Module 4

Wow, this is our last module of readings! It's crazy how time flies. I appreciated that the authors decided to include a chapter on relational wellness in a book geared mostly towards physical wellness. I thought that the charts about what both males and females looked for in a spouse both at a secular university and at a Christian university was quite interesting. Some thing, like religious orientation, were on opposite ends of the scale, while others, like good heredity and good housekeeper, were on the same end of the scale (bottom). Through reading the chapter and others' discussion posts, I noticed that there was a theme on taking care of yourself and finding out who you are in order to have better relationships. I completely agree with this. If we are not filled with Christ, then in our relationships, we will be looking to be filled from the other person. But if we are overflowing with love from our heavenly Father, then we can share that love with those around us. Steve Arterburn, founder of New Life Ministries, says "Respect is crucial to relational health. But you can't respect others unless you respect yourself. You can admire someone if you don't respect yourself. You can envy them. You can crave their attention. But you can never truly respect them." Arterburn goes on to say that how much you respect yourself is reflective of how much you are able to respect another. 

Forgiveness was another topic touched on in the chapter, and definitely a very important one for relationships. As the book said, it is not seen as much in our society these days, yet it so important. I think another very important thing associated with this is asking for forgiveness and admitting that you were wrong, that it was your fault or that you should've done things differently. I know I particularly struggle with this; asking for forgiveness and admitting that we were wrong is not an easy thing to do and is definitely not intrinsic of our nature. I know this is something I need to work on in all of my relationships and I know that, while difficult, it will produce deeper relationships. 


Works Cited:
Arterburn, S. (2014, November 24). 6 Marks of a Healthy Relationship. Retrieved February 25, 2017, from http://www.crosswalk.com/family/marriage/relationships/6-marks-of-a-healthy-relationship.html

Module 3

There was a lot of information covered in this module, but I especially appreciated the one on sleep.  A doctor from Stanford University said, "However healthy we think we are, students and non-students alike, we must realize that we cannot be healthy unless our sleep is healthy!" I completely agree with this statement. While physical health as we often think of it is extremely important, both our mental and physical health are greatly impacted by the amount of sleep we get. This is really hard in college. I think one could say that just about everyone is sleep-deprived at least to some degree while in college. I know I certainly am even now as I write this. I think one thing that could be done to help this is to educate students on the dangers of chronic sleep deprivation. A lot of times I think we see it as something that’s maybe not the best thing for us, yet fail to see the gravity of this continuous pattern.

Another thing I’ve started doing is going for a run in the morning a couple of times each week. I find that this helps me clear my head and prepare before the day while also providing a good form of exercise for me. Because it is done in solitude, this positively impacts my spiritual, mental, and physical health. One thing I’ve been able to apply from the readings here is that it is actually better to stretch after a workout than before because the muscles are warm then and there is less of a risk of injury. So I don’t stretch before, but rather, after. When I did XC in high school, we always stretched before and didn’t  do much afterwards, so it was interesting to read this.

Overall, I learned things about the gravity of sleep deprivation and about when to stretch so as to avoid injury. I especially appreciated these chapters, as I was able to apply them directly.

Works Cited:
Dement, William. "Sleepless at Stanford." Stanford.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017. <https://web.stanford.edu/~dement/sleepless.html>.

Module 2

The chapter on stress especially was quite applicable to me. I am a perfectionist and like to have things under my control. I like to plan. (my Dordt planner is full of assignment, events, and work schedules, all color-coded). And I also like to know just what's going to happen in the future and try to plan for that too. But I know that this is not how God intended for it to be. I continually need to remind myself that God is in control and that really that is what's best anyway. I think that I have the best plan for my life, but really only God does. When I look back on the past several years of my life, it is most definitely not how I would have planned it, but without everything that happened, I would not be who I am today. In fact, if everything would have gone as I had planned, I would probably be quite a shallow person today. I know that God is working everything together for His glory and that is a comfort, but sometimes in the middle of a situation, that's hard to remember. The book talks about this a bit when it mentions spiritual health as being one of the main sources if happiness. I completely agree. There's absolutely no way that I could get through life without leaning on Christ. John Piper talks about using the Bible to combat stress, noting that speaking to truth to oneself from the Bible is a good way to do that. He says, "Some will say, 'Well, that doesn't work for me. When I hear truth, it doesn't have an emotional effect on me. It doesn't take away my anxiety.' It works where the truths are believed and trusted -- where there is faith." (2015) I appreciated this quite a bit. Another thing I do when I'm stressed is just saturate myself with hymns. I'll listen to them while I'm doing homework and it helps to put things into perspective. One thing I love about hymns is that they usually portray the gospel from start to finish; it starts with us humans being in need of a Savior, then Christ comes and dies to save us, and then often the last verse looks toward His second coming when we will be forever in His presence. 

Works Cited:
Piper, John. (2015, May 5). Read the Bible to Your Anxiety [Web blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/read-the-bible-to-your-anxiety

Module 1

There were two particular concepts that I found interesting in the readings and then the discussions afterwards. Those are the idea of the mission statement and of the idea that eternity starts now. Both of these ideas were especially interesting to me because I hadn't thought about either of them much before and because, through the discussions there came to be some disagreement over them, which I found quite fascinating. 

Mission Statement:
When I first read about the idea of creating a mission statement as something to live by in one's everyday life, it seemed like a good idea, though something of a process. Then someone graciously brought up the idea that, though a mission statement itself was not a bad idea, if it was taken out of context it was a quite reductionistic way of thinking. And I agree completely. Mission statements are great for helping you think about your life's purpose a little more concisely, but when that becomes the thing you're consumed with, it soon can replace the Bible as the primary source of purpose and encouragement, even if the mission statement is written from a Christian perspective. 

Eternity:
I appreciated the book's emphasis on the fact that eternity has already started and that this is one reason to take care of our bodies now. I also thought it was interesting that they pointed out that a lot of the miracles that Jesus did were healing miracles, that is healing of their physical bodies. But another thing I was thinking is that, both now and back when Jesus performed these miracles, the reason to keep our bodies in good shape is to better be able to serve Him. Because He created us in His image, He created our bodies to be temples, and thus intended for us to take care of them. But back to the topic of eternity. As someone else kindly pointed out, we must not fail to look towards the coming of Christ with  anticipation just because eternity has already started. I completely agree here as well. Noting the fact that eternity has already started should not diminish the His second coming in the least. Gloria Furman (2012), from DesiringGod.org writes this in response to eternity, "We tend to forget about tomorrow and eternity when our day is filled with the tyranny of the urgent." This is a good reminder to keep eternity in perspective as we go about our day. 

As can be seen from the views presented about the mission statement and eternity, I am quite excited to learn the content of this course through the discussion boards and readings together.

Works Cited:
Furman, Gloria. (2012). How Eternity Shapes Our Mundane. Retrieved from http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-eternity-shapes-our-mundane