Patience in the Harvest of Wellness

October 16, 2022

“Be patient, then, my friends, until the Lord comes. See how patient farmers are as they wait for their land to produce precious crops. They wait patiently for the autumn and spring rains.” James 5:7 GNB.

The folks who built our house here on Edisto Island were wonderful gardeners. As a result I inherited a beautiful garden on the side of my house. I myself am not much of a gardener. Last summer as I was wandering through the garden, I noticed a pomegranate bush with hanging fruit. The fruit was large and greenish red. It looked ripe for the picking! I got excited and I picked it and hurried into the kitchen and pomegranates 2 cut it open. I was so disappointed. It was not ripe at all. Sharing this experience with one of my serious gardener friends, she explained that a pomegranate is a fall fruit, not a summer crop like corn, and I must be patient for it to ripen, even if it looks like it is ready to be picked. Pomegranates are harvested in the fall of the year. Oh boo! I missed out on the wonderful fruit because of my impatience.

One of the reasons some give up a harvest of wellness is because we do not see the results of exercise quick enough. Like the pomegranate, some things take time. If we are consistent and patient our bodies and spirits will yield a valuable crop of fruit in the areas of heart health, weight loss, strength and flexibility, consistency in our relationships and a vibrant alive relationship with God our Father.

Is there a harvest you’re tempted to give up on? What first step will you take to stop-ed-meds.com in your wellness goals?

by Vicki Heath, Edisto Island, South Carolina

Jeannie Blocher head shot Vicki holds certifications with American Council on Exercise, Body & Soul^® Fitness and Life Coaching. She dances, jumps and sometimes limps her way as she leads Cardio Strength classes in her community. Vicki is also the National Director of First Place 4 Health. Her passion is helping others find their way to whole person wellness. She strives to bring others into the Kingdom by her example of a radical but humble devoted follower of Christ. Vicki is a pastor’s wife and she and her husband, Rob, have four grown children and ten grandchildren. They make their home on Edisto Island in South Carolina.

Body and Soul® Fitness is an international Christian fitness organization that trains and equips instructors to lead a variety of group fitness programs including choreographed aerobics-style Cardio Strength & Flexibility™, cardio dance style Dance Blast™, free-weights-focused Power Strength™, boot camp style FIT360™ and Longevity FIT360™, and GOLD™ - lower impact programming for participants that are pregnant, have weight challenges, injuries, or other medical conditions. These exercise classes meet in church gyms, community centers, gymnasiums, parking lots, schools, etc. across the United States, Europe, and Africa. In-person and virtual fitness classes are available.

Key words: Christian fitness, women's exercise classes, group fitness, dance aerobics classes, Christian group fitness, Christian fitness app, FitTV, Body & Soul, Body and Soul, fitness instuctor training, low impact exercise