cholesterol and should be limited. Those results have been disproved. That study used powdered (synthetic, artificial) eggs, not real, fresh, whole eggs which are a nearly perfect food! More recent studies have refuted those findings and show real eggs do not raise cholesterol.

Let's look at synthetic vitamin C as opposed to natural sources of vitamin c - the synthetic form has been shown to suppress immune function whereas natural sources do just the opposite.

Studies using synthetic vitamin E were shown to be harmful to heart health whereas natural sources of vitamin E are extremely heart protective and should not be avoided.

So, whenever you question some nutritional information you read - be sure to dig a bit deeper - and find the real truth. You can't go wrong when you keep it real - the Father says so!!

Let There Be Light!

Genesis 1:3, 4 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good...

That phrase really jumped out at me and I realized that we can so easily skim over it as we've heard it so many times. We can miss how really profound it is. God did not create anything simply for the sake of doing "something." Everything He does has a purpose and function and light is no exception.

Light is critical to every aspect of a truly vibrant, healthy life of wholeness. Light as it relates to your soul (your mind, will and emotions) can mean revealing, bringing to light thoughts, attitudes, beliefs or feelings we may need to change. When people are deprived of light, depression sets in. So many people struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) during the darker winter months.

Spiritually, light means revelation, an opening of the understanding or "spiritual eyes" to truth. To be able to see things with more than simply your physical eyes since this material, physical life is but a very small part of our total life as God created it.

Without light physically we cannot live. God chose this planet earth because it is exactly the right distance from the sun. Without sunlight we simply could not exist. Sunlight produces chlorophyll in plant life, which absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen into the atmosphere - without which we die!

Sunlight produces Vitamin D in our skin, which is being furiously researched right now. All these years of sunscreen use has caused severe Vitamin D deficiencies in most of us which is believed to be a link to the increased incidence of major diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Light is energy. We know some homes are actually heated and run on solar power. We can also experience physical healing when exposed to different types of light - for instance infrared, UV and red light. Different colors in the light spectrum have healing effects. You usually only get to see the full color spectrum in light when you experience a rainbow - another of God's amazing gifts to us.

For now, take time to really appreciate this gift of light and consider all its benefits. You can't help but praise God. A simple thing like having light each day is so easy to take for granted. But let's not.

What Are You Growing?

John 12:24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

While this scripture is referring to the spiritual aspect of sowing seed, I find it relates very clearly to our physical health as well. Seeds are dormant until they are planted and given the proper environment in which to grow and flourish. You can keep an envelope of seeds for years and they'll never change into anything else.

Once you take those seeds and plant them into nutrient rich soil, water them regularly and let them get daily sunlight, the potential that was always resident within that seed is released and enabled to grow and flourish.

It works in much the same way in our bodies. Everyone has cancer cells in their bodies. They are dormant. As long as you provide a health-producing environment by feeding your body with nutrient-dense, whole foods, drinking clean water, getting fresh air, sleep and exercise, then those cells remain dormant.

However, the potential for disease exists within you. You are exposed to germs and viruses on a constant, daily basis. If your inner ecology is weakened - from lack of sleep, or synthetic, toxic food additives and environmental chemicals, or malnourished with fake, packaged junk "food" that doesn't provide any nutritional value - then any number of these rogue cells has found the environment it needs to take hold and grow.

Every day you have the opportunity to create an environment of health within yourself. When you do, the seeds you consciously sow - sleep, real food, water - are enabled to grow and you become strong and healthy. However, if you neglect your inner ecology and let it get overrun with garbage in the form of junk food, sodas and drugs, then those dormant disease seeds are sparked into life. It won't take much for them to take hold. Now, it may not happen quickly. In fact, it almost never does. Researchers tell us it takes many, many years for a cancer to grow to the point when it is diagnosed.

The diagnosis may come about quickly - but the disease was in the making for years. Don't think just because you look good and feel pretty well, that you can just continue smoking or eating fast food every day or never exercising and you will stay healthy. Just as a dormant volcano can erupt at any time, those dormant disease seeds can be activated if you provide the proper environment.

Begin today to clean up your inner environment and prevent those bad seeds from taking root!

It is so much easier to prevent disease than it is to cure it.