“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption.”
(Romans 8:20-21a, ESV)
As I have surveyed my 74 years on this earth, I have come to the realization that wellness is not an easy thing. The battles we face are many. We battle physical issues, such as diseases, broken bones, weight gain, and the lack of stamina. I have fought all these physical battles. Yet the most severe happened recently as I battled stage-4 bladder cancer. I have had my emotional issues as well, struggling with anger, bitterness, and a lack of peace. The spiritual issues also have existed at times. The big question is, “Why do we have these struggles?”
The struggle began a long time ago. Paul wrote to the Romans about this looking back to the Garden of Eden when something drastic happened that affected the entire creation.
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Romans 8:20–21, ESV)
Adam and Eve transgressed the command of God and this changed everything.
Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, a place of utopia. It was a place with no pain, no suffering, no death, no struggles, and no sin. It was a peaceful place, perfect in every way. They had a close personal and perfect relationship with the Lord. The Lord provided everything they needed, but then sin entered in.
The Lord had commanded them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet they yielded to the devil’s temptation and ate of its fruit. Paul indicated that this brought a curse upon the entire creation and the effects are universal and indiscriminate. Utopia was no more.
This is where we are today, living in a fallen and decaying world. Yes, much of the problem is physical. These things include diseases and physical death. Yet natural disasters are also part of this corruption.
However along with this corruption came the sinful nature of man. We all inherited a nature prone to sin, and thus we all sin. This sin problem affects not just ourselves, but also has a profound impact on others. Moreover, the sins of others have a profound impact on us. Additionally, there are spiritual forces of evil that seek to lead people off the path of God’s righteousness, compounding the problem.
As a result, this creates a variety of issues beyond just the physical. People will experience conflicts with others, stressful situations, and hardships of various kinds. This will result in a host of emotional issues such as anger, bitterness, anxiety, depression, a lack of confidence, and so on.
Those who do not have a relationship with the Lord are not on the path to recovery. They are part of the problem and not part of the solution. Sadly, they do not even know what the problem is and the only source for healing.
So, when sin entered the world, everything changed. It made total wellness, that is spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical wellness, very difficult. These wellness issues are indiscriminate. They affect everyone, believers and unbelievers alike. However, the difference between the believer and unbeliever is that the believer knows the one who is the healer, the Jehovah Rapha, that is our Lord Jesus Christ.
Renewing the Heart 