3 John 2:2 Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
What is Health?
According to Medical News Today, health is a state of physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
For many, when the word health is mentioned, their mind immediately thinks of physical only. We think about how to get in shape and throw away the hamburger we just purchased. However, I believe being healthy is more than physical it covers other areas such as emotional, mental, relational, spiritual, and financial. You might ask how can these other areas be considered. I believe, in one way or another, those areas can impact us positively or negatively in our daily lives. When we lack knowledge, it stops us from fully maximizing them, or misguided information can be the culprit too. As an African American woman, over the years, I have seen the trials within my own family and how we failed to increase our knowledge in other areas yet advancing spiritually. Most of us leaned into being a child of God yet neglected the different areas that can equally impact us. Or others ignored spirituality because they felt like it was a bunch of hypocrites or people being brainwashed yet ineffective in other areas. However, as I have grown in knowledge, I realize that religion can hinder us, not God but religion and our inability to educate ourselves to live better. It’s not that God doesn’t work; it’s that we do not understand the word (the Bible) correctly to see God. It’s not that you can’t be the best mentally; you haven’t learned how to manage your emotions to be sane. It’s not that you can’t have money; you don’t know how to handle it to save your life. Lastly, it is not that you can’t be healthy; you lack the information or the discipline to get physically fit.
Proverbs 15:22 states, Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed. (NIV)
We fail to realize that God has provided other resources or people in the world to help us get results. The church is not going to provide every resource we need. God has allowed people to get educated in certain professions to help us move forward, but our mentality could be that it is not a “black thing” to do. When it is not about being black or white, it’s about getting the information you need to live a whole life. I have seen how a lack of knowledge and over-spiritualizing situations can hinder us because we fail to take responsibility for our lives. This post sheds light on my perspective of being an African American woman speaking to the African American community in and outside the church on how we can be healthy in all areas and my take on how every area of our lives can affect our overall health.
Below I will give a brief detail on each area of health: spiritual, emotional/mental, financial, relational, and physical. I will also provide resources that will give you a jump start in the right direction or people/places I have used to help me in those areas.
Disclaimer: In all these areas that I have provided information, I am not trying to sway you in any way to become Christian or use any resources listed. I am listing scriptures because I am a Christian. However, I will say that in any area, you have to find the best person or tool that works for you. Remember that people are people, so they make mistakes, and sometimes they don’t have all the information, which can lead people astray. So be mindful, give people grace, and use wisdom. Lastly, these are my opinions, and for any medical, financial, or relational advice, please consult your physician or advisor for your path.
Spiritual
Spirituality is needed, and a supportive church community makes it even better. I was led to my church, and you will know which church to attend because it will be prompting in your spirit like this is where I belong. However, growing up in the church as a child, I realize how we can over-spiritualize every situation, which can be a disadvantage to the believer. We believed (well, at least me) our only responsibility is to pray and maintain a relationship with Christ, and everything will work out in our favor. This is true to an extent. We go to church Sunday in and Sunday out but never really take time to explore the Word of God for ourselves and blame God when he doesn’t do what we expect him to.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/pro.3.5-6.NIV
Romans 8:28 All things work together for the good of those who love God and who have been called according to his purpose. (NIV)
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, faith without WORKS is dead also.
This is where I have a problem and not with the word but with how people can use faith but forget the responsibility they have to take. We want God to do everything when he gave us dominion. We pray for miracles in finance, physical health, emotional health, etc., but we fail in these areas because we did not take time to educate ourselves. Or we are trusting God to do something we can do ourselves. (Not saying don’t trust him either.) Some of us are stuck in faith, naming it and claiming, yet forgetting God gave us authority. I can see how we get one-half of the scripture right and delete the second half from our memory. God will not go outside of himself as in his commands to give you a blessing. For example, we may continue overeating, which can lead to disease, yet expect God to bless us with good health. No, this comes from a lack of discipline and responsibility to eat healthy.
We still have to follow the same principles as the world to be healthy and in anything. We forget that God is wise. For example, as a medical student, I could not attend school without completing the requirements before obtaining the opportunity. I could ask God to bless me to get into medical school but guess what? I could use faith all day and apply without the requirements, believing God to work a miracle as if I could skip over the steps. We all know that will not work. So why do we consider everything impossible when some things are practical? We must plan for certain things, take action, and seek God’s guidance if we want certain things. Success is planned. For every action, there is a reaction.
Yes, God can do anything; sometimes, he will do miracles, but the responsibility primarily falls on us. We can live less than God’s best because we fail to participate in the life that he gave us free will—or live in potential when he is waiting on us to do something.
Hosea 4:6 My people perish for lack of knowledge. (NIV)
I noticed being in church, we are being preached to by how healthy the leader’s perspective is. What I mean by that is you will be taught to their level of knowledge and health or unhealthiness in that area, and it is up to you to learn more outside of the church. They can teach you about relationships but is their understanding of relationships healthy or unhealthy? If they have developed financially, they can help you in that area. If they have developed their prayer life and seen results, they can help you. If they have a good marriage in and out of the church, they can help in that area. Some preach their experiences, and some have outside knowledge to go with their experiences. If your leader is damaged emotionally, they can preach things that don’t necessarily help you. I was looking for my church to provide everything because we are taught that God supplies all needs, but the keyword is God. So I was failing in areas because I was waiting on the church to preach about them or provide a service that would help me instead of going out and finding other resources to help me. This is where being spirit led is a factor because not all information is correct.
- Find the church home that works for you. (Spirit-led, Bible-based, etc.,)
- Choose a leader that reflects the characteristics you want to develop. (Keep in mind no one is perfect, and I realize how the leader alone can cause many people to leave due to the leader’s behavior. However, If you’ve ever been in a church and have been hurt, it’s not God hurting you but the people. Your walk with Christ is your own so definitely seek God about leaving a place you have joined. On the other hand, church hurt can affect you emotionally and hinder your spiritual progress in some cases so, please read on to emotional health below.)
- Choose a church that provides the resources you are looking for, such as women’s groups, seminars, children’s schools, etc.,
As a medical student, I had to find a church that could reach me globally. This allows me to stay connected to God being away from home. My favorites are linked below.
Pastor Dharius Daniels– I attend this church weekly online. I try to involve myself in their group sessions when possible.
Union Church– I love the worship here. Even when I was away for my graduate program this was a church I attended often.
Bishop TD Jakes– I watch him mainly for weekly bible study, but I do alternate between Bishop Jakes and Pastor Daniels.
Emotional
Our emotional health can affect a lot of the things we do. For example, depression can sap you of energy, leaving you in a dark space with no desire to live life. Trauma can rob you emotionally and will have you responding to life and others out of hurt. A bad breakup affects the decisions you make as well if you never take the time to heal. So the cycle of trauma is passed down from generation to generation and is called normal. When in all actuality, it can be dysfunctional living. Or what about planning for a career or business, etc., only to finally have it, which turns into a disappointment? That was me on my journey to medical school. I was so excited on the way that when I finally became a medical student, I was frustrated, overeating, and depressed the entire first year. I was too far in to turn back, and it was nothing that I expected it to be. I had no one to sympathize with or empathize with because they couldn’t understand the climate of medical school. My friends couldn’t be my therapist because they had their issues and couldn’t help me. (I would recommend you don’t use your friends either.) Watch my video Your Friends Are Not Your Therapist on my youtube channel.
On the other hand, I did not know how to study, organize my schedule, or be disciplined. I had to learn how to be a student. My first year was filled with low scores, which can lead to low confidence in one’s abilities. I began to be fearful before exams leading to mental fog and anxiety attacks when I sat down for a test. I had no idea what was happening to me.
My first time applying to get a therapist was in medical school because I had no idea how to shake the depression, and I am usually upbeat. I had no desire to do anything, and I did not care to continue working on being a doctor, even though I had worked hard to get here.
Therapy can be frowned upon in the African American community because it was thought of as something only for those that were Caucasian. This idea is false. Therapy is for everyone, no matter their race. The African American community has dealt with years of trauma, and we are having health issues because we don’t know how to resolve the trauma built up in our bodies. Trauma can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular problems, mental disorders, etc., We need healing, and the people that hurt you will not heal you.
Some of us have even used the church to help us mentally or emotionally when God has given us people and resources to help us combat emotional issues. Yes, we can pray, but we need a therapist to help us uncover some past issues or identify the problems we have in the present. Furthermore, they can provide the necessary tools we need to overcome. Does it work for everyone? I believe it works if you work it.
If you watch my video on Therapy is Not All You Need, you will hear my story about depression. I learned in that season that I need a therapist to help me with my current issues, but I still need God to speak to my future.
In conclusion, If our emotional health is off, it can alter how we make decisions, interact, and our physical health. Below is a link to Better Help and another link for free therapy if you can’t afford it. I used these as a medical student to get back on track.
Better Help
https://www.betterhelp.com/rpc/0beacd9b506286cc-1-01?utm_term=ref_v1_dd
Therapy in a Nutshell
www.youtube.com/@therapyinanutshell
Financial
Financial health is wealth. I say that because we need money for everything. Ecclesiastes 10:19 gives us a reference to this, A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything. Some of life’s most stressful experiences stem from insufficient money. I would go as far as to say it’s not about having money but about learning what to do when you receive it. We have seen marriages end due to financial issues or loss of material possessions simply because we don’t know how to invest or exchange funds. Financially I am not the savviest with money. Even in my 30s, I am still learning how to budget. Money was not something we learned about at a young age. It was seen as a way to exchange for material things I wanted. I never thought about generational wealth until /I was around those who wanted to pass down wealth to their children.
Then my mind about money changed because I was only concerned about spending. When you learn more, it enables you to move and live differently. We don’t have to be stressed out when it comes to finances. Health issues come, and stress develops when we don’t know how to use the money to our advantage. Having wisdom helps you realize you need a financial advisor to help you with your finances. It is like a foreign language. You need someone skilled in that area to help you get the results you desire to see. You have to study the wealthy to be wealthy. We over-spiritualize this area by saying we’re prosperous, blessed, etc., yet never pick up a book on finances or go to a seminar. The Bible does give us scriptures that help us understand how money works, and yes, God is the one that gives you the ability to obtain it. However, we still need to learn how it works. We want to pray our way into money, but even if we received it today, we would not know how to maintain or multiply it. I recommend using the book of Proverbs to give you some understanding of money and obtain a financial advisor to help with your goals. I have listed a program below that can help with your finances.
Dave Ramsey can be helpful in this area.
https://www.ramseysolutions.com
Proverbs 21:20 “The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.”
https://bible.com/bible/111/pro.21.20.NIV
Proverbs 13:11 “Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.”
https://bible.com/bible/111/pro.13.11.NIV
Deuteronomy 8:18- “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”
https://bible.com/bible/111/deu.8.18.NIV
Proverbs 28:20 -“A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.”
https://bible.com/bible/111/pro.28.20.NIV
Relational Health
Relationships matter! We interact with people in everything we do and need to know how to manage them. We understand that relationships can make us feel good or bad, but do we realize what categorizes them? For me to develop in this area and to know who is an associate, a friend, a mate, etc., I had to sit down and write out what I expected a friend or a mate to be, but it did not matter until I was tired of being hurt or confused. That is when I began to look up what healthy relationships were and how uninformed I was. In my research about healthy relationships, I started to find words like gaslighting, love bombing, and narcissism and had no idea I was the victim of them. I just knew I was confused and emotionally over the top. This is how our whole life can turn for the worse when we choose the wrong people to partner with or befriend. So it is up to us to choose wisely because relationships can bring you up or down, affecting your emotional health. Relationships can also be good, but it is not until you identify who belongs. My advice is to learn what healthy relationships are so that you can go far in life and not spend your life in recovery for choosing the wrong people. To help me in this area, I used different videos on YouTube and read some books from credible preachers that bring clarity to healthy relationships. My favorites are linked below.
Pastor Dharius Daniels– Relational Intelligence Book
Proverbs 18:24- A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. (KJV)
Physical Health
Lastly, physical health can overshadow every area because it can limit you. If you don’t take care of your health, it can stop you from working a job, hindering your progress financially. It can affect your emotional health because you may not be the size two you desire. It can affect your spiritual walk because who can you influence if you are not physically fit or able to walk, run, drive, etc.? These are just scenarios; feel free to fill in as you may, but physical health can change our lives. We can see the benefits of good physical health from endorphins released when we exercise and how they elevate our mood. We can see how having a diet full of nutrients can give mental clarity. I would like to add being proactive in adding supplements that will prevent any issues as you age. I noticed how many of us end up with vitamin deficiencies as we get older which can lead to diabetes, osteoporosis, etc., If we are lacking in any vitamins we should be proactive in getting multivitamins to replace where we are lacking. If you want to prevent future problems you need to first seek a medical provider to ask if you can take certain supplements that will aid in prevention. This can be identified by taking your health seriously and seeking a medical provider to do annual checkups with blood work included. Also, doing the research and asking questions about anything that does not make sense to you. We can limit ourselves simply by being uninformed and not knowing what questions to ask the doctor when we go for a visit. Always be ready with questions but the key is asking the right questions. How will you ask the right questions? By knowing yourself, identifying what needs improvement and taking action to get help. So let’s be the best physically to dominate in other areas.
YouTube.com– Is a great source as well to find videos for fitness, nutrition, meal prep etc.,
As always contact your local physician before starting anything that could affect your health.
In conclusion,
Life is not fair, yes, but a fight isn’t either. It is up to us to pivot, strategize and put ourselves in the best position in life. It is no one’s responsibility but yours. The hard part can be having money to obtain that advisor (financial), being disciplined enough to see results (emotional), praying to get guidance (spiritual), or being healthy enough to enjoy life (physical).
As you can see, we need to advance in all areas because God wants us to live abundantly. We are provided with resources in every area to grow. So let’s not rely on the church to find what we can. Once we do our part, we can see God’s miracles and favor because it takes faith and action. Now, you can believe God for the impossible.
Leave a Reply