"Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good. God probes for what IS good." Proverbs 16:2 MSG
When you read this verse, it's easy to see it as a diss to us humans. We are vain and conceited and easily swayed by outward appearance. But, it's more than that.
It's a reminder of God's omnipotence.
It's a reminder that God always sees everything, always knows everything.
That us humans can only ever get a glimpse of the real truth. All we can do is look for what appears to be good. We aren't capable of probing through all the muck to find what actually is good. We must depend on God for this insight. Only he can reveal the TRUTH to us.
And with God, it always circles back to the heart and what's really going on inside. Because God doesn't settle for false pretense and fake motives. No. Instead he continues to push his people toward Him. Toward holiness. Toward freedom. Toward healing. God continues to pierce through every layer, penetrating straight to the heart of the matter, until all that's left is TRUTH. This is the way that we need to start looking at our health.
It's not about what looks healthy, and it's not about what feels health, it's about what actually IS healthy. I STRUGGLED with acne all throughout high school and college before finally going on topical medication at the age of 23. It was like the sky had opened up and the angels were singing. For the first time in 10 years, I looked in the mirror and I liked what I saw! My skin looked SO HEALTHY! My scars started to diminish, my complexion started to even out, and best of all, I could leave the house without any make up at all. I was on that medication for three years. I felt healthy and I looked healthy, but was I actually? Had I cured the problem and found true health? No, I had simply put a band aid on it and covered up my symptoms.
What looks healthy, is not always healthy. What feels healthy is not always healthy.
Ever wonder how someone can walk around and live their normal everyday life and then one day bam! they get diagnosed with stage four cancer and are given only months to live? They look perfectly healthy. They had been feeling perfectly healthy. There were no warning signs. Yet, they are filled with poison and are far from healthy.
Because what looks healthy is not always healthy. What feels healthy is not always healthy.
What appears to look good is not always good. I'm so thankful for a God that probes for true goodness, because frankly, we need a WHOLE LOT MORE truth in this area of what we call healthy.
What looks healthy has become a number on a scale, or fitting into those skinny jeans. Eating to be skinny has become synonymous with eating to be healthy, and last time I checked, those were not the same things.
What feels healthy has become medication, procedures, and surgery. Anything to get a quick fix and instant relief. Masking the symptoms has become the goal, instead of diagnosing the problem in order to get to the root cause.
We've settled lackluster health. We've settled for the human version of healthy, instead of a God version of abundantly healthy. Why?
Because truth is scary. Truth looks us in the face with every mistake we've made that has gotten us to this moment. Broken, sick, diseased, and in desperate need of relief. Truth is hard work. It's rising above the patterns of the world. It's rising above the "skinny" trend and living the "healthy" trend instead. It's rising above the "crash diet" and living a healthy lifestyle every.single.day. Truth forces you to stand out in the crowd. Truth touches your heart and says you can do this. Truth says this is the hardest way, but it's the right way.
Why? Because the truth sets us free, and you can't be truly healthy, unless you're truly free.
Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby
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