Use It or Lose It
My mother, when she was 94 (now graduated to heaven), would tell her doctor: “There are mornings when I just don’t want to get out of bed because everything hurts too much!” And her doctor’s response was: “When you stop forcing yourself to get out of bed, is when you’ll be bedridden. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it!”
Remembering those doctor’s words, the more I realize how precious life is and how much I want to live out Jesus’ words from John 10:10 “I came to give you life and life more abundantly!” God does His part and I best be doing my part! I want to live like that, though the older I get, the more I recognize the aging process going on in this prime-time body. God helps me by giving me wisdom on how to take care of the one who is my constant companion in this life – ME! That wisdom led me to a great, Christian chiropractor who relieved years of sciatic pain via a medieval-looking decompression table. Literally, no-mo pain! And, to top it off, this sweet, young 45-year old doctor says after, “I love ya’, Donna!” This place is good for the heart, soul AND back!
I am fully aware of “using it so I don’t lose it”! I go to the fitness center at 5 am almost every day to keep these body parts movin’ and groovin’! I know what not to eat because of the after-effects that come from “that” food choice. I know how to sleep so that I don’t wake with a crick in my neck. I know what shoes to wear to prevent foot issues. I know that I not only need to floss my teeth, but I need to use a water pik as well. I know that I need to moisturize this face and body to keep it smooth and hydrated. I know I need to take food supplements to keep me healthy. I know I need to stay out of the sun unless I’ve applied heavy sunscreen! I know I need to drink lots of water! I’m challenging my mind by taking a Spanish class and practice by using the Duolingo app. I enjoy playing a great mind-challenging game of Mah Jongg. I know all these intentional practices are keeping me and my mind active and alive. Whew!
I know I need to keep using my mind. I know how easy it is to watch mindless TV and use my computer for answers to questions, and calculator for counting. Long past are the days when we had to do arithmetic and math in our heads without devices that did the math for us. And long past are the days when we had to look up info by thumbing through an Encyclopedia. And, with the advent of technology, we don’t have to use a road map to find our way – we have a GPS system that guides us directly to our destination. The former roles of our minds have been replaced by technology.
Why am I saying all this? Maybe it’s because of my recent birthday and the continual reminder to keep active and doing things that matter – especially taking the time to show others that they matter. It’s easy to text a message or make a phone call to a friend to catch up, but “stuff” gets in the way and we never make that call. It’s easy to send a quick text message with emoticons instead of saying the words “I love you.” It’s easy to send an email when someone really needs to know that we thought about them enough to send a handwritten letter or card.
Maybe it’s time we use our brains for reading more, researching more, writing more and good old arithmetic more AND even using our brains for stretching our faith to believe more. “Whatever a man thinks in his heart – so is he” Proverbs 23:7. My almost 99 years old mother-in-law (still on purpose and not giving up) and I both know our limitations these days but we both do what we can because we know “Use it so we don’t lose it!”