I grew up in a
"holiness" culture in the Church of God. There were many different views
on just exactly what holiness was and what it took to live a holiness
life. It was very important because we knew that "without holiness, no
man will see God." Wow, that is pretty important. But, what is holiness?
There were folks that taught us "clean" living such as not being
involved in "worldly" entertainment. That meant no movies, no ballgames,
no swimming, no cards, no pool, and no "honky tonks." There was also
our appearance. No makeup, no jewelery, no long hair on men, no short
hair on women, no shorts and no pants on women. Then, there was no
smoking and no alcohol. Basically, we couldn't do anything except eat.
That brings me to my point. Why was healthy living not a part of the
holiness lifestyle?
After talking to a few folks about our history, we have agreed that healthy living was probably not an issue with those who began the holiness movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The reason is pretty simple. They didn't go to Shoney's after church. Back then, people walked, worked in the field, and ate vegetables that they grew. I am sure they ate things they shouldn't but physical activity made the difference. I understand that the life expectancy was not what it is now but that is because of our good health care.
If God loaned us a house in which to live for a while, would we take good care of it or trash the place? I am sure that we would attempt to return it to Him in better shape than when He loaned it to us. We are told in the scriptures that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. So, it's OK to trash the temple? Don't get me wrong. I did it for years. My church culture said it was OK so I never worried about it. If it was OK for the preacher to be fat, it was OK for me too. It was not a spiritual consideration.It didn't have anything to do with holiness, so we thought.
Something is very wrong with this picture. What does it take to reverse this trend? Who will step up among holiness people and make this an issue? How long will we continue to trash the temple? It is my hope that a movement for healthy living can become a priority in our church. My Daddy died with diabetes at age 53. He was overweight and didn't take care of himself. As a result, he never met my wife or my children. He didn't live God's best for him. How many lives were not touched by his ministry because he left us too soon? It comes back to not taking care of the temple. What if holiness folks would have taught healthy living? Would my Daddy have lived many more years? Again, how can we reverse this trend? Who will step up?
It is my hope that through my upcoming book and Facebook group both called "All My Strength," we can begin to work on this issue. I welcome all who will become passionate about it to start a movement towards integrating healthy living with holiness living. Holiness=Wholeness. It is God's best for us not only as being good stewards of God's temple but to enjoy a full, more abundant life.
After talking to a few folks about our history, we have agreed that healthy living was probably not an issue with those who began the holiness movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The reason is pretty simple. They didn't go to Shoney's after church. Back then, people walked, worked in the field, and ate vegetables that they grew. I am sure they ate things they shouldn't but physical activity made the difference. I understand that the life expectancy was not what it is now but that is because of our good health care.
If God loaned us a house in which to live for a while, would we take good care of it or trash the place? I am sure that we would attempt to return it to Him in better shape than when He loaned it to us. We are told in the scriptures that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. So, it's OK to trash the temple? Don't get me wrong. I did it for years. My church culture said it was OK so I never worried about it. If it was OK for the preacher to be fat, it was OK for me too. It was not a spiritual consideration.It didn't have anything to do with holiness, so we thought.
Something is very wrong with this picture. What does it take to reverse this trend? Who will step up among holiness people and make this an issue? How long will we continue to trash the temple? It is my hope that a movement for healthy living can become a priority in our church. My Daddy died with diabetes at age 53. He was overweight and didn't take care of himself. As a result, he never met my wife or my children. He didn't live God's best for him. How many lives were not touched by his ministry because he left us too soon? It comes back to not taking care of the temple. What if holiness folks would have taught healthy living? Would my Daddy have lived many more years? Again, how can we reverse this trend? Who will step up?
It is my hope that through my upcoming book and Facebook group both called "All My Strength," we can begin to work on this issue. I welcome all who will become passionate about it to start a movement towards integrating healthy living with holiness living. Holiness=Wholeness. It is God's best for us not only as being good stewards of God's temple but to enjoy a full, more abundant life.
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