You were not made to do this alone
A meta-analysis of 148 studies and 308,000 people found that those with strong social relationships were 50% more likely to survive over the follow-up period, an effect on the scale of quitting smoking1. “Two are better than one… For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).
Among 74,000 women followed for twenty years in the Nurses' Health Study, those who attended religious services more than once a week had 33% lower mortality than those who never attended, with more social support, less smoking and less depression explaining part of the difference2. A review of more than 3,000 studies found religious involvement generally associated with better mental health and many measures of physical health3.
These are observations, not prescriptions. No one should go to church for their blood pressure. But it should not surprise us that people made for worship and fellowship do better with both.
Gratitude and anxiety
In randomized experiments, people who wrote down what they were grateful for each week felt better about their lives, exercised more and reported fewer physical complaints than those who listed hassles4. Paul's instruction is older: “In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).
Long-term stress raises blood pressure, blood sugar and appetite. You cannot remove every pressure. You can decide where you take it.
Grace, not shame
Your worth is not in your lab results or your waistline. You were bought with a price before you changed anything (1 Corinthians 6:20). Illness is not a verdict on your faith, and many faithful people live with disease they did nothing to cause. We care for the body because it is God's good gift and the place we serve from, not to earn standing with Him.
So when you miss a day, start again. “A righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again” (Proverbs 24:16). His mercies are new every morning.
References
- Holt-Lunstad J et al. Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review. PLoS Med. 2010. PubMed 20668659 · Full text
- Li S et al. Association of Religious Service Attendance With Mortality Among Women. JAMA Intern Med. 2016. PubMed 27183175 · Full text
- Koenig HG Religion, spirituality, and health: the research and clinical implications. ISRN Psychiatry. 2012. PubMed 23762764 · Full text
- Emmons RA et al. Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003. PubMed 12585811 · Full text