The Key to Adding Years to Your Life
Photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash
Healthy lifestyle choices
A common, almost constant appeal in advertisements is to “add years to your life.” They often relate this appeal to a diet regimen or taking supplements. Recently, newly developed drugs claim to extend life for people with terminal illnesses.
Many of these appeals come down to making certain lifestyle choices. But most of our lifestyle choices have nothing to do with diets, drugs, or supplements.
Some choices are simple, while others seem impossible. On any day, we make hundreds of choices, often without realizing it.
We choose when to get up, even though it may be out of obligation or commitment. What we eat, drink, wear, and where we go or don’t go are all choices.
Raising and caring for children seems like a never-ending challenge of choice-making—especially with toddlers and pre-schoolers! It’s often a fine line between making suggestions and giving options to holding firm on boundaries and expectations.
This battle of wills can seem tedious and never-ending, yet it’s critical. The way parents raise a child early on will affect their entire life. This is the essence of the admonitions in the Book of Proverbs and summed up once again in chapter 9.
But it’s easy to choose without choosing—to settle into a routine—even to let others make choices for us. Whether we make a choice or choose not to choose—we alone are responsible for our choices.
Scripture
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
You will live longer because of me, and years will be added to your life.
If you are wise, your wisdom will help you.
If you mock, you alone will be held responsible. (Proverbs 9:10-12 GW) (Proverbs 9:10-12 GW) [Context—Proverbs 9:1-18]
Simple Insights
We’re presented with a paradox in the ninth chapter of Proverbs. It begins with honorable and stately Lady Wisdom offering a feast to those who would choose to come to her table.
It closes with the opposite of Lady Wisdom making her appeal. The woman “Stupidity”—also named “Folly” in other Bible versions—calls out to the gullible and simple-minded person to feast in secret on her stolen provisions.
We see this contrast throughout Proverbs. It’s common in everyday life too. Most choices aren’t between polar opposites. In fact, many choices seem neutral, even though they may point us in some direction.
We face a myriad of choices every day. How do we know if we are making the right choices? It depends on what our perspective is—our worldview.
What determines our worldview?
The middle segment of Proverbs 9 gives us a compass. It points us in the direction we need to go to make healthy lifestyle choices for everyday life.
We're pointed back to a simple truth stated in the first chapter of Proverbs—
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Stubborn fools despise wisdom and discipline. (Prov 1:7 GW)
We gain true wisdom with a right perspective of who God is and who we are in respect to Him.
But this perspective—this worldview—is based on knowing God. We find true understanding and wisdom in a personal relationship with God, not just gathering knowledge and insights about Him.
This is practical wisdom—useful in everyday life. But this requires a commitment to continue to make wise choices. We are not to defer it to someone else. This includes mundane choices and making those hard choices in life.
Making healthy lifestyle choices is our responsibility.
Reflection—
The wisdom of God is available to us, if we choose to seek it. We gain true wisdom with a right perspective of who God is and who we are in respect to Him. And this is based on knowing God in a personal way.
Prayer Focus—
To make healthy choices, ask God for discernment and wisdom at the beginning of each day and throughout the day. Before you make major decisions, ask for God's guidance.
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