Some “Food 4 More” Thought

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to nutrition and exercise lately as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen my body and improve the capabilities of my mind.

What I’ve learned is that the mind diminishes in its overall functionality as we age and loses its ability to recall information; suffering also through a decline in its propensity for repetitive tasks.

But must we succumb to the ravages of age and the idleness associated with an increasingly sedentary culture without any line of defense? May it never be.

For those of us over 50 years of age and even for those younger, there is help that can make the process at least tolerable, and as you might imagine has a biblical component. Of course you knew I would say that.

For starters, go green, give your dinner plate a re-mix by adding some salad based offerings, rich in spinach, kale, and broccoli, and do a “drive by” to the next Taco Bell you see.

Next, get out there and walk; forget the magical 10,000 steps and do some real walking; maybe while meeting a colleague, or just maybe a long walk with your spouse. It’s likely he/ she will never forget it. For me the bicycle is my ticket to deeper thinking, worship, and unrestricted prayer time. It’s amazing to me the worlds that open up before you and around you when you are part of the journey.

And finally, engage and exercise your mind. Whatever you’re reading now, double it. If you’re reading one book a week, read two– if two, read 4. Reading material that makes you think opens your mind to the creative process and demands that we participate in the world of ideas. We all struggle with aspects of the English language, but why not tackle a language new to you? Anyone considered the likes of Mandarin Chinese, French, or Hebrew, which is, by the way, my chosen course for the improvement of my mind and my ministry. Just think of it; the identification, formation, and pronunciation of new letters, words and sentences awakens long distracted receptors that excite brain activity, and it might be a great precursor to that long anticipated vacation to a far away place.

And finally, consider memorizing Scripture. I’m discouraged when I sit with smaller children whose young brains are like sponges, ready and able to be engorged with language and biblical ideas, being allowed to atrophy on a lazy and imbalanced diet of visual overstimulization. And they are not alone, for we who are older have bought into the argument that middle-agers and up can’t memorize. After all, it’s just easier to sit down and rent a good (or bad) movie which offers only passive entertainment and lacks any active motivation for the pursuit of godliness. ( 2 Peter 1:4-6)

So then, how’s this for a plan? The next time you have opportunity, why not take a trip through the Songs of Ascent, those 15 psalms beginning with the 120th, that were likely memorized and sung by the Old Testament pilgrims of old in route to one of of the three major feasts celebrated in Israel: Passover, Pentecost, or the Day of Atonement.

I would like to think we haven’t given up on our minds; after all we will need them if only to know for sure if that young “whipper-snapper” has cheated out of our free coffee at McDonalds. But in the end, we must remember that it was God who gave us our minds, distinguished us from the creatures who cannot “think”, and told us in no uncertain terms, that “this book of the Law shall be on our lips, meditating upon it day and night…” ( Joshua 1:8) His words here, not mine, but what catches my attention is the part about a prosperous way and success, which he says, can be mine. And who in this culture, doesn’t want that?

MJC