The most popular phrase among Koreans these days is “well-being”. Every magazine is filled with articles about well-being. When I was young, Korea was so poor that the primary concern was simply survival. Now Korea has become so prosperous that mere living is not enough; well-being has become important.
Well-being is an eclectic word. But for most people it seems to mean a physically healthy life. Most articles on this issue deal with physical health.
Sometimes I wonder why people are so crazy about health. I saw an interview on TV with a bodybuilding champion, and the reporter jokingly asked him what he did with all the muscles he spent so much energy developing. He responded, “I just develop them to become a champion.” It was obvious that it was a question he had never considered. Building muscles and showing them off was the whole point. That he might be able to use his muscles for a good purpose never occurred to him.
People who are obsessed with their health remind me of this bodybuilding champion. Their goal in life seems to be staying healthy, not actually doing something with their health. The goal of people who are obsessed with their health is usually living a long life. This strong desire to live a long life also makes me ask myself, “Do they have something meaningful to do with their long life, or do they just want to live long?”
Personally, I don’t think that health is important in and of itself. The important thing is what we do with our health. Living a long life isn’t important on its own either. It becomes important only when we have unfinished business given to us by God to do while we live in this world.
When I was young I hoped to live until my fifties. I figured that by that time I would be able to finish all my business on earth. Now I’ve lived longer than I expected. The retirement age for pastors in our church is sixty-seven. I think that it is my duty to stay healthy until I retire. But after my retirement, I hope that the Lord takes me Home as soon as possible unless He has some special tasks that only I am capable of doing.
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