Practice For Game Time

Today I learned that my brother has an inflammation of the pancreas. I am so thankful. Before today's scan, his doctors had suggested that the cause of his abdominal pain was pancreatic cancer. The doctors probably told my brother a whole list of possible illnesses but what he investigated on the internet was pancreatic cancer.

After diagnosing himself and reading the prognosis online, my brother told his daughters and ex-wife that he was ready to go. He talked about updating his will. He consulted with his Pastor. He contacted his job about long term disability. He talked about his death.

When he initially called me, I asked him for more details about the diagnosis and made him admit that today's scan was necessary before there could be a conclusive diagnosis. I suggested to him that perhaps it could be something else, that there was no reason to jump to the worst-case scenario. And I admit, for a minute, I was tempted to jump in there with him. I felt that first pang of fear. But then I deliberately took a deep breath and decided not to go there. This decision only took a second.

Actually, the preparation for that decision has taken hours and hours of practice. Long before this moment on the phone there had been many many other moments of sitting in meditation. I had practiced breathing myself to calmness or bringing my thoughts back to a scripture again and again, trying to find the deeper meaning.  During my times of meditation, I had experienced distinguishing the mindless chatter of my own mind. I knew how to purposefully choose one thought to dwell on or to just listen or watch as thoughts come and fade away. Because I had practiced not reacting to the first thought or the worst thought, when I got my brother's news, I could remain in peace...and speak in faith.

The practice of contemplative meditation helped prepare me for bad news.  Without the practice, I would have been easily tempted to add my agreement to my brother's fear. You don't realize how important practice time is until there is a game time.

In an Essay called "Freedom is a Discipline"  Howard Thurman, spiritual adviser to Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote "At the very center of personal freedom is a discipline of the mind and of the emotions. The mind must be centered upon a goal, a purpose, a plan. Of all possible goals purposes, plans, a single one is lifted and held above the others as one's chosen direction. Then the individual knows when he is lost, when he has missed the way. There emerges a principle of orderedness which becomes a guide for behavior and action."

What does this have to do with your health? Everything. Just like there is a freedom in not allowing yourself to think every negative thought, there is also a freedom in not allowing yourself to eat anything you think you want.
It may appear that establishing a life-time eating plan and abiding by your own rules for a healthy lifestyle is a difficult thing to do. But actually, there is freedom in discipline.  Meditation is practice in disciplining your mind. Choosing a bran muffin instead of a doughnut is practice in disciplining your behavior. Practice helps you get ready for game time.

In S&F 102 there will be more emphasis given to establishing your own contemplative practices, in order to become more conscious of your eating and food choices. Spiritually speaking your weight issue is a gift. Your decision to acknowledge that a change is needed is just like making a decision to follow Jesus' teachings. First is the decision and then the corresponding actions.

Your decision to live a healthier life style is now providing you opportunities for two types of practice..one for the thinking and one for the behavior. Since we all MUST eat, we now get to change the way we eat, what we eat, when we eat and why we eat. We get to eat on purpose and in order to do that, you must be aware of every single thing you put in your mouth. In other words, we get to practice disciplined thinking and disciplined behavior around food.

Practice for game time.