To our American friends, have an honorable Memorial Day.

I had an obsession that ate at my peace and my satisfaction with life. It wasn’t money, although I confess I often wished I had more. No, I obsessed about my health. Was I going to live?

For six months, my health had declined steadily, and I feared I might not survive another winter. Every sneeze became a new opportunity for me to question fearfully, “Is this the start of another infection? Please let me have a few days when I can live somewhat normally before I get sick again.”

God spoke to me in the midst of my obsession, and personalized this verse in Hebrews: “Don’t get obsessed by your health, Darlene, but be at peace with how things are. Because regardless of what your circumstances are, my promise remains the same. I won’t leave you alone, no never!” As the truth of God’s promise sunk into my soul, I could better accept each day’s ration of wellness and live fully within those restrictions.

The same principle holds true, whether our discontent rises from money, health, or something else. Health is a very real need, just as money is necessary in this life. The problem comes when we seek it to the point of obsession, “loving it,” as the author of Hebrews puts it. When we do that, we’ve made the problem our god, robbing our loving Father of his rightful place.

Let’s not turn our needs into an obsession, because God is always with us, and he is the answer to our every need.

Everlasting God, you are with me, at my side. You never have, and never will, leave me alone, not even for a second. Forgive me for when I put something else in your place. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on you. Amen.

Go Deeper — Honestly discern what occupies your thoughts the most. Health? Money? Something else? Will you ask God to help you put that in proper perspective?



Tags: The Book of Hebrews Hebrews 13
Photo Credit: Jonathan Chng