It Can Make a Difference
“O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.” Psalm 30:2
“Do you think that going to church and spirituality can actually make a difference in dealing with the trauma that is experienced by a disaster?”
For the last 6 months, you have been reading devotionals talking about the importance of sharing your time, money, and service with those who have experienced disaster. The underlying reason for the investment of the last 6 months of my life in writing these devotionals can most simply be expressed in the paradigm that I hold that our emotional and spiritual health is connected to our relationship with the church. To share this idea, it is imperative that people like yourselves, and the church are willing to reach out and be aggressively inclusive. During and after a disaster people are most open to the Gospel and the church regardless if it is a natural disaster or personal disaster caused by life style.
The late Dr. David Larson, MD did extensive research into health issues and church attendance. He specifically looked at the inner relationship between church attendance and: blood pressure, coping skills, involvement with crime, death & dying skills, depression, elderly health patterns, mental health, mortality, physical health, quality of life, and substance abuse. The implications of these studies hold that regularly worshiping has a positive effect on both our physical and emotional wellbeing. To spell that out more clearly, the greatest gift we can give to those in disaster sites is a renewed relationship with the church.
If you would be interested in further investigating these research projects, you can find this information at http://www.healthyinitiatives.com/Larson%20Research.htm. I believe that the information you read will be both intellectually and spiritually challenging.
Lord help us to create a highway into the church and your presence. Amen
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