I am not the healthiest person. Some of you may wonder what right I have to make suggestions to everyone on how to improve their lifestyle. That is a fair thing to raise. I will not say that I have some authority on this but that I have thought about this a lot and I am putting some of it into action at the moment. Being a healthy person involves multiple components that space forbids me from going into extensive detail about. I will simply mention a few things that I have been doing which are helping me see gradual improvements in my health. Before I do, I want to give a few reasons why I really care about this topic.

First, I talk a lot about the idea of flourishing to my brothers and sisters in Christ. The idea of flourishing is a biblical concept (Ephesians 6:1). I very much want to live life to the fullest for Christ. Second, I firmly believe that there is not enough conversations going on about this. It goes without saying that I am speaking from a relatively limited experience. So I am not speaking for all churches or even Christians in general. However, I have noticed a serious lack of discussion - let alone mentioning - about what it means to flourish for Jesus Christ. Here are some things I am doing that hopefully will be of encouragement.

1. Take a walk somewhere.

I am gradually becoming less lazy when it comes to physical exercise. I learned recently that walking regularly is effective in increasing your energy levels. I am a long way from going to the gym and working out on a regular basis. I will probably need someone to go with for accountability and encouragement. But in the meantime I can at least take a walk whenever the weather is conducive and enjoy the sunshine and nature. Walking in nature is conducive to calming one's mind and focusing it on the Lord. I have been making an effort to take the stairs more frequently than the elevator and I am seeing subtle but real results.

2. Clean and organize your house/apartment.

I live in an apartment and I will confess that I have not been the best steward of it. I have all too often let stuff pile up (trash & laundry) and end up removing it when I am too sickened to see it! Having a dirty apartment is harmful because it is much easier for bad bacteria to form when the environment has not been adequately cared for. Just as hospitals must be kept clean to a tee to prevent worse sicknesses and possible diseases, it is crucial to keep my apartment clean so that I can be less vulnerable to sickness.

When your belongings are scattered all over the place, something bad might be bound to happen. You might lose patience quickly when you are in a rush to find something but are feeling frustrated because you cannot remember where you put it. Organizing your belongings could very well produce a sense of ease and calm when you are pressed for time.

3. Spend an evening reading a book instead of watching TV.

I used to have a bad addiction problem to playing Madden (NFL Football) on the PlayStation 4 to the point of it being the primary consumer of my time. Playing video games is not a bad thing in itself and might provide some stimulation. But too much of it can be very harmful. Reading a good book is very healthy because it forces me to engage my mind with the text. Reading is something I do actively, not passively. Plus, it might be surprising how much time is left over after you were reading as opposed to how much time has gone by when playing video games!

4. Hang out with a friend and talk about some of your struggles.

This might be one of the most difficult things for me to do because I typically do not initiate conversations about my struggles with my friends. To put it another way, I have trust issues I must work through in order to be vulnerable in a way that is conducive to my well-being. As a Christian, I realize that I am not alone in my spiritual journey through life. I have the Church. However, I have felt alone in my spiritual journey for most of the time in the past couple years. A major reason is because I have struggled to trust my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. One main reason why I struggled to trust other believers was because I believed that they didn't get it - with respect to doubts and unanswered questions that might trouble a believer - and were not reliable guides to finding answers because they lacked the relevant knowledge. Because of this, I have struggled to find a community of believers to fellowship regularly with and share common needs and prayer requests. I have not permitted some people to know what I struggle about because I don't trust them.

However, that is starting to change by God's grace. I had lunch a few days ago with a fellow from an apologetics club I attend on campus. We talked about academic and career aspirations and then things got personal. I opened up to him and shared with him why I do not make myself vulnerable to others in various aspects. I honestly did not plan to speak about it and I am inclined to think that God might have orchestrated it. I had been praying for the Lord for some time to help me find someone to open up to and share some of my struggles with. Lo and Behold, I found myself talking to this young man about my struggles and it felt natural. So in short, pray and ask the Lord to send someone your way who will be qualified to lend a good listening ear of compassion. We were not designed to dwell in isolation.