The journey of wellness is about more than physical health. It also includes emotional, psychological, and spiritual wellness. When they are all combined, you have a strong sense of well-being and are able to pursue and accomplish significant, fulfilling life purposes. In other words:
Your overall health is measured by how well you manage your body, mind, and soul.
As we shift away from the physical side of wellness, I have found the greatest motivator for changing a mindset and embarking on a wellness journey to be something we often overlook. What is this great motivator? It is this: love.
In the Scriptures, the profound benefits of love are clearly stated, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind, love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, is not provoked. Love never fails. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:3-8a, 13 NKJ).
When I experienced my personal health crisis, I came face-to-face with what mattered most to me. I found I truly desired two things:
- To know I was loved
- To let others know that I loved them
Strangely enough, love was at the root of my choice to change my life. It compelled me to want to get well and it continues to compel me to stay well.
Love is most likely at the core of why people choose the life purposes they do. Love motivates each of us to create or accomplish something beneficial for others. It is love and that moves someone beyond “self” to think short-term (necessary daily habits) as well as long-term (life purposes).
All of this is very important, for love gives us purpose. It keeps us going. It motivates us to be whole. As a result, we enjoy life so much more.
Michael Ellison appears this Monday and Tuesday on LIFE TODAY. This is an excerpt from 10 Habits Of Wellness by Michael Ellison. Copyright ©2019 by Michael Ellison. Published by TriVita Press. Used by permission.
