Staying Healthy
When Michael Jackson and some other less notable celebrities died less week, I started to notice that there are a lot more programs on television and commercials dedicated to staying younger and fitter.
That's nothing new.
But today, after getting home from an exhausting day of ministry, I sat down and turned on the television only to fall upon channel six (because of the digital switch I am now limited to basic cable!). I was watching a show called America's Lifechangers by ExtraTV. ExtraTV? Isn't that the gossip/celebrity news show?
All they talked about was ways to defy aging and possibly even death. It's a t.v. show, so of course they are going to edit things and most likely take what people say out of context, but what I heard today was a little ridiculous.
They were interviewing Suzanne Somers about her "controversial" cancer treatment, and her use of hormone therapy and banking her stem cells for future use. When asked what she thought of her decision to pursue more "natural" methods she replied how she felt good and felt like she could live "forever."
Then they showed a clip of some doctor who said that "aging is an option." He said that aging was a matter of life choices and that it was "possible to reduce, slow down and even reverse the aging process."
There was also a brief clip of some "renegade doctor" that can cure cancer in 12 minutes using therapy that could kill cancer cells.
When Michael Jackson died the other week, I felt like a piece of my childhood died as well. Here was his last rehearsal:
It shouldn't have been a surprise, though, because the 80's were the 80's and now it's nearly the 10's (2010 that is). They say that your body starts to age in your 30's, which gives me a couple of years to hit my prime, but sadly I am far from that.
I eat well, as well as I can with the budget and schedule that I have, I work out consistently, I enjoy eating. But come on, everyone knows you can't live "forever" and that "slowing down" or "reversing" the process of aging is an oxymoron--you can't affect time! But we'd sure like to believe it, wouldn't we?
So I started to wonder, maybe people are turned off to religion in general not because of the way that it says we ought to live, but that because it precisely deals with a very sensitive and troubling reality that we all have to face, but would like to avoid at all costs--death.
I can see why Buddhism is so appealing. Achieving perfect peace--nirvana. They say that stress is one of the primary causes of aging and disease. If you can make void the stress that is in your life and improve the quality of your overall life, and that was the center of your beliefs... yeah, I can see why it's appealing. And when it comes to death, there's no such thing--just a momentary pause.
But I do believe in death. And yes, it's troubling. I have absolutely NO CLUE what that experience will be like, but I know it's a reality. Am I scared? Yeah. But am I scared with no reason? No.
I heard a pastor speak on the subject of dieing and he asked a simple question: Are you more afraid of dieing that meeting your Maker, meeting the love of your life, meeting the One who is Love? Am I afraid to see Jesus Christ in all of his glory???
I am... because I don't feel ready... I don't feel like I've lived my life to its fullest yet. Not that I haven't lived it well, but I know it can be better--not because He requires it of me, but because that is my desire.
I'd rather focus on living well than avoiding death--because the latter is just not possible.
