Wealth

Happiness cannot be confined to the bounds of material possessions. Losing everything is often attributed to bankruptcy and financial constraints. However, one only grasps the importance of an intimate relationship with God after one's own health has been put to the sword. My own panic attacks were so crippling that material possessions became a void in my life. I felt so foolish for placing such importance in the things I owned when in fact, it was my own mental and physical health that constituted my greatest blessing.

The possibility of never being healthy again makes you reassess your own principles. It radically redefines the way you view the world. It is a very chilling wake up call and in my case, a very necessary one. Illness will hand you a very brutal ultimatum. Remedy or death. That is your choice. There is no room for petty worries about material gain. In many cases, the remedy is a tremendous battle. It constitutes the complete attention of your entire being. The battle is won in the body, mind and spirit. Losing your footing in either of these three frontiers will most certainly lead to defeat.

I want to redefine wealth. Take a bold step and reassign wealth's measure of value. Our wealth is a reflection of our investment into our bodies, our minds and our spirits.The Dalai Lama once said: We can spend a lifetime ascertaining material things at the expense of our health and upon achieving this, we lose it all in the attempt to regain our health. The blessing of a stable mind, healthy body  and an intimate relationship with God, is your wealth.   

Psalm 37:7,16  Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way... Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many wicked.

Gratitude

Gratitude beckons in the aftermath of troubled times. As individuals, we only truly realize the value in something when we lose that thing. In particular, the thing that characterizes the entire human race's ingratitude is our lack of appreciation for our own health. 

I find it  humbling when I encounter people with disabilities. Especially, those individuals whom have taken it upon their own to accept the challenge of life with a positive attitude. These people may start the race at a disadvantage but they finish stronger than the rest. It is my own concrete belief that we were all blessed from birth without fear and upon accepting Jesus into our lives we gain an extremely powerful ally. The bounty of this alliance remains fruitful throughout our lives and graciously allows us to become consciously aware of all our blessings. 

For a very long time, I felt utterly invincible. There was nothing that could go wrong. The world seemed like my kingdom. The day life side-swiped me and shook me loose from my arrogance was the day that the Lord gave me a vivid appreciation of my existence. I found new meaning in  previously "mundane" activities. My Lord Jesus gave me the gift of gratitude and in that blessing came new life. 

Psalm 118:24

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.