Hi Friends,
Last week we touched on our large temporary home, the earth, and how this environment is affected by us, and in turn, we are affected by it. Today let’s scale it down a bit and talk about our physical home. This is the environment where we should grow in health, but are we being wise about how we set up our homes? Listen to these verses:
“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” Pr 24:3-4 NIV
We need wisdom to build our house. I know this verse can mean so many different things, but we are focusing on the place where we lay our heads at night. Wherever you call home, where we live on a daily basis has power over our mental and physical health. It is vital that we have some understanding about the tens of thousands of different chemicals that may be living with us. This knowledge can help us set up our homes in a way that will reduce the harm these “unwelcome roommates” can exert on us. Two warnings before we continue: 1- I share this information NOT to scare anyone, but to empower us to make the necessary changes that will help us be as healthy as possible. And 2- while we cannot do everything, we can always do something, so we must make the changes we can, as often as we can, so we can reap the most benefits that we can.
There are chemicals among us. Since these chemicals are mostly in our atmosphere or mixed in the products we use daily, we do not see them, but we can often see their side effects. Whether it is the formaldehyde from our furniture and carpets, or parabens in our shampoo and moisturizers, I hope we would all agree that it is wise to know what we are inviting into our homes. When God created humans, most of these chemicals didn’t even exist, much less where they ever meant to be incorporated into us. Thankfully our Omniscient God knew we would need systems in our body to detoxify and carry those toxins out of our bodies. But the problem is, these systems can get overloaded if we are not aiding them. These systems can get backed up, causing us to retain the harmful chemicals. These systems can be damaged and not be able to do what they were created to do. Understanding that chemicals exist, then learning how to reduce or be rid of them, can help us establish a healthier living environment. There are so many good resources available on the internet that can help us get informed, as well as give us alternatives to these harmful products, so I will share only one example to get you started.
Plastics. Last week I mentioned plastics and how our household is converting to glass containers as much as possible. With so many affordable glass options now available, this is the simplest answer to avoid the potential toxicity from storing our food in plastic, whether that’s store bought foods or leftovers. The major problem with these plastics is that their chemicals can leach onto the foods we eat. Why is that a problem, besides the obvious grossness of it all? Well, many of the chemicals used in plastic containers are referred to as “Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals,” because they can interfere with, or mimic our natural hormones, causing all sorts of health problems. Even if the product is labeled BPA-free, don’t ever microwave your meals on or in them because heat increases the likelihood of this transfer of chemicals to our foods. Also learn to pay attention to those numbers in that recycling triangle. Avoid any that are 1, 3 or 7 since these tend to leach more than the higher quality plastics 2, 4 and 5. Sadly, most pre-filled water bottles we buy are number a 1, which are terrible quality, so never refill them. If you have to drink from them, use it once then throw it away. If you can, invest in a stainless steel bottle for your water instead. You not only don’t have to worry about the chemicals, but they are reusable, then recyclable too. Again, we might not be able to get rid of all these plastics from our lives, but the less we interact with them, the more we are helping our detox systems to do what they were meant to do, to rid our bodies of these unwanted chemicals.
Wisdom, understanding and knowledge. God desires for us to be informed, to make decisions based on interpreting that information, then to live in a way that shows we are making the best choices possible because of that understanding. That’s called wisdom. But how can we make the best decisions if we do not seek to be informed and understand? The simple answer is, we cannot. My Friends, if you want to have the healthiest environment you can, then take the time to do the research. God has given us this gift called the internet. Watch which sites you go on and who you get your information from, then pray and start making good, then better, then best decisions. That’s what I am doing, and the better my choices I make, the more healthy I feel. Want that? Then won’t you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
<>< Peace, Diane
