Preventative Measures

We live in a crisis management society. We’re great at fixing problems, not so great at preventing them.

I think that’s why I have such high hopes about this new nutritionist the girls and I are seeing. Her passion for health and affordable prices are giving me hope that in the years to come, my family will be less in the hands of the medical community.

I mean, who wouldn’t rather go to someone who can teach us how to stay healthy vs. going to someone who relies on quick fixes that don’t address the root cause, not to mention the fact that their livelihood depends upon our continual illnesses?

Almost two weeks ago I was on the verge of pneumonia. I realized I had two choices. A) Go to the doctor, get X-rays done, and get on antibiotic. B) Go to the alternative doctor, and get adjusted and put on nutritional supplements and hope it works.

I went with option B. Dr. T gave me the best spinal adjustment I’ve had in a long time and did her applied kinesiology magic on me, and it was no surprise that all my weak points were in my lungs. So she put me on several nutritional supplements (22 a day for a month!) and two days into taking them I felt brand new!

I got to thinking about how it’s often the alternative approaches that get the most raised eyebrows. Most people are more comfortable going the traditional route, visiting the doctor and getting whatever prescription best suits their woes. We take our doctor’s word for it, because, of course, doctors know best. We’d rather let the doctor give us a quick fix, than implement healthy diets that require cooking from scratch and spending a little more money on organic fruits and veggies. And someday when it all hits home and turns into diabetes or heart disease, we’ll look back and wish we’d thought twice, and planned for our futures better.

There’s a great spiritual parallel in this line of reasoning. It’s much easier to go to God when we’re hurting and needy than when our lives are on auto-pilot.

When life is good, we concentrate on what most demands our attention. Often those things are material or relational. We think more time with our spouse would make us happy, or fewer financial worries, or less winter snow and mud! This just feeds the discontent; it’s a vicious cycle. Much like the overuse of prescription drugs wreak havoc in generating “smarter germs” with greater resistance to said antibiotics.

God is very often overlooked as the answer to our problems.

So how can we apply this? To me, the basic preventative measures we as Christians need to take boil down to this.

Daily Bible reading and prayer, implementing a Biblical worldview…

1. With our kids. Waiting till they are teenagers and full of rebellion is not the time to try to get their hearts back for God. Sure, there’s hope for those of us who are trying to reclaim that ground with teenagers, but the rest of us need to make the most of the time we have now…while their little hearts are ripe. It’s easiest now, believe me.

So talk to your babies about Jesus. Go down the line of “Mommy loves baby. Daddy loves baby. But who loves baby most of all? Jesus does!!!” When you go on walks with your little ones, point out the rocks and trees, the clouds and birds, and ask them over and over: “Who made these?” “God did!” Make Him such a part of your everyday life that your children look forward to night-time as a time to sing and pray together, and read the Bible, or listen to a special pastor on CD or DVD. Talk about how wonderful it will be to meet Jesus in heaven, to sit next to Daniel and hear first-hand his account of spending the night with all those hungry lions. Make it real to them by incorporating it into the minutes of your life.

Don’t make your faith a private thing. Your kids need to know what you’re praying for when possible, and how God has answered prayer.

I’ve mentioned before how important it is to have a “flight plan” in this life of unexpected twists and turns. It’s equally important that we prepare our children for the crises that will inevitably add turbulence to their paths. We won’t always be with them, but we can lay the godly foundation in their hearts, so that when their life is rocked, God is right by their side.

2. On your own and/or with your spouse. Good marriages aren’t luck of the draw. They take nurturing. They grow us up in the Lord like nothing else–well, maybe like child-rearing! Christian couples need to take their faith seriously. Every day, not just on Sundays. And yes, it’s hard. Satan doesn’t want it to be easy and our lives are hectic.

God has plenty to say about marriage, yes, even about spiritually unequal marriages. We need to be familiar with God’s take on these things so that when hard things attack our relationships, we’re anchored in truth! What happens to unanchored ships at sea? They drift further and further out, and when storms come, they capsize.

Surround yourself with like-minded Christians.

Proverbs 27:17 says, “As Iron sharpens Iron, so one man sharpens another.” Having close bonds with other families who share your values and ideals is so helpful. Our kids need those examples. My oldest told me that during her recent overnight at our friends’ house, she and her best friend spent some time alone, praying that God would help them to make daily Bible reading a priority, among other things.

If you need encouragement in homeschooling or homemaking or marriage, there are some great online Christian communities at your fingertips for instant encouragement. I love to recommend the Raising Godly Tomatoes website, especially their message boards. Let me know in comments if you want to use my info as your referral to join. And for marriages or parent/child relationships in need of restoration, there’s an awesome resource called Restore Ministries. Check them out.

Preventative measures. An “ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. We’re proactive about our rights, and our health, why not our spirits and those of the ones dearest to us?