American author and speaker John Maxwell once shared in one of his conferences how he ended up in the hospital after a heart attack. He explained that years before his hospitalization, he had been working long hours, neglecting his diet, and not engaging in physical exercise or sports. In other words, he wasn’t taking care of his health.

When he found himself in the hospital and the doctor told him he was very fortunate to be alive, he resolved to take his health seriously from that moment on. In other words, he decided to behave responsibly regarding his health. John Maxwell’s behavior before his hospitalization mirrors that of many people. Everyone knows the importance of taking care of their health, but very few people actually take responsibility for it.

Most people are unaware that they are solely responsible for their health. They don’t realize that they have the power to take care of their health and that they will be held accountable for their state of health. We will all be held accountable for our health because our bodies do not belong to us. The Holy Scriptures clearly reveal that our bodies do not belong to us.

“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” 1 Corinthians 6:19

“If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.” 1 Corinthians 3:17

No Excuses When It Comes to Health

One day, I happened to read a book by author and speaker Jim Rohn titled The Strategies of Prosperity. In his book, the author explained that many people aspire to things they know little about. He says, for example, that many of us want happiness even though we know very little about what happiness actually is. This also applies to money, good relationships, success, health, and so on.

I remember pausing and asking myself what I really knew about good health. I realized that I didn’t know much about how my body functions. I didn’t even know how food transforms into nutrients in my body and what all of that was for. From that moment, I decided to buy books that would help me understand how the human body works and how to maintain good health.

I allocated a monthly budget to buying books and began studying the human body and preventive health. I then started practicing the extraordinary things I discovered in these books. For example, I developed the habit of running every morning and drinking only water as my beverage. I also managed to eliminate meat from my diet, focusing on plant-based proteins instead.

Today, I have no difficulty going for a run in the middle of winter because I know the consequences that lack of physical activity can have on my health. I also know that winter has no power to stop me when I take care to dress warmly, including wearing a hat and gloves for my run.

None of us should seek excuses when it comes to our health. We all have the ability to access knowledge related to health. Once we have learned, nothing can stop us from practicing to ensure good health. Let us never forget that we will be held accountable to our Creator for how we have treated our bodies…

This text is an excerpt from the book THE LAW OF RESPONSIBILITY written by Dominique MBOG.

We invite you to read the next article, THE LAW OF RESPONSIBILITY AND FINANCES.