Accentuate The Positive

FRI., AUG. 27, 1999, 6:30 AM
FARM, STUDY

The life you have led… and are leading… is quite a positive one, in many ways. You became a teacher, a coach, and then a professor, and your approach was one of helping to make something good even better. Your “mission” was not to the handicapped or the “problem young people;” you appreciated those whose mission was to these “unfortunates,” but you did not see it as yours. You chose… and were led to… health as your field, rather than medicine, and as you matured as a health educator you put the accent more and more upon the positive – on health rather than on ill-health.

The environment was one of your good courses, and though this had to include some of the “negatives” – smog, overuse of water, land degradation… – you did emphasize that this earth environment is one in which life is possible, even probable – many forms of life interacting ecologically, with life essential to life.

Related to this was your course in Death Education, with as positive approach as possible… that death was an essential part of ecological balancing, in order that life might continue. You taught about death, as an important part of life, in as positive a way as you could. You perspective on life “shone ( 6:59 / 7:03 ) through,” so that, for many of your students, a course on death became more of a course on life.

As you read papers that students wrote, in any of your classes, you tended to be aware of, and appreciate the good characteristics of both the content and the “form,” rather than focusing on the shortcomings, of the writer and of the content.

You have considered yourself to be a positively healthy person, a kind of “role model” for health. You remember the many games of volleyball beneath the trees here on your Farm. You were pleased that you were an above-average athlete, a Sugarman Award winner, twice, and also an above-average student/learner, one named Scholar of the year by one of your professional organizations. Your successes were not spectacular, but were sufficient. You had a fine career in just the right field for you, and you helped to lead it in a positive direction.

You realize that this Christian religion, of which you are a part, does have quite a negative side to it. It can include, and even focus on, sin and sins, with the affirmation you joined in, in earlier years… “and there is no health in us.” There is a humbling side to My favorite religion, but there is also an affirmation of being saved from sin, living life with “your hand in Mine.” You have accepted My invitation, My Call, to live in close communion with Me, Holy Spirit. (And yes, I did help you remember your responsibilities for the service on Sunday!) And I am encouraging you to finish up this life in as positive a way as possible.

Your culture tends to celebrate long life and to decry dying “young.” In a way, this is a denial of the wisdom of My life and death, as Jesus… of “giving up something good for something better.” You are now past the Psalmist’s 3 score and 10. You still have health, but with less of the vigor and strengths of your younger years.

Your challenge now is to let your strong spirit dominate, rather than giving too much attention to physical and mental losses. To remain “healthy” you must have a somewhat different rhythm to your life, now and on into the future. I shall help you make the adjustments that are necessary and desirable, some of which will be easy and some difficult.