The Ultimate Health Care Plan

"Side effects may include; dry mouth, constipation, dizziness, nausea, weight gain or weight loss, sexual dysfunction, liver or kidney failure and in some cases death."
How many times do you see this on TV or read it in a magazine for a pharmaceutical ad? The list of side effects can go on for a paragraph or two! It makes one wonder if the side effects are worth the risk of whatever drug a person may be considering.
I read an article in a magazine the other day about a woman who had suffered from severe depression all of her life and, as I believe it typically goes, periodically she would need to change her medication because it would eventually stop working. After years of treatment, the last medication left for her to try came down to a drug that caused significant weight gain. I mean significant. The article was focusing on the dilemma of being fat and somewhat happy versus being thin and depressed. As I read this person's story, I began to feel an acute sense of sadness for the numerous people worldwide, who are seeking pharmaceutical help for certain physical, mental and emotional conditions. Then I began to consider: Why? What is the cause for our society to be so dependant on medications to be "healthy" and "happy"?

The answer I believe, is simple. As our society has become more and more "Me" focused we have become less and less "He" focused. When times get tough, to what do we turn? Food, alcohol and drugs would probably be on the "top-five" list. We are programmed to want instant comfort, help and gratification. We want pills for everything: weight loss, depression, better sex and the list goes on. If we can't get pills or are too proud to admit we need help, we then turn to food or some other form of "self-medication". So, to what or whom should we turn? To God and His Word! The more dependant we are on ourselves and others to meet our needs to be happy and healthy the further we truly are from real and lasting joy and good health. God designed us in a certain way. He created a being whose perfect situation would be fellowship and companionship with Him. Originally in the Garden of Eden, that is the way it was. It wasn't until we, as a race, were deceived by Satan into thinking that there was something better out there than what God had provided. We believed that lie and broke our relationship with God through disobedience.
Aren't we still doing the same thing when we turn to things other than God to "fix" the problems? We really aren't fixing them anyhow, we are just covering them up and pretending that they are all better. We are believing the lie that God can't or won't help us. The enemy wants us to be lulled into a false sense of security in our own ability to overcome. Well, we can't overcome and pill after pill, bite after bite or drink after drink will never fix the problem.

If we were to stop living according to our own ideas and looked to God's will for us, we would become a healthier and more joy filled people. We wouldn't be obese and lazy, but instead we would be busy doing the work that He created us to do. We wouldn't be overloading out insurance companies with prescription after prescription for medications that are only relieving the symptoms, not dealing with the root problems. Our bodies would be functioning like they were made to function. If you fill your car's gas tank with water how far will you get? Nowhere! Why would we think that a body designed by the Creator of the universe would work any better without the proper fuel? The long and the short of it is that we are way off track with God's Master Plan and until we get headed in the right direction we will continue facing these problems as they exponentially get worse.

Where are you off track with His plan for your life? If you are struggling with addictions or depression, I can tell you from personal experience that He can and will help you to overcome. The answer isn't found in what we put in our stomachs but what we put in our minds. We need to start with prayer and feeding on the Word of God. As we do this, He will show us the cure to our poor health. Sometimes He may lead us to modern medicine for assistance, but allow Him to direct you there rather than choosing that first. God has the ultimate health care plan and if you choose to follow His directions the side effects will be: a healthy heart that can love and be loved, increased energy to do His work, a sense of well being, an overall radiance and ultimately, eternal life! So, read two verses and call on God each morning!