Are you Healthy?

Over the weekend Professor Catherine Gachutha, the Executive Director of Kenya Institute of Business and Counselling studies, KIBCO described health as the strength to live, the strength to struggle and the strength to die. As you can imagine I would have expected that she talks about exercise, good eating habits and medical insurance, but no. Her definition implies that health is what keeps you alive!

The strength to live is the will to get up each morning and face the day. The day may be a simple routine of going to the farm or to work. Health is the desire to meet with friends to deal with customers, to enjoy your food to experience the goodly things you look forward to every day. Imagine what the world would be like if we did not have the strength the will or the desire to do these things. If you gave up the desire to work, to eat, to dress up – you could be sick, but also extremely unhealthy.

The strength to struggle is the courage and determination you need to endure suffering, persevere pain in order to do good or get gain. It is the will to sacrifice joyfully for your children’s health wealth and well-being. It is the peace that comes form a hard day’s work. It is the fulfilling exertion of your person to your spiritual, emotional and bodily limits. Health is the capacity to endure loss, sickness and overcome grief. It is the strength to forgive and move on with life. Health is the ability to survive. It is to maintain hope and faith in the face of adversity. It is the capacity to ride the tide of success of achievement and loss in business like seasons of life. Health is the will to empathize, but not always sympathize. It is the capacity to explore all your options, take chances and not throw away any opportunities. Health is the will to live another day!

The strength to die is to live without fear, to live without regret, to do all you need to have done to day to the extent that if your time is called out now, there would be nothing to reach back for. Indeed, you may have had great plans for tomorrow, but you will have used up every ounce of life that was deposited in you if you died today. The strength to die is the strength to let go. To go knowing that you did all good you could with the time you had and to say like Paul - I have fought the good fight. To pass on the baton, teach and coach another in peace knowing that your part of history is done. My inspiration for you today is to live out your life in the fullness of health.