Neighbor Groups: Restore Well-BeingPrzykład

Does God Care? If you were to open your favorite social media app right now, it probably wouldn’t take long to find a post related to self-care, gratitude, or some other wellness-related topic. Despite the hype, how often are we truly caring about our well-being? We’ve probably all recognized that there’s more to it than taking a bath, diffusing some oils, or taking some “me” time. Many of us avoid efforts to improve our well-being all together because it feels shallow, selfish, or wrong. We may even wonder: Does God even care about my well-being, or just my spiritual health? Let’s look back to our beginning. The first chapter of Genesis tells an amazing story of a simpler time. It was just mankind, God, and nature, living in perfect harmony and relationship with one another. Nothing was broken. That’s how God intended for us to live—in the complete fullness of His love. But then sin and shame entered the world, and that fullness was fractured. Throughout Scripture, we see examples of people dealing with physical, mental, and spiritual sickness, and we continue to see evidence of that kind of brokenness all around us today. People we know and love experience loneliness, trauma, depression, anxiety, or various diseases. We’ve even experienced many of those things firsthand. It’s easy to wonder: Does God care? That’s a fair question to ask. Let’s look at His character to find out. We see examples of God’s love to people throughout the Bible as He comes to their aid in seemingly small ways (like when He turns water into wine at a wedding) and in large ways (like when He split the Red Sea so that Moses and the Israelites could escape Pharaoh). God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, so we know that He still works miracles, He still heals, He still provides for us, and He still cares. And He cares for all our needs—not just our spiritual ones. Before instructing Moses and the Israelites to build the tabernacle—to meet their spiritual needs—He took care of their physical and mental wellness. When the people grumbled about having better food in Egypt, God provided bread from heaven. God also worked to free them of their mental captivity to Egypt by declaring His truths over them and promising them His peace. The God who was with the Israelites in the wilderness is the same God residing in us today. And one of the best ways we can experience His love is through our relationships. In fact, that’s how God designed it. He created us to live in relationship with Him and with one another, meeting one another’s needs along the way. So, does God care about our whole well-being? Yes. But perhaps the better question is—do we? Do we care about the well-being of our neighbors? When we take action to invest in the well-being of others, we’re not only extending God’s love—we’re experiencing it. Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for caring about wellness of every kind in my life, not just one area. Give me discipline to take care of my well-being today, and show me ways to intentionally invest in the well-being of my neighbors. In Jesus’ name, amen. Challenge: Think about a time someone cared for your well-being. Reflect on how it made you feel. Then spend some time asking God how you could care for someone else in a similar way.