Slow Down

I was listening to a radio program the other day that was talking about childhood obesity and problems related to it. The gist of the program was that there are lots of things we can do, things that might seem unrelated to childhood obesity, which can help solve this issue for a lot of kids.

As I was listening to the program and thinking about what the host and the guest were saying, it dawned on me that most of this stuff is pretty common sense and its stuff that our grandmothers and grandfathers probably tried to teach us when we were young. We should get enough rest. When we sleep, our bodies produce hormones and other chemicals (I’m no doctor) that keep our metabolism in balance and help our body’s burn calories efficiently.

We should eat meals together as a family. This one hit close to home for me as we don’t sit at the dinner table together too often. There are lots of reasons for this; busyness, a 5 year-old who doesn’t sit still for long, among other things. However, most of these reasons can be remedied by our own self-discipline and setting up family rules about meal time. The doctor on the radio program indicated that eating meals together also helps battle childhood obesity.

It comes down to how we want to spend our lives. Do we want to lose our lives to busyness, running here and there to get the kids to all of their appointments, working 60 or 70 hours a week so we can have an extra gadget or a nicer car, or do we want to find our lives in spending time with our family and friends and seeking God’s purpose for us?

I’m pretty sure we can all be healthier; physically, mentally, and spiritually, if we slow down a bit. We can make time for our family and friends, make time for exercise, and make time to sit quietly and ponder the awesome power of God and His purposes for our lives.

I’m guilty of staying too busy. I guess I think I can hide from myself if I’m busy doing lots of things, but when I slow down and face myself and consider the things that God has done for me I realize that I don’t really need to hide from myself by staying busy. I realize that he has a plan for me (Ps. 139:13-16) and that by slowing down and tuning into Him I can reach my full potential.

So, maybe our grandparents were right. Maybe we need to slow down, rest when we’re tired, spend time together at the dinner table, and sit on the front porch and talk to our neighbors. I think I’ll give it a try.