Influencers of Hope

The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Isaiah 58:11 NLT

Toe bone connected to the foot bone
Foot bone connected to the heel bone
Heel bone connected to the ankle bone
Ankle bone connected to the leg bone
Leg bone connected to the knee bone
Knee bone connected to the thigh bone
Thigh bone connected to the hip bone and on and on until you get to the head bone.

United Health Group’s executives may not be singing and dancing to the classic children’s song “Dem Bones” after a recent financial report. According to various news articles, United Health Group reported that those cute little bones would contribute a staggering $377 million in medical costs this year for procedures such as hip replacements and knee surgeries. Always on the hunt to get to the bottom line, UBS Group AG analysts offered a surprising theory: pickleball!

Pickleball is estimated to see a 150% jump in players or “Picklers” in 2023, to 22.3 million. According to a Bloomberg article, “While more activity is generally seen as good and healthy, the analysts offer a somewhat depressing conclusion: “While we generally think of exercise as positively impacting health outcomes, the “can-do” attitude of today’s seniors can pose a greater risk in other areas such as sports injuries, leading to a greater number of orthopedic procedures.” (Joe Weisenthal) If you are a pickler, enjoy and keep on hitting, just be safe!

Juan Ponce de Leon set sail in search of a rumored fountain of youth. Still, according to a CBS news report on the American Society for Nutrition conference, he just needed to adopt eight healthy lifestyle habits that would have earned him 24 years of his life.

According to the report, these lifestyle changes included being physically active, being free from opioid addiction, not smoking, managing stress, having a good diet, not regularly binge drinking, having good sleep hygiene, and having positive social relationships. All of these added up to a longer life expectancy.

Just like Ponce de Leon, many are looking for easy ways to attain health and fitness. People search for a healthy life in all kinds of places, some good and some not so much. Many are following the advice of TikTok influencers. Leah Anduiza promotes among her 47,000 followers a solution of borax and water which she drinks daily with her morning coffee. Another TikTok influencer, Todd Mendlesohn, with 25,000 followers “promised his audience that a pre-workout drink of borax, baking soda, and Celtic sea salt would give them “the biggest pump on the planet.” Borax is a chemical compound that’s sold as a laundry detergent or cleaning agent. According to the National Capital Poison Center, drinking it or bathing in it can cause skin rashes, and if taken long enough, anemia. (from an article by Abby Ohlheiser)

The search for health and fitness didn’t start with Ponce de Leon nor will it end with the host of social media influencers. The search comes down to what is truth and who can be believed. Health misinformation, whether it comes from a man driving his wagon from town to town selling his magic elixir, a white-suited preacher selling a bottle of anointed oil, or the new social media trend, all of them share the same story of playing into the longing for a cure that gives hope. How can you doubt the testimony of someone supposedly cured?

Misinformation is as old as time, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (Gen 3:1b) It has been downhill ever since giving a receptive audience to the snake-oil salesman when he comes to town.

What will your role be as a truth influencer in a world filled with misinformation influencers? You may not be a TikTok influencer, or have a social media impact but you daily find your unique roles of influence. You have some awesome information since your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, (I Cor 6:19-20), you know God cares for you as He cares for the birds of the air, (Matt6:25-27) and you know that from the very beginning, you were made in His image. (Gen 1:27).

So, go and play pickleball, hike, golf, or whatever you enjoy and gives you pleasure. Go eat your veggies, even kale. Find ways that provide your soul and body rest. Avoid those things that degrade and destroy your body. Live in community that fosters and encourages you in your daily walk. “So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (I Cor 10:31)

There are lots of influencers in our world but there is only One that can be totally trusted. He has a proven track record. He is steadfast, reliable, compassionate, insightful, caring, and above all else, His love endures forever! (Ps 106:1) “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8a NIV)

God is great!