WellBeing Plan

She tumbles out of bed and staggers for a light switch. A bedraggled creature squints at her from the bathroom. She recoils and gasps. When the fuzzy head mimics her retreat, she recognizes her reflection. She hopes the shower will renew her motivation to start the day, but there isn’t enough water in the city to freshen her attitude.

She chugs a triple venti on the way to work. After all, venti means ‘let’s go,’ right? Her heartbeat speeds up, and traffic grates on every raw brain nerve now pulsing with caffeine.

Coworkers and supervisors push and pull at her limbs for five hours. Invisible vines slither around her waist, tethering her to the desk chair through lunch. The afternoon hours tick along like an overplayed single on the oldies’ station.

At last the hour of freedom rings. She springs from the desk stocks and races to her car, only to sit imprisoned in traffic for the following hour. Despite its consistent failure to accelerate her commute, she commences the daily routine of arguing with drivers who cannot hear her.

Errands carve detours into the evening drive–take the kids here, pick up something for so-and-so, they said the charity meeting would only last an hour. . .

Chocolate bars and salty snacks glue slipping palms to the steering wheel. Soda bubbles perk open bloated eyelids. She trudges home and dumps herself into a puddle on the couch. Bagful of fast food in hand, she clicks on the ten-o’clock news. Thirty minutes of journalistic slant on the horrors of mankind settles into her thoughts with a thousand calories of fat and sodium. She nods off twice before turning the set off and dragging herself toward another restless night.

Do you know this woman? She doesn’t have time for wellness. She’s too tired to think about her unhealthy cycle. The creature in the mirror looks worse each week, and she thinks it must be time for a vacation. 

No one plans to live in these ruts. We all wish for happiness, energy, and fulfillment. Sometimes we resolve to make drastic shifts that we can’t maintain, and their failure returns us to the original routine. A wish without an effective plan becomes a regret.

If we can’t make effective plans, does that mean we’re stuck? Only if we aspire to optimize life on our own strength. Instead of resorting to a humanistic wellness plan, we need divine guidance. One Being embodies true wellness. God can inhabit each part of our day and infinitely enhance life’s joy, revitalization, and meaning.

She opens her eyes with praises to the God Who Sees her. She stretches and honors the Maker of her limbs. A smile greets her from the mirror. Silent prayers weave through her workday’s demands, and she takes a lunch hour walk with her Savior at least three times a week. The rush hour drivers don’t hear her praying for them, nor do they hear the joyful music and devotional audio books in her car stereo. Sometimes their gazes lock, and her grins prove contagious. The home-bound detours require less chocolate and soda. Bottled water reminds her of the wellspring of her soul and bagged fruit of the Spirit’s productive role in her life. She enjoys a salad while watching an inspiring film or reading scripture each night. Before it gets too late, she speaks the Words of her Soul’s Lover over her life and climbs into a restful night’s sleep.