Wellness for the Glory of God E-Book

John, MD Dunlop

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

What Is True Wellness? From dieting cookbooks to workout DVDs, our culture is obsessed with getting healthy and staying fit. But what does true wellness really entail, especially as we get older? In this comprehensive book, a Christian doctor explores the six areas of life that contribute to a holistic vision of health: physical, mental, social, financial, spiritual, and emotional. With questions for personal reflection and group discussion, this book offers older Christians the guidance they need to view aging as an opportunity for continued learning and growth in all areas of life.

Leseprobe

WellnessFOR THEGloryOFGod

LIVING WELL AFTER 40 WITH JOY AND CONTENTMENT IN ALL OF LIFE

John Dunlop, MD

Wellness for the Glory of God: Living Well after 40 with Joy and Contentment

Copyright © 2014 by John Dunlop, MD

Published by Crossway

1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Material by Jonathan Edwards is taken from God’s Passion for His Glory by John Piper, ©1998. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.

Cover design: Faceout Studio

First printing 2014

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. 2011 Text Edition. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-3812-4ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-3815-5 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-3813-1Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-3814-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dunlop, John, 1947–

    Wellness for the glory of God : living well after 40 with joy and contentment in all of life / John Dunlop, MD.

       1 online resource.

    Includes bibliographical references and index.

    Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

    ISBN 978-1-4335-3813-1 (pdf) – ISBN 978-1-4335-3814-8 (mobi) – ISBN 978-1-4335-3815-5 (epub) – ISBN 978-1-4335-3812-4 (tp)

    1. Middle-aged persons—Religious life. 2. Well-being—Religious aspects—Christianity. 3. Quality of life—Religious aspects—Christianity. I. Title.

BV4579.5

248.8'5—dc23                                 2014020601

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

To my patients andcoworkers in Zion whohave been my friendsand teachers.

Contents

Introduction

1   What Is Wellness?

2   Physical Wellness: A Healthy Lifestyle

3   Mental Wellness: Develop Your Mind

4   Social Wellness: Focus on Others

5   Financial Wellness: Worry-Free Finances

6   Spiritual Wellness: Press on to the Goal

7   Emotional Wellness: Feel Well

Conclusion: Putting It All Together

Notes

General Index

Scripture Index

Introduction

Henry came into the examining room huffing and puffing, using his walker to get down the hall. I shook his hand and asked, “How is it going my friend?” Smiling, he gave me a strong handshake and said, “Praise the Lord, I’m well, thank you!” As pleased as I was to hear his response, it caught me just a bit off-guard. I was sixty-five; he was ninety-five! I found myself wanting to be like that thirty years from now. Then all kinds of questions began to pop into my mind:

What does it mean to be well at ninety-five: short of breath and using our walkers?Will I be able to say I’m well if I am still on earth at that age?What can I do now to increase the chance of being well in thirty years?

Having practiced medicine, with a special emphasis on geriatrics, since 1976, I have seen a lot of folks move through their older years. A significant percentage of my patients are Christians. I am impressed at how different the later days of life can generally be for those who embrace faith in Christ compared to those who do not. However, there are no universal rules for growing old successfully. Some, Christian or not, seem to thrive and continue to grow as life’s end approaches; others slowly fade away without joy or a sense of completion. I am fully aware that much of what makes the difference between the two is outside of man’s control. Yet I am equally convinced that some is within man’s control. I often tell my patients that the difference between ninety-five-year-olds in the nursing home and those on the golf course is the choices they made in their sixties. That is what this book is about.

What strategies can we who are getting older adopt that will maximize our chances to endure the challenges of our later days and continue to be well? The essence of this book is expressed in the title. Wellness depends on living with a purpose that goes beyond the here and now. Over and over I have seen that one way in which Christians can stay well in their twilight years is to keep their focus on God, his greatness, and his glory.

Born in 1947, I am well into my second half of life. That makes me a Baby Boomer, a member of the generation that arrived between 1946 and 1964. I suspect that many of you are Boomers too. As Boomers, we are close to retirement and confronting the fact that our lives are more than half over. I remind my patients that getting older means two things: first, we are not old yet, but we’re getting there; and, second, we’re not dead yet! They say, “Old dogs can’t learn new tricks.” That may be true, but remember that we are still just getting older, so there is time to change. If we are going to age successfully, we need to think carefully about what we want to be like when we are old, take stock of where we are now, and develop strategies to move us from here to there. We need to consider all domains of wellness to get a complete picture.

In this book we will examine physical, mental, social, financial, spiritual, and emotional wellness. As you read, I will share stories of people who are quite old and doing well. Many of these are real people, though their names are altered. In some cases I have combined several stories to make a point; others are purely fictitious. These examples allow us to see what being well in the later years can look like and what strategies we can implement now to increase our chance of continuing to be well.

There is great value in our older years. They are an important part of our lives. We dare not look at these years as putting in time till God calls us home. That unfortunately may be the default of our culture, but as Christians we must not allow that thinking. The changes we experience as we age are nothing to be embarrassed about. No! Proverbs 16:31 tells us, “Gray hair is a crown of glory.” The effects of aging are clear evidence of God’s blessing. Even our increasing dependence on others need not deny our intrinsic value. We must see our value as rooted in the fact that we are made in God’s image and redeemed by Christ, not in what we can accomplish. For way too long, we have faced getting older with some degree of apprehension and dread. Now it is time to see a more positive picture. Statistically, our generation is likely to live longer than any generation since ancient times. God does not make mistakes. He is allowing this longevity for a definite reason. We need to find the purpose he has for our older years and pursue it with vigor.

I have a lot to share with you and want to propose a number of strategies for you to think over. I am writing as if you were one of my patients, and we are chatting together at my office. I love such conversations, but often there is just too much to talk about in the limited time we have together, so I have put these suggestions in writing for you.

This book is not intended to be a comfortable read. Even while writing I have been challenged to make some changes in my own life. I pray that these thoughts will challenge you as well. As I share my strategies with you, stop, think, and pray that God will show you how you are doing in that area. When you think of changes you need to make, turn to the back of the book where you can write down specific steps to take. Make yourself accountable and write down dates by which you feel you can make the change. Don’t limit yourself to the suggestions I make. Allow God, by his Spirit, to speak to you and prompt you about other necessary changes.

You will note that this book is written specifically for and about Christians. If you are truly a Christian, I trust you will find these chapters encouraging as you look forward to further years knowing God on this earth and, even more, to spending your eternity with God in heaven. Some of you have lived a “good Christian life” but find that the way of life I am talking about here goes far beyond your experience. I would urge you to find a godly pastor or friend and talk over your reactions.

Perhaps you do not view yourself as Christian. Please read on, for many of the strategies I present are equally valid for you, and perhaps you will see that the Christian faith makes sense and that there is a lot of wisdom in the Scriptures I quote. Several friends suggested I write a book without a strong spiritual emphasis, yet I chose not to do so since a strong faith is critical to successful aging. I felt it imperative to write within a spiritual, and in this case, Christian, context.

A book like this never comes out of a vacuum. As you will see, I ground many of my strategies in the Bible. I trust you will see the quotes as illustrative of what the Bible teaches as a whole and not just as isolated passages intended to prove my point. I had the privilege of growing up under the tutelage of wise and godly parents who had a lasting impact on my life. My years of medical practice allowed me to observe how many patients stayed well to the glory of God, and I learned much from them. Though it seems ironic to say, many were quite well when they died.

It is impossible to give individual credit to many of the dear friends whose impact I have felt, but, without a doubt, God has greatly used them to shape the thinking expressed in this volume. I owe a significant debt to each. One who deserves specific mention is Dr. Charles (Chick) Sell, who has spent countless hours helping me put “doctor talk” into writing that you can understand. I am also indebted to my wife, Dorothy, my two sons, Jamie and Rob, and friends such as Rose Bowen, Nate and Sharon Hale, and Donna Crum, who have read the manuscript and offered wise counsel. Finally, I want to thank Lydia Brownback of Crossway for her careful editing.

Before we get into our first chapter, take a moment and reflect on the challenge we have in the Scriptures:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1 Cor. 9:24–27)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Heb. 12:1)

Life really is like a race, and, as any runner knows, the end of the race is the hardest. Think for just a moment about who is there at the finish line. It is Jesus, the one who died for us. As soon as we cross the finish line, we will be invited to “enter into the joy of [our] master” (Matt. 25:21). But even as we run, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have already finished their race. The church triumphant is cheering us on. I can almost hear them shouting, “Stay well! Run hard! It won’t be too much farther.” My prayer is that you will find in this book useful strategies to stay well to the end, so that God will be glorified in your life and in the lives of those who are watching you.

Prayer

Father,

I am attracted to the concept of staying well to the glory of God. Speak to me through your Word by your Spirit as I read and help me examine my life to know what changes I need to make. Renew my passion for you. Help me to offer the remaining days I have on earth as a sacrifice to you. Give me wisdom; show me the way. Grant me strength to run hard to the end and allow me to experience joy along the way. May it all be to your glory.

Amen

1

What Is Wellness?

Most of us who would meet Joan would say that she is anything but well. At sixty-eight she has been in a wheelchair for twenty-six years, the victim of aggressive multiple sclerosis. She lives by herself, her husband having divorced her many years ago; but she is closely attended by her three children and a myriad of friends from her church. She gets by with equipment that allows her to move around in the apartment, prepare simple meals, and do some basic housework. Still, she suffers frequently from disabling fatigue. In addition to requiring eight hours of sleep at night, she has to rest in bed for four hours during the day. The remainder of her time is spent reading and keeping up an e-mail correspondence with people all over the world, for whom she maintains an active prayer ministry. Four to five times a week, various friends stop by for a cup of tea. It’s amazing how many respond in the same way: “You know, I always plan to stop by and cheer up Joan, but the fact is, she invariably cheers me up. She doesn’t deny her problems but chooses not to dwell on them. Her love for God is absolutely contagious.”

Jim is seventy-two. An avid runner, he tries to log at least twenty miles a week. He keeps up a good pace and can do a seven-minute mile if he pushes himself. He spends at least three hours at the gym four days a week, and the days he is not there, he is out taking long walks by himself. But that’s just the problem—he’s always by himself. Jim can greet the regulars at the gym by name but has no close friends. He is acutely aware that if he didn’t show up, no one would miss him. His ex-wife is happily remarried, and his children have had nothing to do with him since he left the family twenty-five years ago.

Mary, at eighty-eight, is moderately demented. She lives with her daughter, Beth, and is able to help out with the dishes and light housework early in the day but typically gets more confused and agitated during the evening hours. Beth has found that when confusion occurs, she can play some Christian music from thirty years ago. Mary has always loved these hymns, and she relaxes as she sings along with the old songs.

Now, allow me to ask the key question: Which one of these three is truly well? When asked, “How are you?” which one could honestly smile and say, “I’m well, thank you.” Would it be Joan with her MS; Jim, the seven-minute miler; or Mary with her dementia?

What is wellness, anyway? At first blush most of us would answer in terms of our physical health. Have you heard about the Turbaned Tornado? This is Fauja Singh, who completed the Toronto Marathon when he was one hundred years old. You may say, “Wow, he was certainly well.” I agree that you don’t run a marathon when you are sick. But is physical health all there is to wellness? If wellness requires us to complete a marathon at one hundred, most of us won’t make it. Thankfully, wellness is much more than physical health and freedom from distressing symptoms. Wellness involves the whole of our being, which includes six distinct areas: physical, mental, social, financial, spiritual, and emotional. These areas of wellness are not independent but are all interrelated. Each area contributes to the well-being of each of the others. At the same time, struggles in one area may detract from wellness in each of the others.

In dealing with aging patients, I have observed that having a sense of wellness sometimes results from placing sufficient value on at least one area of life where things are going well in order to trump areas where things could improve. Over the years I have heard many say, “If I can just stay healthy, that is all I want.” Yet I have seen many in great health who could not be called “well.” Jim, who at seventy-two is running twenty miles a week, is a case in point. His physical well-being is not enough to compensate for the other areas where he is lacking.

Furthermore, if we are going to choose one area in which to ground our sense of wellness, we want to make sure it will last throughout our lives. That may be the problem with both our physical and mental health—they may begin to run down. So it is with most of the other domains of wellness. Emotionally upbeat people may experience many losses that erode their optimism. Many experience their financial security disappearing when the economy takes a downturn. Those who are counting on family and friends may experience severe disappointments. But there is one area of wellness that need not fail—our relationship with God.

I will never forget dear Eddie, who, when I told her she had only a matter of weeks till her colon cancer would take her life, looked at me incredulous that I thought I was giving her bad news. Her response was, “Well, you don’t get to heaven by being healthy, do you?” Even facing death, Eddie felt well because she placed more value on spiritual realities than on physical. Maintaining spiritual wellness can be of great benefit in this life, and it is the only area of wellness that we will continue to enjoy throughout eternity. Paul wrote:

We do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Cor. 4:16–18)

Paul would have been one of those who could answer, “I’m well, thank you,” even as his outer nature wasted away.

Late in his life John wrote his third epistle. It was addressed to his beloved friend Gaius, and in it John said, “I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul” (3 John 2). John equated good health not with the state of Gaius’s body but with the state of his soul. A healthy spirit can help compensate for difficulties faced in each of the other areas. But that must not be our only focus, for maintaining wellness in the other five areas contributes to our spiritual wellness. Keeping physically and mentally healthy allows us to get out and serve others while continuing to grow in our understanding of God. Social relationships are so often key to spiritual wellness. Learning to trust God for our finances and maintaining a positive outlook will similarly contribute to our spiritual health. The bottom line is that our top priority—spiritual wellness—is best nurtured in the context of staying well in as many of the other areas as possible.

Staying Well Requires Planning

Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.”1 That applies to wellness. We need to carefully define our goals, choose the wisest strategies to accomplish them, and discipline ourselves to implement those strategies if we are going to maximize the chance that we can be well in as many spheres as possible.

Even with that, the overachievers among us will have to recognize that it is far-fetched to think that we will have true wellness in all six areas of life at the same time. God in his sovereignty may overrule and have reasons for us to go through seasons where we are not well. The difficulties we face may be the result of living in a world affected by sin, or they may be the natural consequences of bad choices we have made.

Let’s face it: most of us are not going to die while we are physically healthy or free from difficulties. Paul and Barnabas taught the new believers in Asia Minor “that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Paul himself experienced “many tribulations” including being stoned and left for dead, receiving the notorious thirty-nine lashes five times, and being shipwrecked three times while being left afloat at sea for a day and a night! Recall that he referred to these as “light momentary affliction.” Why? It is because such difficulties are “preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17). Paul experienced wellness not through the absence of problems but through his abiding confidence that God was in control and that in eternity he would see God’s ultimate purpose.

Even while we realize that in some areas of our lives, God may overrule our best intentions—and we want him to accomplish his purposes for us—we should still set wellness as our goal. To do that, we must first understand what wellness is, think carefully through each sphere of life, and identify strategies to maintain wellness.

Wellness Defined

I define wellness as that blessed state of experiencing all spheres of life functioning in harmony with God’s ordained purpose. Let us unpack that statement.

blessed . . . is a word frequently used in both Old and New Testaments. It speaks of a state of good fortune, being well off and happy. True blessing is a gift from God, not something we earn. We have some responsibility to create an environment where he can work, but fundamentally it is God who graciously blesses us. Even the things we do to pursue wellness are possible because he gives us the wisdom, motivation, and ability.

state of experiencing . . . emphasizes that wellness is not just an objective fact but a subjective experience. It allows us to say not only, “I am well,” but also, “I feel well.”

all spheres of life . . . indicates that wellness involves the whole person. It includes all six areas we are considering.

functioning . . . implies that wellness is not only a state of being but is also what we do.

in harmony with . . . suggests the deep, satisfying peace that comes from sharing together and being united with something that is much bigger than ourselves.

God’s ordained purpose. To be well we need a purpose that gives meaning and significance to our lives today and will continue to do so until the day we die. What better purpose could we have than being part of God’s eternal purpose and allowing him to dictate how every part of our lives will contribute to his overall plan? Right from the start we need to appreciate that being in harmony with God’s ordained purpose does not mean everything will be sunshine and roses, since his plan will include difficulties. When I struggle in life, I often quote from one of my favorite psalms: “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O LORD, are loving” (Ps. 62:11–12 NIV). If I affirm that God is able to do what he wants (he is strong) and that he is loving, I can joyfully conclude that everything that happens is under his control and will result in what he knows is best. This is the gist of what Paul writes: “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Once I am in harmony with God’s purpose, I can be well, regardless of my circumstances. I can know I am in the right spot, and I can rest comfortably.

To take this a step further, we need to understand how wellness necessitates being in harmony with God and then what his purposes are.

Shalom and Shema

The ancient Hebrews contribute to our understanding of harmony and thereby wellness by their use of the word shalom. Whereas shalom is loosely translated “peace,” the true meaning is far more extensive; at root it means “totality.”2 It is the sense of wholeness we have when every part of our lives is in a profound harmony and unity within ourselves, with those around us, and with God. Wellness requires shalom.

Where do we find the integrating principle that brings every area of our lives together? Once again, the ancient Jews had the correct answer. The famous Shema of Israel says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut. 6:4–5). We are to be a people of one God. This must be more than something we recite, for we need to have him as our single focus and see all other areas of life from his perspective. We are to love him with all our heart, soul, and might. The word “might” is interesting, for it means nothing less than our everything. Love is not onerous, nor is it something we try to avoid. Who does not want to experience love? Yet God, the all-powerful sovereign of the universe, desires to have a loving relationship with us. That does not mean I cannot love other people and many of the good things God has given me to enjoy in this life, but it does mean that my ultimate purpose is to love him, and loving others becomes a means to that end.

Love for God is well illustrated in the Scriptures:

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory.

Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you. (Ps. 63:1–3)

It is not just that we are to love God; we have spoken of the loving relationship we have with God. Relationships are, after all, two-way streets. We are not responsible to come up with a love for God by ourselves; rather, our love for him and for others is the natural response of his love for us.

Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:17–19)

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

We learn to love God with all of our being and then find in him our fulfillment and greatest joy. In God we find what we need to be satisfied. We experience shalom through Shema and can pursue wellness.

I have been blessed to know many who have found great peace in pursuing God’s purpose with all of their being. I think of Carolyn, who at eighty-seven is living with her severely demented husband. At this stage of life, he is her total preoccupation, and this is her way of loving God. I have never heard her complain, because she has a deep sense that she is exactly where the Lord wants her at this time. She is content to be in God’s will. That does not make her life easy, but it does allow her to experience shalom.

And there are Will and Sandy. Will retired at seventy as a carpenter and Sandy several years earlier from her job in a school cafeteria. They sold their house and bought a motor home. Now they spend at least six months a year visiting Christian camps where Will does repair work and Sandy works in the kitchen. Whenever I see them, they can’t stop raving about how happy they are. They know this is where they belong and are experiencing God’s shalom.

Then there is Jack, who was widowed after sixty-four years of marriage. He gets lonely at times, and although very limited by arthritis he gets out to two different Bible studies each week, and once a week he goes to visit the people from his church who are in a nursing home. I have frequently asked Jack how he is doing, and his typical response is, “Well, it’s tough, but I’m getting by.”

It may not seem as though any of these individuals are doing life-shaking things, but they are fulfilling God’s purpose and are experiencing wellness. Yet while loving God and loving other people are wonderful and may lead to our ultimate purpose, they are not that ultimate purpose in themselves. To attain that ultimate goal we must go one level deeper.

Pursue God’s Glory3

Our overriding purpose in life should be to glorify God. There are many ways in which God can be glorified. For example, God is glorified when we worship, praise, value, honor, thank, enjoy, or even emulate him. To understand how God is glorified, we need first to realize that glorifying him is not something we initiate. It is not as if we are light bulbs that send forth our own light to reveal God’s goodness.Rather, we are mirrors that reflect the goodness we have received from him.

We must also understand that we can bring God glory in three distinct ways. First, he is glorified in our spirit as we find greater joy and fulfillment in him. Second, others may give him glory as a result of something we do for them that reflects God’s love and goodness. Third, God is glorified in his own being through our worship as we declare how much we treasure him. The apostle Paul speaks of Christians as being “the aroma of Christ to God” (2 Cor. 2:15). It is difficult to understand fully, but in some way we remind God of the sacrifice of his beloved son, Jesus, who allowed us to come to God.

The Scriptures clearly state that God’s purpose for creation is his glory. Through Isaiah God refers to “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory” (43:7). God’s glory is not only the purpose of creation but also the reason God allows us to put our hope for eternal life in Jesus’s death for us: “We who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:12). When we trust Christ, we are saved from the punishment we deserve for our sin and are made a part of Christ’s body on earth, the church. The ultimate purpose of the church is that God be glorified. “To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:21). Paul could not have put it more succinctly: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36). God’s desire to evidence his glory is the ultimate reason for creation (from him); it is the means by which all things are sustained (through him) and the final climax to which it is headed (to him).

Some say that God must be terribly self-absorbed to be so concerned about his own glory. Admittedly, from our finite and sinful human perspective that does seem true. If we respond that way, we need to remember that one of the characteristics of a good person is to love what is truly good. Then, when we remember that God alone is the essence of goodness, it should be expected that he will desire us to enjoy and glorify his goodness.

What Are the Results of Living with a Passion for God’s Glory?

It will free us from worry and anxiety. Once our passion is for the glory of God, we will be less concerned about ourselves and, consequently, not experience as much anxiety, worry, or fear.

We will function out of a sense of fullness, not emptiness. When we are