Have you ever been to a circus and seen one of the performers balance several spinning plates on sticks that were held by that performer’s hands and mouth? Have you ever watched a juggler at work juggling five or more objects? Both tricks can be sustained for a few minutes. But we’d all decide rather quickly, wouldn’t we… “that’s no way to live 24-and-7!” Even so, that’s the way many of us are living in today’s world.

We are juggling too many balls. We are trying our best to keep too many plates spinning.

In our personal lives, we tend to take on various roles and shift from one to the next almost hourly at times—we function as spouse, parent, worker, friend, chauffeur, errand-runner, Christian worker, and so forth and so on. We divide our lives into what is mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. We worship God on Sundays and pursue secular success Monday through Saturday. We work hard during certain hours, so we can play hard during other hours.

Our lives end up being fragmented and disoriented.

In many cases, fragmentation and disorientation leads to frustration, stress, discouragement, and a loss of identity. And too often, our fragmentation and frayed identity contributes over time to very poor health. Disease can also be stated as “dis-ease.” Something about our being is out of harmony and out of sync.

God’s way is one hundred percent opposite of man’s way. God sees ALL of a person. He doesn’t fragment us, divide us, or compartmentalize us. He sees a person as a whole human being. God sees every area of your life as functioning together—He sees us an expression of His creativity that is totally unique, totally balanced, completely interrelated and unified, and fully functioning.

God calls us as human beings to pursue wholeness and to see ourselves as He sees us.

There are three things I have learned through the years that are very important for me to share with you:

First, you are responsible for setting priorities and establishing the habits of your own life. What you believe to be important will determine how you spend your time and energy. What you believe about your value to God and your value to other people will determine your habits.

Second, God has an overall set of principles that produce the best possible health for each person. The consequences associated with these principles are very similar to the consequences associated with the commandments in God’s Word. If a person keeps these commandments, that person experiences greater health. If a person disobeys these commandments, poorer health is likely the result.

Third, God does not separate the spiritual you and the physical you. Your inner and outer being are like the two sides of the same coin. They are ways of expressing the same YOU.

There was a time in my life when I allowed myself to become so over-booked and over-extended in ministry events and activities that I became physically exhausted, and in the process, became deathly ill. I developed such severe lung problems at one point that my lungs would drastically drop in their ability to function. Through a very strong combination of faith-filled prayer, rest, and medical help, I regained the health of my lungs. In the process, I made a decision:

The busier my schedule and the greater the challenges God places before me, the more I must pay attention to my physical health and pursue both spiritual and physical wholeness.

Doesn’t that ring true for you in your life? The more you have to do, the more disciplined you need to be in leading a balanced life filled with all of the good things that contribute to energy, strength, stamina, and health. Life is a gift. If you continually violate the principles of God for sustaining that gift of life, you will ultimately compromise your health and well-being.

I lead one of the busiest travel and work schedules of any person I know. I also take the time necessary to stay healthy so I can keep that schedule. I work out regularly. I eat the right things to fuel my body. I try to get sufficient sleep. I take time to rest and play. I spend long hours in prayer, in study of God’s Word, and in reflection about how to apply God’s Word to practical living. I am in active, ardent pursuit of wholeness.

I’ve learned that taking care of my physical body does not mean that I take less care of my spiritual being. It does not mean that I neglect basic obligations and responsibilities I have to other people. It does mean that I have had to make some decisions about my schedule and I have had to cut out some activities and make certain choices so that I can pursue good health habits consistently.

The end result, however, is worth any sacrifice of temporary and superficial activities. The end result is a greater vibrancy of living, a higher quality of life, and greater joy. The end result is health, energy, and strength.

Each of us faces a choice. The truth is, God wants you to be whole. Do you want for yourself what God wants for you?