As a child, I learned the importance of taking vitamins daily. If I scratch my head and think really hard the one thing my parents always made us take was Cod Liver Oil. Every morning we got a spoonful and washed it down with juice. Of course back then, living in the islands we got a fair amount of fruits and vegetables on a regular basis so the focus was more on diet than on vitamins. When I moved to the States I became more aware of multivitamins and their various forms - capsules, chewable, pills, etc.
There's a mantra that governs my life - 'when you know better, do better', so of course when I had my children and we were more informed, I made sure to give my children vitamins every day especially when they were younger. I tried to give them cod liver oil also, but I was not as successful as my parents. (That habit bit the dust!)
As my children have grown and moved on, I am now in a different stage of my life and once more, I am keenly aware of the importance of vitamins. Every day I make a green smoothie and take a litany of vitamins and supplements. At this stage, I won't stop because I want to take the best care of my body that I can and I've seen what happens when I don't take my vitamins.
In the quiet of the morning, as I'm taking my vitamins I am reminded of two things:
- The same vigilance that I give to the physical, I should give to the spiritual.
- I should put on God's vitamins daily - the armor of God.
On a daily basis I take - vitamin D3, vitamin E, magnesium, a women's multivitamin, glucosamine, fish oil and a hair and skin chewable with my green juice that usually contains spirulina, flaxseed, cucumber, kale or spinach, banana, and blueberries. This seems like a huge haul, but over time I have realized that this combination works for me.
On a daily basis I also spend time in prayer and reading so that I can put on - truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, and salvation all likened to various parts of a warrior's armor. Again, this works for me; I am equipped to handle what comes my way.
In both of these instances, the preparation and ingestion take time; they are intentional and focused. When you stop preparing and ingesting you see detrimental effects - your skin is dull, your hair falls out, you feel more fatigued. In the spiritual world - you're not spiritually discerning, you don't remember scripture, you're not loving, you're easily manipulated.
Vitamins are essential for growth and nutrition; taking the right amounts allows your body to maximize its potential. As you make a habit of taking care of your physical body, do the same for your spiritual body.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle, you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:13-17 [NLT]
Physical, spiritual or both - what vitamins are you taking daily?
I actually skipped mine yesterday. I know. I shouldn't have and I've been very good about taking them daily this year. Better than I've ever been, but sometimes I just don't wanna take out the pill case and do it. I take a multi, fish oil, and I've recently added magnesium in an attempt to help with sleep.
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