What is the Truth about Staying Healthy-Are We Fighting a Physical or a Spiritual Battle?

By Connie Ruth Christiansen –

What Can Our Body Teach Us About the Ways of God?

Hippocrates (460–370 BC) has long been considered in the history books as The Father of Modern Medicine, primarily because of his theories that the human body has the ability to heal itself. A modified version of his viewpoint is widely accepted as scientifically true today, but was considered radical thinking in Hippocrates time, when all disease was thought to be of a spiritual nature – He was actually sentenced to prison for voicing his opinions.

Before Hippocrates time there were the writings of Moses, who handed down mandates from God regarding appropriate measures to deal with sickness and infectious diseases. Approximately 2,000 years ago, Jesus went about healing all those who came to Him. More recently in history there are antibiotics, immunization, blood transfusions and organ transplants.  All through history there are validated and invalidated stories of miraculous unexplainable-in-earthly-terms healings, and that mind and meditation are the key to health, and of demons being cast out. And then there is our everyday reality of colds, and flu, and allergies, and cancer, and AIDS. And there is death.

So what is the truth about sickness and disease? Is our body equipped to heal itself if we only know how to tap into it? Is meditation and positive thinking effective or is it a type of denial?  If I am sick does it mean I have done something wrong? Is sickness a punishment, a trial from God, or an attack of Satan? Should I expect a certain amount of sickness or disease in my life, or should I fight it with everything in me as evil. Is the answer within me, or is it in science, or is it in doing nothing and believing that everything happens for a reason?  Is there one simple answer, or is there something more going on here?

As a woman of faith, and as one who has spent much of my professional life working and teaching in the healthcare field, I have often considered the paradoxes of the physical maladies we incur on this planet, and I have wondered about science versus reliance on God, and about superstition versus faith.

Do I have all the answers? No. But I have accumulated some insight, and have developed some theories that I believe are both practical to our daily life, and Biblically sound.

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Anyone who has thought about it even for a moment will probably agree that we are more than a body. We are mind, emotion, will, intelligence, personality, desires, dreams, possibilities; and we are an eternal spirit that is well beyond our present comprehension.

We understand from scripture that God created us in His moral image; that we are His offspring, part of His family; that we are creative because He is creative; that our dreams and desires are within us because they are part of His heart; that we are destined for something more than this life; that we are eternal beings.

And we understand that our body is temporary; a house for the soul and the spirit.

Have you ever wondered why God created our bodies the way He did? Surely there were multiple possibilities of shapes and forms, and methods of function that He could have chosen. Why did he choose this format? Could it be that our body is more than a house for the soul and spirit; that it was created for more than beauty, function, and pleasure? Could it be that our body can actually teach us things of the soul and the spirit? And could it be that the soul and the spirit can teach us things about the body?

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When I stand before a classroom of students curious about a particular organ or body system, I explain the form and the function; we talk of health and disease, and of nutrients and waste, and of how the body communicates within itself in order to maintain balance.

When I open the Bible I see I see a remarkable correlation between the natural and the spiritual body. And I take note of the multiple lessons that are waiting for us to discover.

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”
~Proverbs 25:2

God is the creator of both faith and science –They are not at odds. The more scientific discovery reveals to us about the body, the more God is revealed.

Even at the very core of our being God left a clue — Laminin; a reminder to us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, that our bodies are more than we know, that we have much to learn:

The scientific discovery of laminin has intrigued some, astounded others, and become a controversial topic amongst some scientific and religious groups.

What does the following definition of laminin say to you?

• Laminin is a trimeric protein molecule that is shaped like a cross
• It is present in most of our cells, and it  is vital for the maintenance and survival of tissues
• A trimeric molecule is formed by combining three identical molecules
• The arms of the laminins cross-like structure are adhesive; they reach out to bind together cells, and to create protective sheaths
• Defective laminin can result in skin, muscle and internal organ disease
• Laminin is necessary for life and for health

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We are assured in the Bible that God is our healer (Exodus 15:26). The life, compassion and ministry of Jesus confirms that God’s desire is for us to be well.  We also see in the Scriptures, and in life, times when God apparently uses sickness to get our attention and to reveal truth; and it is obvious that at least in some cases sickness and disease are a result of our choices, or our environment.

When Jesus was confronted with the question “why?” regarding the reason a certain man was born blind, He healed the man, and then He offered a thought-provoking answer; an answer that reminds us, there is so much we do not understand about life, about body disorders, about healing: “Neither he nor his parents sinned,” answered Jesus, “but he was born blind in order that God’s mercy might be openly shown in him.”  ~ John 9:3 WNT

We may never understand everything about life, sickness, and death. But there are clues hidden in His Word regarding remedies, and about the reasons for our sufferings. And there are clues within our bodies about God, and about His healing ways. I am discovering some of those truths. And I will share some of them with you in future blogs.

In the meantime, I am so grateful that healing for the body and soul has been provided for us through a variety of avenues: prayer, faith, friendship, exercise, rest, heat, cold, time, touch, massage, pressure, elevation, traction, radiation, food, medicine, surgery, giving thanks, hope, laughter, miracles, all of which have been provided for us by our Creator, our Great Physician.

Connie Ruth Christiansen, Inspirational Author and Teacher
Author of Thank You 1095-Take The Thank You Challenge! www.thankyouchallenge.org
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