Wellness is more than just a healthy body; it’s a balance of physical health, mental peace and spiritual growth that the Bible calls Christians to pursue.
Wellness in all three categories doesn’t automatically mean having a perfect life. However, it does mean caring for yourself and those around you while trusting God through life’s challenges.
The Bible teaches us that physical health matters.
In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul describes the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit and tells us to use our body to glorify God. This can be accomplished in several ways including eating healthy, staying active and avoiding certain behaviors that can harm the body.
Jesus often took time to rest, eat and spend time alone with God.
At the same time, physical wellness should not be an unhealthy obsession. Taking care of the body should be about taking care of God’s creation, rather than trying to achieve worldly perfection.
“If you do too much of one thing, it’s going to harm you,” sophomore Ethan Souders said. “If you do too much, then it can hurt your body.”
Mental and emotional health are also important parts of biblical wellness. The Bible has many examples of people experiencing fear, sadness and stress. Philippians 4:6-7 instructs believers to bring their woes before God through prayer and describes his peace as something that can guard both hearts and minds.
“For health support, you need to obviously trust in God and in Jesus,” junior Brady Sykes said. “They can give you the strength to go get that help and be there for you, and you have community as well.”
Spiritual health is a significant part of biblical wellness. A spiritually healthy person isn’t someone who never makes mistakes but someone who grows closer to God and develops positive qualities like forgiveness and kindness.
These qualities are learned by living in community, which is important for believes to thrive.
“Having a good, strong community of brothers and sisters in Christ will help build each other up, hold each other accountable, and when a brother is down, you can have a whole group of brothers that will pick you up,” senior Thomas Christian said.
Biblical wellness means caring for your body, protecting your mental and emotional health, developing a relationship with God and building supportive relationships with those around you. The goal isn’t to be the perfect Christian, but to remain steadfast in your faith and acknowledge how you can care for yourself and others.
Boswell is a POV reporter for The Liberty Champion.