The Art of Anti-Aging

Drs. Tom and Laura Gross
Mills River Family Chiropractic / ABC Learning Lab

Staying young and aging gracefully have long been a desire and pursuit of humankind.A legendary Fountain of Youth was written of in medieval times, searched after diligently by Alexander the Great and may have led Ponce de Leon, in part, to discover Florida.

An artist has a sensitivity about something and can bring out beauty and perspective commonly overlooked but that are right before us.Someone who can inspire us to appreciate with a simplicity that makes the recognition seem easy.

The pool at Bethesda, mentioned in John 5:2, had a well established reputation for healing and it was said that an angel of the Lord would come down and stir the water, after which the first person to step into the water would be healed. It is worth noticing here that the person had to get themselves quickly into the water by their own effort once the “waters” were stirred.In the following verses it is also by no coincidence that Jesus asked the crippled man “do you want to get well?” and then stated “Get up, pick up your mat and walk”. Later He said to the man "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you."

This restoration of health required doing some things to receive and continuing to do something to maintain.He had to honestly want to get well. He had to stand up out of his old situation and do something he had been unwilling to do.To maintain his health he had to stop something that may have brought his condition upon him.It is imperative that we understand exactly what The Christ is telling us here.The man was stuck in sin and unbelief and let self pity blind him from what he needed to do.

We are not experiencing supernatural health and wellness because we are stuck in a place that we defend with a bunch of lousy excuses and refuse to get up and change.It is interesting that Jesus told the man to get up, pick up his mat and walk.This sounds like an admonition to stop being lazy both physically and spiritually.We need to stop lying in the bed of excuses we have made and refuse to return there.We need to stand up and move from the place of self-pity and unbelief to a new place characterized by motivation, faith and an unshakable commitment to STOP SINNING.We need to exercise our faith and our bodies.This man was a paralytic!Jesus was not being rude or unjust.He confronted the obstacles and offered blunt motivation.He stirred the water!It was as if he were saying, reach down inside yourself and grab hold of the faith and motivation that I put in you to overcome your situation and do it NOW.

The scripture tells us how to remain healthy and youthful through obedience, wisdom, honor and love for the Lord and compassion for life.In Eph 6:1-3 we are told as children to obey our parents so that we may have a long and happy life.Prov 28:16 Shows us an unwavering commitment to honesty and fairness by saying, “He who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life”. Prov 3:13-18 Reveals the blessings and value of wisdom and understanding explaining that this will provide riches, honor and a happy, peaceful and long life. In Ps 91:14-16 we find that our love for the Lord will establish his protection, relationship, honor and a long and happy life followed by eternal salvation. In Deut 22:6-7 the Lord teaches us the importance of compassion when He said, “If you come across a bird's nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life”. 1 Kings 3:14-15 says “if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." Deut 6:1-2 Teaches the way to establish long happy lives throughout your generations as follows: “These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life”.

The art of anti-aging is the daily expression of an enduring commitment exercised through joyous motivation to exemplify the wisdom of the Lord in all that we do, without hesitation.