When your number’s up…, what?

EmPulse for Week of May 3, 2010

When your number’s up…, what?

Spring is here! Things are growing again—flowers, trees, bushes, weeds, mold spores! There, wasn’t that too much realism for you!? Me too; especially the allergy exciting stuff. But it is good to see things going green again (apologies to my few southern hemisphere readers).

It’s a good time to get outdoors again. Exercise—remember? Ouch! Hurts more this year, eh!?! But exercise alone won’t do it. Nor will simply getting on the scale and rocking it back & forth to drop it a few pounds. There’s a medical check-list that recent research suggests we all need to keep in mind. They’re our numbers—heeding them could quite literally add years to our lives. Here is a list of the optimum levels of the numbers you should be keeping track of:

Blood pressure: 115/75 Waist size: Less than half your height TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone): Less than 2.5 mIU/L LDL level: Less than 100 Fasting blood sugar: Less than 95 HDL level: Greater than 45 Vitamin D blood level: More than 50 ng/l

There are the numbers that will help us keep our BODIES fit for life. But what about our emotional side? What are we doing to manage the stress, maintain balance, give and receive love? Emotional equilibrium is just as critical as physical health for us all. To be a specimen of health and an emotional wreck most of the time is self-deprecating. Then there is the spiritual aspect of our life. What numbers should we be keeping track of for our souls?

Measuring on a 1-10 scale, what are your numbers?

Talking with God (prayer)- ____ Caring for people in need- ____ Sacrificing- ____ (when you have little) Listening to God (prayer)- ____ Feeding your soul (time alone)- ____ Serving others lavishly- ____ Learning from God (Bible)- ____ Taking risks of faith- ____ Worshiping God- ____

So, maybe you are a specimen of health—jogging, exercising daily, eating salads morning, noon, & night. Maybe your psyche is in perfect harmony with the universe and all created beings. But when your number is up…, when it comes your time to make the transition from life to beyond, will your soul be in sync with the God who made the universe and all its creatures?

What are your numbers when your number comes up?

Have a nice week.

Gary