Giving Attention to Your Body

"Then one of the soldiers told him, 'Your father [Saul] bound the army under a strict oath, saying, "Cursed be any man who eats food today!" That is why the men are faint.'

Jonathan said, 'My father has made trouble for the country.  See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey.  How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from their enemies." - 1 Samuel 14:28-30a

"When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, 'Look, your maidservant has obeyed you.  I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do.  Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.'

He refused and said, 'I will not eat.'

But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them.  He got up from the ground and sat on the couch." - 1 Samuel 28:21-23

This morning I woke up grumpy.  I had an idea of what I was going to do today and found out last night that my plans needed to change.  I don't deal with change very well.  I began to pick a fight with my husband.  Fortunately the words to a song by Gomez came into my head:

"Day to day where do you want to be?  Cause now you're trying to pick a fight with everyone you meet."

I thought, where do I want to be?  What is it that I want so badly to do today?  Really, I just wanted to be grumpy.  And maybe go back to sleep.  But then I remembered Saul.

It seemed like Saul was always trying to deal with difficulties by making ridiculous declarations that he wouldn't eat, that his men wouldn't eat, that anyone who ate would die, and so forth.  However, twice, the Bible records that someone had to talk him down from his ledge and say, "For heaven's sake, Saul.  You'd feel better, I'd feel better, we would all feel better if you would just eat a little bit!"*

So I got up and went running.  Because sometimes mental and emotional problems are really physical problems.  Sometimes you just need to get outside and do something.  Sometimes you need to take a minute and eat something.  Sometimes you need to go to bed earlier.  Sometimes you need to get up earlier.

Sometimes you need to take a step back from whatever difficulty is consuming you and think about your body--what are you not doing that needs to be done for you to be healthy?

I feel a lot better now.  I think it's time to eat something.

Here is a video of the Gomez song, "See the World."