Healthy Habits

I saw a recent article in front section of The Indianapolis Star( Feb. 14, 2010) with the headline, “ Healthy habits pay off for kids”  and the deck under that reported, “Study shows that family dinners can be part of a recipe for success.”  This is a good start.  This is also an opportunity for the growth of spiritual matters so our youth have a positive heart, body and soul.
The facts in this study supported the idea that families that seat together for dinner at a table can have a” significant impact” on childhood obesity.   The amount of television was a factor, and those preschool children who watched two hours of TV a day were 40 percent less likely to be obese.
Television is great, but like anything good, too much can be a bad thing.  The time used for television can be used for family activities, and this includes the old-fashioned eating at the table dinner time.  This can be a time for family discussion which leads to healthy communication, and the meal should start with a prayer to the maker of the food and the day. This time together with the family will lead to a foundation of faith, and hopefully a time later on in life, when the children have their own kids, this tradition will continue based on memories created now.
This all sounds like great advice, and I am realistic to know that the hassles of life, even the smallest of events, can alter an established routine of daily tasks.  Doctor appointments, school activities, changes in the weather, and other  unexpected things we can’t always control get in the way of the time a family spends together, and the concept of a family sitting down to a table and actually talking to each other may be as impossible as going to the moon.  We have gone there, and we can stop watching TV, unplug the earphones from the MP3 players, and put away the personal communication devices formerly called telephones.
These barriers, whether they are unexpected, manufactured or created, can be overcome with a strong family ethic and a trust and love in the Lord, for He has a family the world over that he wants to bring to another table, one that is not on their Earth.  This table is in Heaven, where there are no problems, no hassles and plenty to eat.  Make time for a family dinner, serve up a heaping helping of love, and give thanks to the Lord for all that he has done for us.  This would be a healthy habit.

Peace be you with always,

Rev. Paul Abernathy

Contact Paul Abernathy at paulabernathy@gmail.com.

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