I gave birth to my son in October 2014. Within the first few weeks of
mommy-hood, I began to experience behavior and emotions that did not
seem normal, although my doctor said as long as I didnt want to harm
myself or my baby, I was fine.
But I did not feel fine.
most insignificant things and I felt like I had no support, even though
that couldn’t have been further from the truth because my husband is the
most supportive and selfless man I know. I would belittle him and snap
at him at the drop of a hat, which was very unlike me.
I had trouble nursing and had to pump around the clock, yet still wasn’t
producing enough milk for my son. This made me feel even more like an
absolute failure of a mother. When I couldn’t console my son if he was
upset, rage would seem to well up inside of me, so I would slam doors
and run into the bathroom to let out a scream.
This little bundle of joy barely slept or took naps during the day for
me, so I was absolutely exhausted, living off of caffeine and sugar just
to function. When he would actually fall asleep, all I could do was
stare up at the ceiling, unable to shut my body down to get rest. I was
suffering continuously with anxiety attacks to the point of
hyperventilation because I didn’t like who I was becoming. I felt out of
control and miserable.
Being a woman of prayer, there was no way I could be a victim of postpartum depression, right?
I’m a Christian and I know that Jesus died so that I could walk in TOTAL freedom from all sin, sickness, and disease, I thought.
I would pray and pray and pray for God to heal me. I felt like this was a
spiritual battle and I was totally losing. My spirit felt utterly
depleted.
As the months went by, the anxiety and emotional outbursts seemed to
fade, but then I started experiencing even more random physical symptoms
such as oral thrush, ringing in my ears, heartburn, swelling in my
throat, restless legs, and insomnia.
It was obvious that my body didn’t have what it needed to fight off
these symptoms, and medication to just quiet the symptoms and not
eliminate the root cause, for me, was a last resort. Out of curiosity
and desperation, I began researching what was physically going on in my
body. This was the unhealthiest I had ever felt in my whole life, so I
knew that I needed to make some serious changes, especially regarding my
eating habits and stress triggers. I believe in prayer, but sometimes
there is more going on in the natural realm that we can have control
over, with God’s wisdom and provision.
I realized that this battle going on inside of me and all around me
could not be compartmentalized. This wasn’t just spiritual, emotional,
mental, or physical. In other words, I wasn’t just spiritually,
emotionally, mentally, or physically unhealthy; It was absolutely
everything combined. Knowing that the Creator of the Universe created me
body, soul, and spirit, I couldn’t just focus on the wellness and
wholeness of one area. All of me needed healing, and I was ready to
partner with the Lord to see restoration unfold.
Like I said, God created us body, soul, and I spirit:
- We are a spirit
- We possess a soul
- We live in a body
This means that we are a tri-part being.
We discover this truth in 1 Thessalonians 5:
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your
whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it (1
Thessalonians 5:23-24, ESV).
God cares about our whole being, and all of it connects together. How we
take care of ourselves, affects our overall health. We have to take
responsibility in all three areas: spirit, soul, and body, and trust
that God will strengthen us.
Spiritual Health
Our spiritual health can be developed and strengthened by cultivating
our relationship with Jesus by partnering with the Holy Spirit through
regular times of worship and prayer. This is definitely difficult when
you have little ones, but I have learned to fight for even just a few
minutes of quiet time with the Lord. I take advantage of my time in the
shower and during nap-time to talk with God about my worries and
stresses, and simply thanking Him for never leaving my side.
Keeping a grateful heart definitely helps keep worry and stress at bay, I
believe. Worship and adoration helps us take our minds off our problems
and switch our focus to the greatness of God! Being around other
believers consistently at church or small groups also helps us keep that
fire burning inside of us.
In addition to worship and prayer, consistently reading and listening to
the Word of God strengthens our faith. When my son was much younger,
and I didn’t always have my hands free to read my actual Bible, I used
my Bible app on my cell phone quite a lot; or if that wasn’t an option, I
would listen to the audio Bible on my iPod and have it play throughout
the house. God’s Word leads us into developing the health in our soul.
Emotional and Mental Health
Our souls are made up of mind, will, and emotions. God’s Word helps us
keep those areas of our life in check, leaning on Him more than
ourselves or the pattern of this world. We strengthen our soul by fixing
our thoughts on Him.
To see transformation in our soul, we must renew our minds.
Romans 12:2 says:
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform
you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will
learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and
perfect.
Once we allow God to renew our thought patterns, we are able to
understand God’s will, which affects our own will and how we make godly
decisions in life. Godly thoughts lead to godly decisions and actions,
which lead to godly behavior and eventually, a godly and healthy soul
and life.
Physical Health
As Christians, sometimes it seems easier for us to focus spiritual
health, but I realized in my own life that we cannot neglect the health
and wellness of our bodies without experiencing consequences.
The apostle Paul tells us of the importance of our body:
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within
you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, you were bought with a
price. So glorify God in your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, ESV).
How can we glorify God in our bodies?
Within the context of this scripture, Paul is talking about sexual sin
in particular. He says that sexual sin is sin against our own body (vs
18) and we must flee from all sexual immorality. But I believe another
way we can glorify God in our bodies is by eating healthy foods,
drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated, and exercising regularly.
These bodies are not our own because Jesus purchased us with His very
life, and we must care for this precious gift we have been given.
When we consistently consume junk food, sweets, and large amounts of
refined sugars and processed foods, I believe we are sinning against our
own bodies. Since none of these foods existed when God created the
world, our bodies have a very difficult time trying to digest and
detoxify. Fruits and vegetables (as well as animals if you aren’t vegan
or vegetarian) are natural and made by God for us. Our bodies need water
to survive and thrive as well, and since our bodies are made up of 70%
water, I think it’s a good idea to keep fueling our system with this
important life-source!
Lastly, our bodies were designed to move. It is important for our
physical health to get our blood and heart pumping to help the rest of
our body to function properly and effectively.
Over these last six months, I have changed my eating habits and started
to incorporate regular exercising. What I have noticed the most is how
drastic my emotional and mental health has improved! Like I said before,
God designed everything to connect and function together!
If you are finding yourself suffering in one or all of these areas, ask
God for wisdom on what you can do to help partner with Him to develop
overall wellness in your life. He created you and cares about every
single area: body, soul, and spirit!
[written by Emily Massey]
