How to live forever

This morning our oldest son dropped off our grand daughter on his way to work. My wife takes her to school and later picks her up. We were fixing breakfast and just chatted with him for a few moments. He mentioned that he was tired today, so I gave him some herbs to give him a boost in energy. His mom jokingly said, “The herbs dad gives us will help us stay healthy for many years,” then she added, “He’s really trying to help us live forever.”

I thought about that and realized once again that I am married to a very wise woman. Yes, I do deal with the physical side of life (herbs and such), but I also deal more heavily with the spiritual side of life.

I love the old song we no longer hear, but has a great message. The words say, “I’m going to live forever, I’m going to die no never…. Jesus died on a cross for me and I’m going to live forever.”

Where do you put your emphasis in life? I know people who spend thousands of dollars on exercise club memberships, exercise equipment, etc. They spend hours and hours working out, some have special life coaches or counselors they spend time with each week. They look good and feel good physically, but spiritually they are lacking. They struggle to make it through life and all that it throws at them, yet (for some), they don’t find what they are looking for.

I will be the first to admit that some of the things with which people struggle go beyond just a lack of spirituality. I know that there are some genuine physical problems (illnesses, imbalances, etc.), that account for some emotional problems. I realize that there are some situations over which you have no control that bring stress and difficulties into your life, both physically, emotionally and spiritually. It’s hard to hold on to the thought offered in Romans 8:28 where Paul writes: “All things work together for good for those who love the Lord.” I am preparing a class on the book of Jonah right now, and one of the lessons I discovered is that God can sometimes allow bad things to happen to get out attention.

There are two things we need to remember about life: (1) there is a great physician who can help us in all aspects of our life. 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”. (NIV)

(2) Our life does not truly consist of just the physical. Luke 12:4 tells us, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do”. (ESV)

Yes, the physical is important, that’s why I study and practice Herbal medicine, but that’s not all there is to life. I want to live forever, so I practice at the spiritual side of my life too. You only have one chance to get it right, so how are you doing?