Northern Reflections on Health

Overcoming age limitations

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overcoming age limitationsCanadians enjoyed one of the most exciting of Grey Cup championship games this past weekend! The winning quarterback, Henry Burris, has been officially noted as the “grand old man of the Canadian Football League”. Noted as the oldest quarterback to start in a Grey Cup game, he proved age irrelevant as he carried his team to victory including the winning pass in overtime.

Last spring, a fellow Canadian, Yul Kwon crossed the finish line first in the over-80 category in the Boston Marathon. He follows in the footsteps of other age-defying athletes from Canada such as 85-year-old marathoner Ed Whitlock who broke a world record in his age category in a marathon just this past fall.

Elite in their accomplishments, yes; but also in challenging the stereotype of aging and the decline of our physical skills.

How do they do it? Clearly, they are not limiting themselves on the basis of age. Are they showing us that what we accept into our thinking influences our abilities? Continue Reading

Grace and gratitude – a healthy combination

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I will occasionally revisit some of the popular blog jewels of the past few years – a little freshened up and refurbished.  Some of my newer readers may not have seen these, and they’re great reminders for those of us who do remember them. Thank you for reading!

grace and gratitude bring blessingsMany cultures around the world have unique ways of offering grace before a meal, whether over a bowl of pasta or a plate of Pad Thai. As a Baby Boomer, I remember saying grace at the family dinner table each evening – a moment to reflect on not only the bounty before us, but also on other blessings of the day.

However, statistics show the ritual of saying grace before a meal is trending downward with less than half of us today taking a quiet moment to express gratitude.

This shift is happening for lots of different reasons. I have wondered if one of the reasons for this reticence to give gratitude is a fear that goodness can be limited in our lives – that we can experience limited health, limited income, limited happiness.

Why is gratitude important? How can it impact this limited feeling?

Ask Robert Emmons, professor at the University of California, Davis, who is acknowledged as today’s pre-eminent expert in the study of gratitude. His studies have shown that a conscious focus on blessings improved moods, coping skills and overall physical well-being.

Emmons says, ‘Gratitude is one of the few things that can measurably heal, energize and change people’s lives. It is a turning of the mind, not what I don’t have, but what I have already.’

My friend Carol found that a conscious focus on blessings did measurably improve her health when everyone around her had the flu. She awoke one morning with the symptoms, but instead of reacting with fear, she immediately started thinking about everything she had to be grateful for. She acknowledged that God was an ever-present, divine source of good in her life. In her study of the Scriptures she found examples of the goodness God gives his beloved creation that include health as well as supply. And since God’s abundance is, by nature, eternal and all encompassing, then good is never limited. Very quickly, she felt totally well, and went about her day.

The flip side of the grateful coin is ingratitude that blocks our ability to see what we already have. Mary Baker Eddy, theologian and author, asks the pointed question: “Are we really grateful for the good already received?” And follows with this promise: “Then we shall avail ourselves of the blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more.”

Being grateful even before good is evident, is also illustrated in a well-known Bible story. When Jesusgratitude and fulfillment was faced with feeding a crowd of thousands, right in the midst of what looked like real lack he saw what his disciples did not – that since God is infinite good and present everywhere, there could be no limit to the divine provision for the crowd.

Jesus gave thanks for what they had and then instructed his disciples to feed the people. Remember the ending? Substantial leftovers!

If true health, provision, and happiness come from an understanding that the good in our life has a constant source in the Divine, then we can and should acknowledge frequently that good is ongoing and infinite. Fresh ideas are waiting to come to light as we humbly and prayerfully listen, not for an influx of material gain, but for a recognition of how near to us God, good really is.

For all of its apparent benefits, practicing gratitude is a good idea! Pairing it each day – however briefly – with an activity we enjoy (like meals), can help to make gratitude a more regular part of our lives.

As I am a community blogger for Metroland Media, read this post on OurWindsorON.

 

Nurturing our veterans through God’s love

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Nurturing our veteransOriginally published in the Christian Science Monitor.

In honor of those who have served in the armed forces, many across the world pay their respects on November 11th, Remembrance Day, also known as Veterans Day in the United States.

Along with stories of bravery and successful deployments are the stories shared of veterans struggling with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. I am heartened to hear of new programs to strengthen the well-being of our troops and have wanted to embrace and support our veterans in prayer.

In wanting to pray in support of those who have served, I was inspired to look to a great biblical warrior, David.

David is probably best known for his defeat of the giant, Goliath (see I Samuel 17:38-58). This great warrior was a humble poet and the author of some of the best-loved psalms. He used these poems or hymns to share his understanding of God’s love and care for all mankind and in every situation. We see him turning to this divine Love to restore his sense of hope and well-being in times of deep distress and fear.

One of my favorite psalms talks of God’s love supporting and sustaining us even when “mountains shake” and “waters … roar” (Psalm 46). The imagery conjures up being in a very menacing situation. But “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” promises the same psalm. And David proved this throughout the adventures of his life as he rose from shepherd boy to king.

God’s unconditional love for His creation was also the foundation of the healing work of Christ Jesus. He understood God, good, to be the creator of all and the source of infinite Love. Jesus expressed this divine Love by healing mental as well as physical illness. Throughout the New Testament are often repeated reminders to us that “God is love” (see for example, I John 4:8 and I John 4:16).

I’ve found that understanding the power of divine Love can overturn fearful memories we face. While I have never faced the trauma of the battlefield, learning more about this true sense of love and calm trust in God’s goodness has helped me in troubling circumstances, and this points to God’s ability to care for us in all circumstances – no matter how large or small.

As one example, an understanding of God’s love was the answer for me when I faced painful recurring memories about the business my family had had for many generations, which had been closed up by the bank. This came as a shock to my family and left me feeling lost and deeply anxious over the ensuing months.Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures

As a Christian Scientist, I turned to the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy to learn more of God’s love and provision for me. Echoing the Pslamist, she writes: “In divine Science, where prayers are mental, all may avail themselves of God as ‘a very present help in trouble.’ Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” pp. 12-13).

In my study over the months, I had to take a stand to insist prayerfully that God was ever present as the source of goodness in my life and that His love could never be taken away from me or any of God’s creation. My growing confidence in this unchanging, ever-present Love dissolved depression and reshaped my thinking from hopelessness to an expectation of goodness in my life. And as those painful memories faded, a new job opportunity followed.

This humble example showed me that the heartfelt prayer that reaches out to God, infinite Love, can lift us out of the troubled waters of fear or confusion. The law of divine Love is supreme, and it can overturn all that is unlike God. We can pray to know our veterans are supported by this same all-powerful Love – at home and abroad.

The Apostle Paul’s promise still speaks to us: “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love…. No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38, 39, New Living Translation).

As reflections of God, good, we can each bear witness to our true selfhood as God’s likeness – ever loved, cared for, and protected.

This article was also published throughout Metroland media news sites in Ontario.

The art and science of thankfulness

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This is a guest post by my colleague, Monica Karal.

The art and science of thankfulnessStopping momentarily to recognize the good in our lives, and to quietly give thanks, is like watching a sunrise illuminate the day. It sheds light on the good things so we can enjoy and nurture them, and helps dispel the darkness or dissatisfaction with what we supposedly lack.

In a culture where ads try to convince us we always need more, and some sectors of society purportedly have an entitlement mentality, it’s worthwhile to step back and reflect on who we are, what we have, and what really satisfies.Continue Reading