When You Get Bad News?

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One of  the silliest questions I could ever ask is:

 "Have you ever gotten bad news? 

Of course you have. We all have.  Probably more frequently than we would ever prefer.  Here's the thing about bad news: 

• It doesn't care who it hurts or harms. 
• It comes in various levels. 
• Some bad news is REALLY bad.
• Some just messes up your day or week.
• Some is really just an annoyance or an inconvenience. 

Bad news comes either extra large, large, medium, or small. But when we get it, we never like it. In fact, I've never heard anyone say: 

Awesome! I got some really bad news today! YAY!

But the real question comes down to how we respond to bad news. The reality is that we can have lots of responses to bad news.  Sometimes we know just what to do. 

For example, if we receive the news that a friend has been diagnosed with a terminal illness we begin to reach out to them in loving and caring ways.   

However, there are times and situations when bad news brings a challenge of not knowing the right actions or steps to take. These situations can be frustrating for us.  

It's times like these that I turn to God's Word for guidance, encouragement, and inspiration. In Romans 8:24-28 we read ...

24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Within these verses we see three things to do when things get a little crazy in life or when we receive bad news. This is a passage that is applicable to various situations in life.  

First, look forward to a better day.   

In verse 24 Paul tells us that it doesn't make sense to try to hope in the present moment. No one hopes in what he or she sees. He adds that we hope in what we can't see, i.e... a better day.  

In verse 25 he simply adds the element of patience to his instruction. He says, patiently hope for what you can't see right now. In time that better day will arrive. Just trust the Lord through the trial as James encouraged (James 1:2-8).

Second, understand that the Holy Spirit has got your back 

The text tells us that 

the Spirit helps us in our weakness

Now, for me, that's such good news. I am always open to getting some help. And if that help comes from God I am even more open. You and I can expect God's help during trying times. But then Paul adds something interesting and encouraging. He says:

For we do not know what to pray for as we ought

I so relate to this! There have been times when I simply didn't know what to say to God or how to even begin my prayer. God knows that we are ALL that way. Sometimes we are simply at a loss for words.  So God says, "don't sweat it, I have got your back because" ...   

the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

This simply reminds me that the Holy Spirit is pleading God's heart on my behalf and He is NOT at a loss for words. He not only knows what to say, but how to say it! His appeals (groanings) are far beyond any words I can muster.  

Third, just know that God will work it all out in His ways and in His time  

This verse, 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (28)

is among the most well-known and most quoted in the Bible. I love that it tells us what we KNOW not what we wish. We KNOW that God Himself will cause our situations to turn out for good (blessings).  

Why? Because he loves us and has called you and me to serve Him. If we are always bogged down because of bad news, then we will not serve Him at our best.  

Yes, there are times when God allows the trials but they are actually for our betterment. Trials are used of God to sharpen and strengthen us. They are used to create and develop perseverance in us (James 1: 3-4).   

Just knowing that something good will result from the trial can give us the inspiration to press on toward the prize! (Philippians 3:14)

I trust this had been helpful,

Tony Guthrie

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The 11 components of fitness

 

Fitness is often thought of as a ‘one size fits all’ thing, whereby you are either fit, or you aren’t, but the science of fitness actually goes a lot deeper than that and demonstrates that there are a number of components that go into a person being physically fit.

The strongest, most musclebound person may have no flexibility for example, but does this mean they aren’t physically fit? Conversely, a petite gymnast might be able to touch their toes and perform a backbend, but they probably couldn’t lift the same weights as the person in the first example. Does this mean they are not physically fit? Total fitness is better defined by looking at how well your body performs under different types of scenario.

A holistic approach to fitness

Total fitness looks at different areas and can be broken down into components or parts to make it easier to understand. It also helps you to appreciate the different requirements of different sporting activities, and even the different requirements of different roles within that activity. On a football field for example, a goalkeeper will need to work on different areas of skill than a striker.

Health-related components of fitness

Health-related components of fitness are those that you need to work on in order to improve and can be broken down into the following areas:

Body composition. The division of your body into percentages of fat, muscle and bone will have a direct result on your fitness level. A high jumper for example, will have a lean body composition to enable them to propel themselves upwards, whereas a shotput thrower will need a more solid body composition to generate the strength to throw further.

Cardiorespiratory endurance. Certain sports will need a very high level of cardiorespiratory endurance. Long distance running for example, is dependent on your heart, lungs and blood having the ability to transport oxygen effectively for an extended period of time.

Flexibility. The range of motion that you can move your joints through is a measure of fitness and some sports will require this more than others. A gymnast for example needs to have more flexibility than a billiard player. 

Muscular endurance. This is the ability to continue your performance without your muscles becoming fatigued. A great example of a sport where this would be needed would be rowing, where rowers need to be able to continue the same repetitive movement for a long period of time.

Strength. Strength is a measure of how much force your muscles can exert when they come up against resistance. Wrestling, for example, requires more physical strength than something like badminton.

Skill-related components of fitness

Many sports require different levels of skill-related components of fitness. Gymnasts, for example, have been shown in studies to need high levels of speed, strength, endurance, agility, flexibility and power.² Skill-related components of fitness are those that can be improved with practice:

Accuracy. Controlling movement in a fixed direction is essential for certain sporting practices, like boxing, where your focus needs to be on a very specific area.

Agility. Be able to quickly change direction in a controlled way is important for certain sports, such as tennis and squash, and would be less important for something like sprinting.

Balance. The ability to control and stabilize the body is a requirement of many sports and is a good indication of fitness for someone like a sprinter, who would need to maintain perfect stillness until the gun sounds and then spring into action.

Coordination. When you are able to use two or more body parts at the same time to do different tasks you could be considered well-coordinated. An example would be dribbling a basketball, where your legs need to move you around and your hand needs to maintain contact while moving the ball.

Power. Power is a key indicator of fitness in sports such as javelin or discus throwing, where your performance is directly related on the distance your arms can throw, having applied great force to the tool while rapidly shifting your arm forward.

Speed. Speed is often used as a reflection of fitness in sports that require you to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, such as running.

Breaking down fitness into these components demonstrates that it is about more than just ‘who is the quickest’ or ‘who is the fastest.’ Fitness is unique to each individual and to each type of sport. The important thing is to use your own capabilities as a benchmark and not compare yourself to other people. Whatever your fitness level, based on any, or all of the 11 components, practice and perseverance can help you improve them all.

Thank You!

The LifePlus Wellness Team

Small Changes that Can Make a HUGE Difference in Your Health

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