When I was thinking and praying into this topic of wellness, my attention kept being pulled towards the word “well”, as in a well which is defined by study.com as a deep hole or shaft dug into the ground to access natural resources. I know that when one thinks of wellness, what comes to mind naturally is a picture-perfect, beautifully posing family with blemish-free skin, shiny teeth, heads full of healthy hair, sitting on a patch of perfectly manicured grass with a basket of fresh food somewhere in the picture. Or perhaps a young lady doing a perfect yoga pose in a beautifully designed outfit.
One does not think of drilling or any amount of hard work when wellness comes to mind. But, wellness goes beyond what we often see and feel. Wellness, in some ways, is about doing the internal work consistently, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, in order to access God’s spiritual resources so that we may be of use to others. Just like a well, our flesh is like hard ground, flawed in some places and beautiful in others, hardened by life experiences. However, as we allow God to drill through the hardness with His love, deep cries out to deep.
A good well provides fresh, life-giving water. It takes skill and faith to dig deep into the ground with the hope of finding water. Not just anyone can dig a well, and I am certain that to dig one, you would need permission from the owner of the land. Is this sounding familiar yet? We are like wells: from deep inside our hearts, fresh, living water should come. The Holy Spirit does the digging, removing rubble and debris ever so carefully to reach our hearts, and He does this – only with our permission.
While wellness is defined by Pfizer as the act of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis to attain better physical and mental health outcomes, so that instead of just surviving, you're thriving, I find it significant, too, that wells – back in the days – were a significant part of any thriving community. Wells and our wellness are critical for the communities that we live in. So when the community that God has entrusted you with is not thriving, check your heart – what kind of water is flowing from your heart? What is blocking the fresh water from flowing out?
In Genesis, we see how Abimelech fought Abraham and, later, Isaac for their wells. Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. So, all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.” (Genesis 26:12-15; NIV). The enemy is going to fight to keep the wells from being dug, and when they are fully dug up, he will try to fill them up with all sorts of things. So, beware.
Friends, there is always going to be an ongoing fight for our wellness and our proverbial wells – our hearts. Luke 6:45 says, A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. So while God is the one who digs our wells, we have the responsibility of staying mindful of what we store in our hearts if we want to attain wellness. A famous saying goes, “You are what you eat.” What we put into our mouths is as important as what we put into our hearts. Our habits are critical in ensuring that our wells, the things that come out of us, are like springs of living water. For our physical, emotional, mental and financial wellbeing, habits are the cornerstone of our wellness. It is 100% the same with our spiritual wellness.
Here are 5 tips out of the gospels on the maintenance of our wells and wellness:
1. Recognise the drill (the voice) & know who is digging your well.
There is a constant fight for our souls. Spend time in the Word, so you can learn to recognise His voice. My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give my sheep eternal life. They will never die, and no one can take them out of my hand. (John 10:27-28; ERV).
2. Keep your well covered: take up your armour.
Put on God’s full armour, daily. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing. (Ephesians 6:13; ERV).
3. Keep the water flowing: prayer moves things along the right way.
Always be full of joy. Never stop praying. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17; ERV).
4. Keep your well waters sweet: do not take or keep offense in your heart.
Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. (1 Corinthians 13:5; ERV).
5. Keep the waters pure: you are the company you keep.
Don’t be fooled: “Bad friends will ruin good habits.” (1 Corinthians 15:33; ERV).
Wellness is not a right, it is a duty. It is our duty as Christians to chase after wellness in Him.
Blessings
Karabo
Women of Reverence welcomes Karabo Ramookho as our contributor for this week.
I am a Life Coach as well as a Business and Executive Coach who founded Khokhoon Coaching Centre with 21 years of people management and leadership experience.
In Life Coaching, I work with individuals to help them in achieving their goals by providing guidance and support in areas such as goal setting, overcoming limiting thoughts, navigating change and more.
As a Business & Executive Coach, I work with senior leaders in large corporations and owners of small and medium sized enterprises in helping them to grow their businesses, as well as providing them with insights & tools that help them in building their organisational and staff capabilities. I support them in enhancing their leadership and interpersonal capabilities that they need in leading and building sustainable businesses.
This is often done in conjunction with team cohesion activities where we help teams to align around a common purpose, as well as in building a culture that drives accountability, goal-based productivity, and that inspires each member to not only show up as their authentic self, but also allowing others to do the same.
My passion and purpose is rooted in helping others in living out their life purpose, fully!