Heart And Mind Matters

Heart And Mind Matters

Because of your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins. Psalm 38:3

Our physical, emotional, and spiritual health are all connected. You don’t have to go to medical school or even live in the modern world to know that. Looking at today’s verse from Psalm 38, we can see that even King David made the connection.

A number of years ago, during my residency in family medicine, I was the medical director of a small psychiatric hospital. There, I was responsible for the physical care of approximately thirty patients who were suffering from various types of mental illness. That year, I saw example after example of the very same point that David made thousands of years ago. If you are suffering emotionally or spiritually, your physical health will suffer as well.

David suffered great physical pain due to his sin. He was unable to stand and had wounds that didn’t heal. He suffered from fever, blurred vision, exhaustion, and pain. Though illness isn’t necessarily caused by sin, David knew that he had to get his spiritual health back before he could restore his physical health. That is often true for us, too. Once our spiritual and emotional health is back on track, often our physical symptoms will improve as well.

TODAY’S RX

If you’re feeling anxious, depressed, or angry, find a qualified Christian counselor to guide you to the Lord for emotional healing. Your physical symptoms may soon lessen or disappear.

Lord, I see how stress takes its toll on my body. Please lighten my heart and remove all anxiousness and worry. Help me to get on track toward a more joyful, healthy way of living.