Is there a spiritual side to healthcare?

 

(Me when I was extremely overweight) 

While transferring nearly a decade of our sermon videos from Facebook to our church’s YouTube page https://www.youtube.com/@NewSongChurchKingsport, I cringed.  Peeking at snippets of those sermons as they uploaded revealed how plump, pudgy, and out of shape I was -- well, round is “a” shape so I guess I was in “a” shape, just not in great shape.  

Thanks to some lifestyle changes and the care of Dr. Rogers with Performance Medicine, over the past two years I’ve dropped inches off of my waistline and I’ve lost around 60 pounds (all without diet pills).  I’m at my lowest weight since the 1990s, my overall well-being has improved immensely, I can actually breathe while putting my shoes on (without seeing stars too), I no longer feel bloated, my fatigue and brain-fog are gone, and my emotional/mental-health & quality of life is much better than it has been in decades.  

I share my personal transformation to say, what is in our control is more important than what we can’t control and that taking ownership of our health through proper habits like eating and sleeping better is healthier than trying to cure situations that could be circumvented.  Yes genetics play a role in our health, and unfortunate accidents can happen to us, but the majority of our health issues will not be alleviated by the old medical approach of just “treat a condition” that could’ve been prevented.  

Which makes more sense to you, wait to go to the doctor to get treated for scurvy or take a supplement with vitamin C, or, take insulin for type 2 diabetes or regulate your diet?  As Peter Attis writes in “Outlive,” performance medicine is not passive or reactive, comparing it to the example of Noah who built the Ark, before the rain; he continued his contrast between how he learned to practice medicine in Med school to Performance Medicine, pointing out how insurance companies ignore the value of proactive measures like exercise and healthy lifestyle choices that prevent diabetes, but they pay for insulin while implementing the old “Wait and see” approach to healthcare. 

Yes there are great doctors out there, yet, do you ever feel more like a customer than a patient, are you frustrated with languishing in the waiting room for half of the day only to be rushed through your physician's visit that lasts maybe 5 to 7 minutes leaving you feeling like a widget on a conveyor belt?  I don’t blame our doctors or nurses, I think it is the folks that manage them who have decided that speed is more expedient than bedside manners because more time spent on a patient reduces their profit margins.

More importantly, does our physical health have an impact on a deeper spiritual reality, and if so how, and is there a spiritual element to our healthcare decisions?  Consider what the devil had to say concerning how much value we place on our health as God confronted him about Job, “Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.  But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” (Job 2:4-5)  

What we spend on healthcare & insurance is a stewardship issue, regardless of whether we recognize it or not.  Marketing agencies will prey on our fears, healthcare conglomerates are driven by their bottom line, and lazy people will suffer the consequences of inactivity and poor lifestyle choices.  If you too are frustrated with the higher costs and disappointed by a lowered quality of your medical experiences, maybe it’s time that we consider how fear, greed, and laziness impact the healthcare industry.  

Originally published 9/12/25 in the Kingsport Timesnews click here to read

When you or a loved one is hospitalized:

A couple of days ago I was in the driveway talking “over the fence” with our next door neighbor. He’s trained as a medical professional, and myself being in ministry, we naturally discussed the current state of hospitalizations. We were talking about the complexity of navigating the medical world when a loved one is hospitalized -- we agreed, it isn’t easy for the average person who has no real experience in the otherworldly space of organized hospitals.

Presently, most everyone is thinking about their health or the well-being of their families. There's a good possibility you or yours will need to visit a hospital in your lifetime. Are you prepared?

After decades of being in ministry, my wife and I have made countless visits to the bedside of hospital patients. Our family has learned a few valuable lessons over the years about interacting in the strange world of hospitals. I’d like to pass on a few ideas that might be helpful as you or your loved ones face the intimidating prospect of staying in the hospital.

Discover the names of those in charge like the head nurse at the nurse’s station, the hospitalist, and any attending physicians. Any of their phone numbers you can acquire, add them to your phone’s contacts ASAP. Also, find out which pharmacy your medical staff has the best working relationship with. I find that our “mom & pop’s” pharmacies work harder for local people than anyone else, and perhaps your doctors share this belief.

Keep a notebook by the hospital bedside. Have family members take turns keeping notes so that there’s always someone in the room. Ask the names of nurses and doctors who check in, ask the medicines that they administer and the amounts, then record the time & dates. It doesn’t matter whether you recognize the medicines or if you can even pronounce the words. This small step helps the medical professionals stay on their toes, they will double check their work, and it reminds them you care too.

You’d be surprised at how many people who need a knee replacement wake up to find out the wrong knee was operated on. Don’t be bashful, remind your medical team what you are in need of or why. You have to advocate for your loved ones, or in some cases yourself. Most nurses and doctors are caring people, otherwise they wouldn’t be the medical field in the first place. But. There is a lot of “compassion fatigue” they have to overcome and deal with. Never forget they are by and large on your side, but they are overwhelmed with too many cases and they work long hours. A little reminder or some extra gentle nudging on your part might go further than you realize.

Ask for prayers. Yes our health is personal, but the prayers of the righteous are effective. When you are sick it feels natural to pull away, but this is a time when you need your faith community more than ever.

Most people have no idea how long it takes to be processed, to get a room, or even what it means to be discharged when your time is over -- it often takes a few hours to be released once you are discharged. Being patient as a patient is extremely difficult. Bring books, magazines, crosswords, or other items to help pass the time. I’ve found some people enjoy listening to music while they recuperate but most hospital rooms aren’t equipped with radios, so download an app on your phone.

There are times when you or a loved one simply will not recover, and the next move is hospice. As fatal as this sounds, this is a time when you really need someone to talk to. There are hospice chaplains as well as nurses, ask them how hospice works, what your role is, and what you should expect. No, things won’t just fall into place and it often won’t make sense, this is why you need to ask how it works from those who have dedicated their lives to hospice.

In the end, when it comes to navigating the medical world, having a good attitude is one of your best tools. Yes this crisis might be the biggest challenge you or your family has ever faced, and yes we have incredible technology and advanced medicines, but nothing can compete with matters of the heart. Write this verse on a sticky note and post in your room next time you or a loved one is in need, and reflect on it often, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Prov 17:22)

May God renew your hope and may He bless you with healing whenever dark days descend on you or your loved ones. May God bless you with peace of mind, and may His Spirit bring you comfort always.