Sustainable Health is Stewardship
When we think about health, we normally think about what we can see on the outside – what someone is doing or not doing, what they are eating or not eating, whether they’re active or not active. We see them working out, eating healthy, drinking water, getting better sleep, and so on. And honestly, all of these actions are necessary to create change. You do actually have to take action to see change, right?
But I’ve found that an emphasis on doing can so easily lead to performing – which is purely external and ultimately has a finale to it, doesn’t it? When you’re solely focused on the actions and behaviors associated with health, your internal world is often met with burnout, unrealistic expectations, and lack of motivation. And no wonder! Performing is exhausting!
Most of us believe that health and wellness in our lives is a worthy pursuit. And in the pursuit of it, we don’t intend for our “health and wellness” to come to an end. But when we are solely action-oriented and goal focused, like most of our culture emphasizes, we usually do hit a wall where our pursuit of health and wellness comes to an end. At the end of the day, our pursuit of health cannot be performative.
The foundation of good leadership – leading ourselves — is an approach of stewardship. Stewardship is where the external becomes internal and performance becomes authenticity. It’s where your focus shifts to how you actually live, rather than just what others can see. Stewardship means you are a caretaker or a manager of something — acting on the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to you. And that is exactly what your body and mind is: a gift that has been entrusted to you by God to steward well.
When you shift from a performative approach to health into a stewardship approach, you find so much more authenticity, sustainability, and joy!
Stewardship tends to your needs, rather than demanding unrealistic expectations of yourself. It provides structure and clarity that can supersede cultural or self-imposed standards. And it’s the key to helping you cultivate a lifestyle, rather than six weeks of “try hard and fail.”
When we lead ourselves well by stewarding our bodies and minds well, everything else benefits. We see our time management improve, our focus at work expand, our capacity align, our minds clarify, and our lives become overall more productive.
Instead of focusing on performance and checking the boxes, I'd love to invite you to turn inward and honestly ask yourself this question: “How can I steward myself well today?”
Every day is a new opportunity. Every moment is a choice. It’s the micro-decisions and the small steps that build off of each other into a lifestyle. The beauty of doing this through the lens of stewardship is that it releases us from the bondage that comes with unrealistic expectations and performance. It’s the path towards freedom in how we perceive and treat our bodies! And as women, isn’t that something we fight so hard for? Another beautiful thing about stewardship is that it emphasizes the truth of our immeasurable value, and more importantly, from Whom that value comes. And that recognition of God’s value for us increases our desire to steward ourselves well. It’s a beautiful cycle of receiving God’s love, learning to love ourselves, and growing in our love for God!
As stewards of ourselves, we can live more authentically, which allows us to lead others from a place of grounding, freedom, and wholeness. We were made to be durable for this life – to fight frailty and find joy and freedom in stewarding our bodies and minds well. Your creator made you with the ability to cultivate a sustainably healthy life – however that is available to your specific body and mind – and He’s loving you every step and every moment along the way.
Amanda Wilson is an RN, BSN, and a Certified Integrative Nutrition Coach. She lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas and is a mama of two awesome boys! In 2022, she took her knowledge and skills from practicing nursing in the hospital to implementing them into her holistic wellness coaching business.
Amanda focuses on helping people change the way they live on a bio-individual level to improve the quality of their lives through a holistic approach. She believes we were each made to be durable for this life and fight frailty while finding joy and freedom in stewarding our minds and bodies well. You can connect with Amanda over on Instagram at @awilsonwellness.