Humble and Healthy, or Haughty and Hurting? You Choose!

Why is it that we are too cool sometimes to do the very things that will bring us health?

A young man with back pain refuses to do the cat stretch because he thinks it will make him look like a wimp, even though the stretch might help him a lot.

A lady refuses to go without meat, because meat is the symbol of money to her, and she does not want people to think she is poor.

A kid in school was thinking about actually trying the salad bar one day, but was scared that his peers would pick on him for it, so he instead resorted to the usual pizza and fries.

Despite the severe knee pain, the grandfather refuses to see a specialist because, as he says, “he don’t need no doctor.”

Think about it.  Why let pride hold you back from regaining your health?  Why do we reject a potential brief moment of possible embarrassment (or so we think; a lot of times, people are not even paying attention) to receive the brief moment of ‘cool’ along with the potential long-term health consequences?

2 Kings 5 tells a story about a military commander named Naaman who almost let pride get in the way of him being healed.  Through a series of events, he found out about the Israelite prophet Elisha, and hoped that Elisha would come out and do some extravagant display of power from God and heal him.  Instead, Elisha sent a servant out (did not even meet Naaman face-to-face) to tell Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan River and he would be healed.  Naaman was furious!  However, thankfully his servants convinced him to do what he felt was stupid, and he was indeed healed.  I am sure he was glad that his servants helped to change his mind.

Let us stop allowing pride to win control of our lives.  If you have been wanting to join a gym but have yet to do so because you are concerned about how others view you, tell pride to move out of the way, and join that gym.  If you are the type that knows that you need a trainer, but you do not want someone telling you what to do, push that aside, get a trainer, and listen to what they have for you.  If you have been wanting to start a garden, but you are wondering if you will get too dirty, do not let a little dirt hold you back from fresh fruits and vegetables!  If you have been contemplating that walking group at work because you know it would help you lose weight, but you fear you will be seen as one of “those” folks, get out there and walk with them.  It does not matter what people might think; you have weight to lose.  You have a body to take care of, and a family to be around for.

Purge the pride, man.  Take care of yourself, and be free from all that keeps you from doing so.

Does pride hold you back from being healthier?  Comment below!