I was told by the surgeon I need to be healthy, strong and fit for surgery - so I'm trying to exercise more. Dr Kevin Kwok asked me to try and walk 30 mins EVERY morning AND evening. Having led a sedentary life for 40+ years, it's difficult to change - i manage to walk 3 times a week... *sigh* need to discipline myself more...
When we were in Melbourne, we stayed with Dr Peter Choong and his wife Kerry. Kerry is a very active woman, she does some form of exercise day - pilates, rowing, cycling, jogging. I need to take a leaf from her book. Kerry is a cancer survivor herself and she tells me she needs to do vigorous aerobic exercise otherwise her cancer markers will come up. So there's my motivation to exercise!
In chapter 5 - Maintaining Morale of A Cancer Battle Plan, the author gives a few attitudes that helped her develop "an emotional climate conducive to fighting the enemy (cancer)" and keep her spirits up:
- Taking charge
- Refusing to play victim
- Saying "No" to slavery
- Practicing thankfulness
- Finding humour
- Setting goals
"Your body is like a garden God has given you to take care of. Right now it's full of weeds (cancer). Your job until he reclaims the garden is to do your best at getting rid of the weeds and growing the good stuff. Failure is not found in giving the garden back (dying)-that's going to happen sooner or later-but in doing less than your best with it while it's yours."
I found the illustration helpful... my body is not my own, it belongs to God and my but I have a responsibility to take care of it, a stewardship. I should work to maintain a healthy body in order to do what God wants me to do.
That's not to say that those whose bodies are not "normal", "healthy" or "able" cannot serve God and God's purposes. They do in special ways and I think of Joni who became paralysed neck down in a diving accident http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vIT1RB4lPI&feature and Nick Vujicic who was born with no arms or legs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DxlJWJ_WfA&feature .
For most of us, this body enables us to physically serve our families, others and God. As long as I have this body, I have a responsibility to care for and keep it healthy.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
