If a Planners Anonymous group existed, I’m there. I love to plan everything, including vacations. In fact, my sister would never go on vacation unless I planned one for her.
Consider how planning a vacation compares to the journey to wellness and discover the remarkable secret to wellness.
Wellness is a journey
When planning a vacation, first decide on your destination. Next, plan the trip, including how to get there. Afterwards, travel home and enjoy the photos and memories of your trip.
Compare to the journey of weight loss. First, decide on your destination—how much weight to lose. Sometimes you want to lose weight for a special event such as a wedding, high school reunion, or tropical vacation. Then decide how to get to your destination—eat fewer calories, exercise more, or decide to follow a popular weight loss plan.
After reaching your goal weight, you arrive home after your special event and gradually slip back into old habits. Unfortunately, this often leads to gaining the weight you lost, and turns into a cycle of dieting, losing, and gaining weight.
Now examine the journey to wellness. First, decide where to go. Do you want to be well? Next, plan how to get there. Your plan includes making healthy choices such as eating whole foods, cutting out sugar and white flour, incorporating movement in your day, reducing stress, and getting a good night’s sleep.
However, we never arrive at wellness, because wellness is a journey, not a destination. No one ever arrives at perfect wellness on this earth because we are all imperfect human beings living in an imperfect world.
We encounter peaks and valleys on the journey to wellness. Sometimes, we take two steps forward and three steps back. And other times we charge ahead nonstop.
However, the journey to wellness requires deliberate effort and daily choices. But the benefits of a healthy mind and body, fewer chronic diseases, and longer healthspan (more healthy years of life) are worth it. In contrast to the short-term weight loss journey, the journey to wellness lasts a lifetime.
Everyone’s journey is unique
Everyone is at a different stage of their wellness journey, so don’t compare yourself to others.
First, comparison with others leads to discouragement. We assess others further along in their journey and think, “This is too hard. I will never be like them.” But don’t give up. Keep moving. Be content where you are, because perseverance pays off.
In addition, comparison leads to pride. We view others with disdain because they are not as successful as we are. Instead, encourage others on the journey to wellness with you.
God watches over us on our journey
Psalm 121 is one of the Songs of Ascents. Tradition tells us the Jews sang these psalms while traveling to Jerusalem. It’s an uphill climb because Jerusalem, the City of David, is 2700 feet above sea level. Aliyah in Hebrew means the ascent.
Jonathan Cahn, in his book The Book of Mysteries, calls our life with God a journey upward or the Aliyah. He writes:
“Every day you will be given choices. Every choice will give you the chance to go lower, to stay the same or go higher. Choose the higher path, even if it’s harder, take the higher step… let each of your steps be higher than the step before it, each of your days be higher than the day before it.” [1]
The journey to wellness is a journey upward, or Aliyah. It can be a steep climb, or sometimes a pleasant stroll on level ground. Or maybe we roll backwards. But even if it’s difficult, stay on course and trust God helps us and watches over us on the journey. As Scripture says, “The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” (Psalm 121:7-8).
My journey to wellness
When diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002, I completed treatments as prescribed over a period of about nine months: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation.
After finishing all the treatments, I heard the words “you are cancer free”. Yes! Cancer free! Was I well? No, not at all. Toxins from chemotherapy remained in my system. I had depression and a terrible self-image because of surgical scars. I faced my mortality and sought God for meaning for my life after a potentially fatal diagnosis.
Despite it all, cancer is the best thing that ever happened to me. A resounding wake-up call from God to change my life led me to begin my wellness journey.
One of my favorite scriptures reads, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains–where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber” (Psalm 121: 1-3 NIV). God never sleeps on the job! Therefore, take one step at a time, seeking wellness one day at a time, knowing God is watching over us on every step of our journey.
Final thoughts
Wellness is a journey, not a destination. Begin your journey to wellness today! If you are already on the journey, stay on course. Trust God watches over us on the journey. We never attain perfect wellness on this earth, but make the next healthy choice to bring us closer to it.
Reference
- Cahn, J. (2018). The book of mysteries. Lake Mary, FL: FrontLine.
