Simple Ways to Add Years to Your Life

I saw a commercial the other day that promised to add years to your life if you would each day take the vitamins it was promoting.  I’m not sure about that, but I can suggest a few things you can do which have a proven track record in adding peace, if not actual years, to your life.  You might want to try these!

Find someone new to encourage each week.  Do you remember Barnabas from the New Testament?  He was an encourager.  His name means, “Son of Encouragement.”  Who can you find to encourage in their journey through life?  The best health insurance out there is relationships.  Find someone to encourage and lift up.

laughing_businessman.jpgLaugh a lot.  I once read that the Latin root word for humor means “fluid,” like water.  What keeps our lives fluid and flexible?  I believe it’s being able to laugh, and have a sense of humor.

Worship regularly.  A Duke University study a few years ago of people age 65 and older found that those who attended religious services at least once a week were less likely to have high blood pressure or other age-related diseases or disabilities.

Find your own biblical mantra and recite it whenever you feel the need.  My biblical mantra is Paul’s little verse from Philippians:  “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”  A good one might come from the shepherd’s psalm:  “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”  Find one that’s yours, and recite it whenever you feel the need.

These are not the only things you can do, but they’re some I came up with.  See if you can come up with some more — ones that work for you.  Pet your pets might be one.  Take a walk every day — that might be on your list.  Spend a little while in silence — in fact, you might want to recommend that one to your kids!

In the name of the One who can accomplish immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,

Bruce Jones, Pastor and Co-Creator,
Imagine Church of the Carolinas
Eric
Eric