Gut Check
I want to be careful with my language here...
Why are we so obsessed with the pursuit of "comfort"?
Care is needed in this conversation because, as humans, we suffer. And in that suffering, we are absolutely blessed when we are comforted.
Please know that is NOT what I'm talking about here.
I am referring to the apparent incessant search for a life of ease that makes no demands on us.
We attend Zoom meetings only half dressed. We cast off the "work clothes" as soon as we possibly can. Who has the time for a hard workout?
We chase vacations with pool attendants, umbrella drinks, really big boats, caddies, and tour guides.
Comfort in retirement is apparently the ultimate goal for the multitudes.
We often find ourselves not wanting to do the laundry, make dinner, or pay the bills.
Take a look at this dog. Isn't he cute?
My dog is like this the majority of the day. But not by choice. He is in this position out of sheer boredom because we can't play with him 8 hours a day.
If he had his druthers, we would go on a squirrel hunt at 6a every morning! (He's a Yorkie.)
Why? Because that's what he was created for and bred to do!
Similarly, you and I have systems deep within us that grow and thrive amid adversity.
Our physical bodies crave resistance. Our minds obsess over mental challenges. Our emotions grow and adapt not through passivity but through active engagement in difficult emotional circumstances. Our souls grow deeper with each cut and scrape of life.
You and I have been created to engage, not to escape.
To challenge, not to chill.
To build, not to bum.
Yes, we have a restoration cycle that demands some good R&R now and again.
But if we find ourselves constantly seeking a life of comfort over a life of challenge, consider that to be a warning flag rather than a sign of success.
You've heard it before... Do hard things.
We are either growing or we are dying (a little of both, I agree, but one of these forces is winning in your life right now).
Maybe you've never heard it this way. It was on my heart this morning...and I say it with care. But here it goes...
There is really only one place where comfort should be the ultimate goal, and that is in hospice care.
Check your life goals, folks. Get back in the fight wherever you can. At any age.
Engage. Participate. Grow.
Live.
Heart. Soul. Mind. Strength. Live life to the full. To the glory of God.
Let me know if I can be of any help along your journey. Blessings to you all!
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This Week’s Resource Recommendation:
"Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, Sexy, and Smart - Until You're 80 and Beyond"
– Chris Crowley / Henry S. Lodge, MD
Yeah, yeah, yeah… Diet and fitness books abound. Who’s got the latest theory, meal plan, or exercise routine? Blah, blah, blah. I’ve read a few. I’ve seen the trendlines.
This one is different.
(A version written specifically for women is also available.)
From Amazon: Dr. Henry Lodge provides the science. Chris Crowley provides the motivation. And through their New York Times bestselling program, you’ll discover how to put off 70 percent of the normal problems of aging—weakness, sore joints, bad balance—and eliminate 50 percent of serious illness and injury. Plus, prominent neurologist Allan Hamilton now explains how following “Harry’s Rules” for diet, exercise, and staying emotionally connected directly affects your brain—all the way down to the cellular level. The message is simple: Learn to train for the next third of your life, and you’ll have a ball.
MMS 24-21
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Blessings to you, my friend!
