It was 1621 when the Wampanoag and the Plymoth colonists spent 3 days together – a celebration that did not likely include Turkey or pumpkin pie, but did include lots of deer meat and other foods + the giving of thanks.  It had been a rough year for the colonists.  They were very grateful to have survived and were also grateful to the help given by the Wampanoag.

However, Thanksgiving did not become a national holiday until 1863 when Abraham Lincoln set aside the last Thurday of the month as a time of gratitude.  (Interesting side note – President Franklin Roosevelt tried to change the date and make it earlier in order to stimulate the economy with more Christmas shopping, but failed)

It is good to set aside a day to focus on our blessings, but it is a better practice to try and assimilate gratefulness into our  every-day life.  There are many health benefits!  Better sleep, lowering of blood pressure, a stronger immune system, more stable glucose levels have all been associated with a thankful heart according to studies.

So I wish you all a most Happy Thanksgiving.  But I wish you all, even more, the habit of cultivating a grateful heart!  No matter what position one finds themself in, there is always SOMETHING to be grateful for.  Perhaps in the year ahead make a list….write it down…every day add something new to the list that you are grateful for!  I did this once, and it really helped me improve my frame of mind.  When forced to write down new items to be thankful for every day, I discovered that there were  many things I took for granted.   It definitely helped to change my outlook, so I think I will plan to do it again in 2026.

‘Count your blessings, name them one by one.  Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.”

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

As a physician, my goal is always to relieve suffering and to make my patient’s lives better. In medical school I was taught to prevent and fight disease.   For years I have sought to do just that.  But in the end, I am only a doctor and everyone’s life here on earth has an expiration date.  Additionally, over the years I have developed my own aches and pains that remind me daily of my mortality.  So I would be remiss if I ONLY focused on life here on earth. 

In Ecclesiastes 3, God says that there is a time to be born and a time to die.  But it also says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put ETERNITY into man’s heart .”  Even if you do not believe the Bible, you intuitively know this.  Does not every sunrise and every sunset  leave us longing for something more?  Instinctively, we feel that somehow life goes on after we die, and we want it to.  We KNOW there is more to this life than this life.

So a higher purpose than medicine and focusing on longevity here on earth, is to focus on eternal life and what that means. It is important to have the eternal life that God talks about.  And, probably most importantly, it is important to understand that eternal life starts here on earth and not when we die.   It not only makes life here much more rewarding, but will someday make life here seem like “sandbox” play. 

So then, what is this eternal life?  And why do I say that eternal life starts here and not when one dies?  It is because of how Jesus defines it. 

Jesus says, “And THIS is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”  You can do that here and now.

The definition of eternal life is knowing the only true God.  It is knowing Jesus Christ and following Him as closely as you can.  Then when we are transported to another realm by a beautiful sunrise or sunset, we enjoy it more because we know the author of that beauty.  In the jewish culture, disciples of a Rabbi would walk with him, hopefully close enough they would be covered in the dust he kicked up with his sandals.  They would live with him and “abide” with him.  We can do that here and now with Jesus.

Once you have given your life and heart to Christ, be prepared…….everyone’s story is special and unique, just as God made each of us unique.  There may be opposition from the world in some form.  But becoming a Christian means giving EVERYTHING to God and then gaining MORE and BETTER than you ever gave up.  

After all, Jesus told us that He came that we may have life and have it more ABUNDANTLY.  

He tells us what abiding in Him leads to when he says “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that ……….MY JOY MAY BE IN YOU AND THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL.”

So I plan to keep working to keep people’s bodies healthy.  But I don’t want people just to be healthy.  I would love to see them all have a JOYFUL, ETERNAL perspective also.  The only way I know to do that is to point them to the Saviour.

TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD!  Start your eternal life NOW!!

The last blog was entitled YOU CANNOT FIX YOUR BODY IN A DAY.  We discussed that we are all too sweet, and how dietary changes can help. 

It is just as true that WE ARE ALL TOO SEDENTARY.   

I have a lot of patients that say I am active, but when they monitor their steps they are getting less than 5000 steps a day.  We all have our excuses.  As a physician, I have probably heard them all.

Doc, I don’t have time.

Doc, I am too tired 

Then there is “It is too cold outside.”  That is usually followed a few months later by “It is too hot outside.”        

Doc…my back hurts or my knee is giving me trouble.

God made the human body to MOVE! There is truth in the OLD adage, “If you don’t use it, you will lose it.” Each of our bodies is capable of so much more than we know or even dream of.

It is true that if we misuse and “junk up” our body, it will become sick and malfunction. However, even if we are very out of shape, overweight, and hurting, there is built into our systems a miraculous ability for repair. We are not like a fragile lamp that becomes useless once it is broken. Rather, God has given us an amazing ability to revamp and recondition our bodies.

Have you ever seen a piece of wood furniture that has been carefully restored? It is beautiful, right? Sure, when we look closely we can see signs of age, but a carefully restored antique can really catch the eye.

That is how we need to think about our bodies. Yes, they are creaky with a few scars but they can be refurbished. It just takes time, patience and persistence. So……

If you have a sedentary job….go purchase a standing desk

If you are mentally tired….discipline yourself to stop for 5 minutes every hour for a “quick fitness routine”

If your back hurts….buy a fitness mat and bring it to work and do some back exercises on your break

If your knee clicks (like mine does)….do “wall sits” on your breaks

MOTION TRULY IS LOTION

So…..If you are healthy, protect your health by remaining as active as you can be. If you are already having problems and cannot do much, do what you can.
Walk 50 feet today and you will be able to go a little further tomorrow.

Lift 5 pounds with your arms for a few days and your arm muscles will develop so that you can soon lift a little more.

Again, God has designed our bodies to respond to how we treat them. We deteriorate under poor care. We can improve under good care. Good care is hard work. It takes discipline but there is a reward!

I can wake up in the morning, feeling good, and say to myself, “Today I will not grumble or complain all day long.”  But, to my chagrin, I am rarely successfull!  Why, oh why, is it so difficult not to complain?

There have been many studies looking at the effect of gratitude on health and well-being.  Gratitude has been linked to better sleep, pain reduction, better immune function.  It has been shown to increase optimism, happiness, resilience, and to lower levels of depression and anxiety.  It can lead to better relationships, improved eating and increase in physical activity. Gratitude even turns on the brain’s reward system, causing release of dopamine and serotonin to help one feel better.

You would think, if gratitude can do all that,  we would all practice it!  It costs nothing.  A completely free way to feel better……and yet we prefer to complain and look at things negatively.  Again, why?  According to Paul Tripp, “complaining is the default language of fallen humanity.”  That certainly has proven true in my own life.   There can be 99 things going right but I will focus on (and complain about) the 100th thing that is not to my liking.

Years ago, I read a book that encouraged listing 5 things every day that I was thankful for.  I had been struggling with being especially negative and it had a very positive impact on me. (at least temporarily) I still struggle and complain but at least I realize more clearly the positive impact a grateful heart can bring.

Proverbs 17:22 says that “A joyful heart is good medicine!”

Free medicine!

Try, this month, to start an “I’m thankful for” list.  You can list one or two things every day but don’t repeat yourself.  It is amazing how it can cause you to become more aware of life’s blessings.   From songbirds to sunshine, there are good things that are free to all mankind.  And even in the worst moments of life, there is usually some silver lining.

Above all, remember that God is good.  As we follow Him, he promises to supply all our needs according to His riches, even in times of pain and suffering.

It is up to us to remember to say thank you……………and be grateful

TURN DOWN THAT MUSIC!  Anyone remember their parents saying that?  They had a point.

Your ears are beautifully and wonderfully made.  Your outer ear, where you hang your earring,  is designed to capture sound waves and direct them down your ear canal to the  middle and inner ear.   Ears are truly  God’s artistry on display.

Hearing is such a blessing …….most of the time!  Whether it is the sweet voice of a toddler to the majesty of a symphony to the jokes of your favorite comedian, hearing (and therefore your ears) is something you want to protect.

BUT HOW?

Here are a few simple rules to follow.

1-START EARLY!   It may be too late for some of us to do that but we can help guide our children and grands.  For instance, It is felt that even the infant sleep machines can be harmful to young ears.  They are useful, of course, but it is best to place them as far away from the baby as possible and keep then  at a low volume

2-Avoid LOUD noises.  Not just people yelling at you.   This includes loud concerts, loud sporting events, fireworks.  It is a good idea to keep a pair of ear plugs in your car or purse (if you use one) because sometimes you end up someplace noisy without planning on it….. or you just forget to bring them.

3-AVOID INGESTING PRODUCTS THAT HARM YOUR EARS.  Of course this is not always possible, since even some frequently used antibiotics can do some damage.  If you already have decreased hearing you may want to think about this.

4.  If you are listening to a podcast or music on headphones, keep the volume low enough  that you can hear someone speaking to you

5.   AVOID USING Q TIPS – they can cause perforation in your tympanic membrane if you go too far

6.  Finally, take a breaks from noise altogether.

SILENCE REALLY CAN BE GOLDEN!

IS CHRISTMAS THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR?

Why do you  love (or NOT love) the Christmas season?

As a child, I LOVED Christmas.  I loved the festivities, the presents, the family gatherings.  I did not have to do much BUT SHOW UP.

Then I grew up.  I still loved the season, but it was a lot more work and a lot more stress.

NOW?? Well, through the years I’ve accumulated a lot of scars…..self-inflicted by my own sin, or inflicted on me by others.

Now Christmas is not so much about showing up, doing everything right, getting everything done.  It is about WHO SHOWED UP FOR ME.

Jesus came for the wounded.  He BECAME the wounded Himself…for our transgressions. By His wounds we are HEALED.  (http://ISAIAH 53:5)

SO…….CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT HEALING.

As the great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said,

THINK ABOUT JESUS’ LOVE.

SEE HIS TEARFUL EYES, HIS BLOODY WOUNDS.

THIS IS LOVE THAT STREAMS OUT FOR YOU

STRONG, FAITHFUL, PURE, AND LASTING LOVE.

THIS LOVE DOESN’T CARE WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN OR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.

JUST TRUST IN HIM…….AND YOU WILL BE SAVED

The sweetest gift of Christmas is the same every day of the year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I think I have found a kindred spirit in Jonah, but I am not proud of it.  The biblical account of Jonah tells about God reaching out to save a very sinful nation.  The man he chooses to send is unwilling to go.  He hates these people, even though God cares for them.

Jonah was called by God to preach to the people of Ninevah.  Ninevah was the capital of Assyria and  Assyrians were known for their vindictiveness and cruelty.  They were the inventors of crucifixtion (Rome adopted the practice later).  They were enemies of the Jews and thereby Jonah.   Jonah did NOT want to preach to them or warn them of danger, so he did not obey God.

It was not that he was afraid of the Ninevites.  It was because he knew God to be gracious and forgiving and if the Ninevites repented, he feared God would forgive them.  He did NOT want that!  So he ran in the opposite direction, on a ship, was famously thrown overboard and was swallowed by a BIG FISH.  God can get your attention!.  He finally relented in the belly of the fish, was upchucked onto dry land, and reluctantly went to Ninevah.

Sure enough!  They repented…..and Jonah was MAD!

I definitely see myself in Jonah.  I have found a lack of forgiveness and even animosity in my own heart toward other Christians  who, in my opinion, act ungodly…especially if it is directed at me.  And God has been speaking to me about this.  Lately, he has used the story of Jonah.  I realize my problem in forgiving them is that I think they are getting off too easy.  They belong to God and God will forgive them …. and it just seems unfair!

But it is terrible for me to be glad I don’t have to pay for my sins, and yet want someone else to have to pay for theirs! I owe my life to  Jesus Christ who paid my debt with His own blood on the cross.  I will be eternally grateful that He found a way to pay the price for me.  Why am I not just as grateful that my fellow Christians are also not under condemnation for their mistakes? Why do I want them to have to pay….or at least say I’m sorry??   I think it is because I tend to think that my debt was small and theirs is larger.    I think I think wrongly!

God  is teaching me that my debt is not small, it is HUGE!  But Christ paid it anyway.   Instead of being grateful for  what He has done for me, and wanting others to experience the same wonderful forgiveness, I am using a different standard to judge others.  Hypocritical me.

After the Ninevites repented and Jonah realized they were not going to be destroyed, he chose to go out east of the city and pout!

It might not be comfortable to realize the depth of sin in my own heart, but it is needed.  It puts God’s gracious sacrifice on my behalf in a clearer light.   It makes it much harder to turn around and say He should not do that for someone else.   I need to be glad he does that for His children.  So the uncomfortable, in the end, brings comfort.

God is not mocked…..but He does go after sinners…..to redeem them.  I need to let God handle others, as He has handled me.  He came to save ANY sinner who will have Him as Lord.   So I aim to give up my desire to be Lord over someone else….trying to leave all my personal Ninevites in His hands.