I'm a physician, and I was taught that bodily health is secondary - what really matters is spiritual health. The body is just a temporary container. I saw pastors smoke themselves to death while preaching about heaven. The message was clear: the body doesn't matter.
But John opens this letter: 'Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.' He's praying for physical wellbeing AND spiritual wellbeing. Not either/or. Both matter.
I'm reimagining medicine through this lens. My job isn't to get you to heaven. It's to help you live well in your body while you're here. That's spiritual work. Helping someone manage pain, restore function, experience pleasure in their body - that's godly work.
I started taking better care of my own body too. Not vanity, but reverence. This body is how I experience God, how I hug my kids, how I serve. It matters. John knew that.
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