I noticed a sign above a hand sanitizer the other day.
It said “Our health is in your hands. Clean them well.”
Now, it's likely most people won't think twice about the sign.
Not me.
It hit a nerve. It sends a message, intended or not, that I don’t like.
It’s not that I disagree with proper hygiene. I do believe in and support efforts of cleanliness. It’s considerate to stay home when I’m sick. It’s kind to wash my hands after visiting the restroom. It’s thoughtful to cover my mouth when I cough. The list can go.
However, the part that really bothered me was the message that my health is in your hands. I don’t believe that. My health is NOT your responsibility. I will NOT blame you when I get sick and in return you should NOT blame me when you get sick. And, here’s the thing. It’s not an “IF” but more of a ``WHEN.” Generally speaking, we all come down with mild or severe ailments from time to time and in order to prepare for these times, we each have our OWN RESPONSIBILITY to be a good steward of the God -given immune system that works for us in such a time as this. It’s ON ME to take care of that built-in defense team to prepare it for encountering unwanted pathogens and hardships. Not you. It does no good to play the blame game. What I “heard” and understood from the sign was this: “If I don’t use this hand sanitizer, then you might get sick and it’s all my fault.”
Before you argue with me and accuse me of not caring, let me assure you. I do care. I care about your health. I truly hope you live a long and healthy life. I want you to feel great. That is, afterall, one of my passions. Helping people find tools and lifestyle changes that support optimal health.
What I AM saying is, that I disagree with the belief that YOU are responsible for MY health. At the end of the day, it’s on me. The choices I make daily. How I take care of my body. The foods I eat. The products I put on my body. The things I breathe in. How much sleep I get. It all matters and either supports all of my body systems in doing their job well or hinders them.
When God put humans, and all creatures for that matter, on this earth, he didn’t leave them defenseless. He made provisions. He planned for survival. He planned for the common cold and such. I think we’ve lost sight of the fact that we were made to live in a world with germs and bacteria. Some good, some bad. The more we get exposed to, the stronger the army within us becomes.
With that being said, we do also need to acknowledge that we live in a fallen world and until Jesus comes back, there will always be death and disease. In the meantime, one of the best things we can do is take responsibility for our own health. To realize that we can’t eat inflammatory, highly processed foods all the time, breathe in toxic candles and plugins (which can have the same impact as smoking cigarettes) and use toxic cleaning and body care products without consequence. We can't avoid exercise, sacrifice sleep and live a stressful lifestyle and then turn around and blame someone else when we get sick. It just doesn’t work that way.
What works is making choices that support optimal health, so that when we do encounter the "icky stuff," our bodies are ready to fight back strong!
So, what do ya say? Ready to stop the blame and shame and focus on you? Your body. Your choices? I sure am!
Are you stressed around the clock? Constantly getting sick? Have tummy issues galore? Sluggish on the regular? All these could be strong indicators of an immune system in trouble. But how do you support the very thing that’s supposed to protect you?
I’ve got 5 simple things you can start implementing TODAY to help strengthen your immune system!
Click Here to start learning.
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