Is Your Spirit Keeping You Sick?

Hello there, friends! I have to be real and share that this particular post has been really hard for me to get ready to put up. I can’t even directly put my finger on what’s going on, but all I can say is that I feel like there’s something I’m missing – something I’m not seeing or understanding about this second half of Proverbs 17:22. I have read and re-read these definitions and my takeaways from these definitions, I’ve prayed about it, sat with it for a few weeks and I’m still unsettled. I usually won’t send something out until I feel settled about it (just in my own spirit), but this time feels different. I feel like I’m supposed to put this out there as-is, which tells me one thing: someone out there reading this may have a piece of the puzzle that I need – that we all need. Someone reading this sees something I’ve missed, and sees where we can have a better understanding of what this verse is telling us and what this all means for our health. So with that, I’m asking for your help up front. As you read this, if something stands out to you in these words and definitions, or you see where I missed something, please reach out to me and let me know. I would love to have a different lens or perspective as I try to implement these principles in my own life. I would also love to share any additional insights here for the group so we can all benefit. Thank you again for being here, reading along, and sharing your takeaways with me. Now let’s get back to the regularly scheduled program. 😉

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Thanks so much for joining me as we continue our foundational wellness series. If you’ve missed the previous posts, you can go here. Start with the post from December 31st and work your way forward. Each of these posts lays the groundwork for the next, so definitely go back and catch up.

In the last post, we finished up the first half of Proverbs 17:22, and in this one, we’re going to tackle the last half of the verse. We’ve talked about the ways that a cheerful heart is good like medicine, and now we’ll learn how a broken spirit makes us sick. This study has given me a lot to think about and work on in my own life. I have a real lack of consistency. I can be very disciplined and routine driven when I set my mind to it, but I can also be really inconsistent when I have a flare of symptoms or when life gets too busy or throws me curveballs. Going back through this study has been really helpful for me in identifying my own areas of weakness.

Once we finish discussing this verse, I’ll be sharing some practical ways I’m trying to apply these principles in my own life. As always, please keep in mind: I am not a biblical scholar. I was raised a Christian, and my dad was a preacher for much of my childhood. That said, my current theology and interpretation of the Bible are definitely my own and do not fall in line with any particular religion or christian denomination. Everything I’m about to discuss is my interpretation of what the Bible is telling us based on history, context and the original language it’s written in, and is not based on any religious theology, although areas may overlap. I am not trying to convince anyone of anything. I’m just sharing my own takeaways. As always, I point you back to God, the Creator of All Things here. Don’t take my word for any of this. Pray about it and seek discernment for yourself. 

As I mentioned in the last email, we know the Bible has gone through many translations, and the fact it’s important to understand the original language and context of what you’re reading, is why I like to study scripture by looking into the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), so I have a better understanding of what a verse is truly saying. I’m certainly not a Hebrew expert and I’m relying on other sources for help. For my breakdown below, I’ve used the Blue Letter Bible website and the Strong’s Concordance as my main reference for the Hebrew words and meanings. I’m going to break down what each word means, and then we’ll tie it all together at the end. The pronunciation for each Hebrew word is in parentheses after the word. For any english words that I define further, I just googled the word and used the Oxford Languages or Miriam-Webster definition that came up.

 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 KJV

Broken – The Hebrew word used here is nāḵā’ (naw-kay’). This is an adjective that means afflicted, broken, stricken, wounded.

Spirit – The Hebrew word used here is rûaḥ (roo’-akh). This is a feminine noun that has a wide range of meanings all of which have to be looked at to understand the depth of meaning in this verse.

1. wind, breath, mind, spirit
   1. breath
   2. wind
      1. of heaven
      2. quarter (of wind), side
      3. breath of air
      4. air, gas
      5. vain, empty thing
   3. spirit (as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation)
      1. spirit, animation, vivacity, vigour
      2. courage
      3. temper, anger
      4. impatience, patience
      5. spirit, disposition (as troubled, bitter, discontented)
      6. disposition (of various kinds), unaccountable or uncontrollable impulse
      7. prophetic spirit
   4. spirit (of the living, breathing being in man and animals)
      1. as gift, preserved by God, God’s spirit, departing at death, disembodied being
   5. spirit (as seat of emotion)
      1. desire
      2. sorrow, trouble
   6. spirit
      1. as seat or organ of mental acts
      2. rarely of the will
      3. as seat especially of moral character
   7. Spirit of God, the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son
      1. as inspiring ecstatic state of prophecy
      2. as impelling prophet to utter instruction or warning
      3. imparting warlike energy and executive and administrative power
      4. as endowing men with various gifts
      5. as energy of life
      6. as manifest in the Shekinah glory
      7. never referred to as a depersonalised force

Drieth – The Hebrew word used here is yāḇēš (yaw-bashe’). This is a verb that means to be ashamed, confused or disappointed, or to dry up (as water), or wither (as herbage). It can denote the action of making to dry up, to do shamefully, or to wither away.

Bones – The Hebrew word used here is gerem (gheh’-rem). This is a masculine noun that means bone (as in the skeleton of the body), strength, self. 

Starting with the word broken, nāḵā’ (naw-kay’), this is an adjective that means afflicted, broken, stricken, wounded. 

Afflicted – (of a problem or illness) cause pain or suffering to; affect or trouble

Broken – 1. having been fractured or damaged and no longer in one piece or in working order 2. (of a person) having given up all hope; despairing 3. Having breaks or gaps in continuity

Stricken – seriously affected by an undesirable condition or unpleasant feeling; showing great distress

Wounded – inflicted with a wound; injured

It’s easy to see how this directly relates to all the things we talked about with our “hearts” – the seat of our appetites, emotions, passions, courage. When those things are afflicted, broken, stricken, wounded, our spirits are affected, which leads to sickness and dis-ease. Lack of hope, despair, unpleasant feelings, distress, trouble – we see all of those things affect us the same way that physical pain, injury, and wounds do. I want to point out that third definition of broken – having breaks or gaps in continuity. This speaks directly to not addressing the connection of mind, body and soul, but it also speaks to the continuity and connection we need to have with nature, the world around us, our fellow humans, and the continuity and consistency with how we approach our spirituality and wellness practices. We have to consistently, and continuously, work on each of these areas in order to have balance and wellness in our lives. When we don’t do the work, or we’re sick or we’re hurting, and not actively working on healing the root cause, when we’re not getting out in nature, when we’re not seeking The Creator, we break the continuity – the connection, the communication – between mind, body and soul. Consistently maintaining continuity of connection is where so much of our healing ultimately lies.

Next up is the word spirit, or rûaḥ (roo’-akh), in Hebrew. While I believe all of the definitions of this word can mean something for us in this context, I want to focus on a few of the definitions for this particular breakdown. As we go through these definitions, think about how when these areas of our lives are out of balance, or broken, and how that correlates to our overall health and well-being.

Wind, Breath, Mind, Spirit

• Breath
  • Our breath – the very air that brings life and oxygen into our lungs and cells. Think about what happens to our bodies when our ability to breathe is compromised, whether by illness or other issues. When our cells and tissues aren’t receiving the proper amount of oxygen, our bodies won’t function properly and we’ll see symptoms of dis-ease in our bodies. Additionally, our breath and breathing patterns are directly connected to how our nervous system functions. Shallow breathing, and breathing stale, indoor, recirculated air not only causes health issues, but keeps us disconnected from our bodies. We need deep, diaphragmatic breaths, out in the fresh air and sunshine, with thankfulness and gratitude in our hearts to bring connection and healing to mind, body and soul. Deep breathing exercises, mindful breath – gratitude in the very act of breathing.
• spirit (as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation)
  • If you look back on the full definition, we see that here, spirit can mean a disposition, temper, anger, agitation, being unaccountable or uncontrollable. If this is how we’re acting, and these things are manifest in our lives, we are going to see dis-ease of mind, body, and/or soul. This definition directly shows us that we are accountable for our emotions and how we act in our emotions. When we are unaccountable and undisciplined, dis-ease follows.
• spirit (of the living, breathing being in man and animals)
  • Our spirit. Our very spirit can be broken. Whether it’s from trauma, generational patterns, chronic illness, lack of self-discipline, wounds inflicted by others, lack of accountability for our own actions, lack of consistency and continuity, lack of spiritual food or teachings, living out of alignment, etc., these things can lead to a spirit that is broken and no longer connected to the Creator of All Things, which in turn leads to dis-ease in our physical bodies.
• spirit (as seat of emotion)
  • I won’t dig further into emotions as we talked a lot about that with a “merry heart”. Just remember our emotions are directly tied to our well-being. It’s not bad to have emotions. Jesus had emotions – he laughed, he wept, he yelled in the temple, he got so upset that he sweated drops of blood. Jesus felt emotions, and even expressed them – he also consistently turned to God to help him deal with whatever he was going through. Almost every time Jesus speaks to people or sits with a crowd and talks to them, at some point, he slips away from everyone and goes out away from the people and the crowds – to the Garden, and he prays. Jesus was often going to, coming from, or being found in, a quiet place where he could pray alone and spend time in the quiet and in nature. It’s a good lesson for us.
• Spirit (as seat or organ of mental acts; as seat especially of moral character)
  • Let’s talk for a moment about the spirit as the seat or organ of mental acts. This is our mind. Our mind is a weird thing that is sort of tied to both our physical brain and our spiritual soul. Our mind – mental acts, thoughts – can truly affect our health. When we are focusing on anxious, negative, upsetting things, we feel it in our bodies – maybe our stomachs hurt, or we get a headache, our blood pressure rises, or we experience some other physical symptom. We have to learn how to take our thoughts captive and then move forward with joy, peace, hope, etc. Think about someone getting arrested. What happens? That person gets stopped from doing whatever bad/negative/harmful thing, removed from everything else going on and put in their own place (a jail cell, an interrogation room), then they get questioned. The investigator takes all the information and figures out what really happened, intent, and what the charges might be. The captive then either gets processed and released, gets put on probation and released, or gets sent away to prison. That’s how we need to be dealing with our thoughts and emotions. If our minds are running crazy on us, then we need to start interrogating our thoughts – figuring out what’s going on and why it’s happening. We need to address those things in whatever appropriate way and then give that thought its sentence. Not all negative thoughts are bad – sometimes they are warnings for us, or areas in our lives that need to be addressed – but do the work to address whatever it is and then release it. We don’t want those negative things to have a permanent place in our Arks. Carrying it with us is a surefire way to find dis-ease. We can’t just ignore the part of the definition that speaks to moral character. If we act immorally, out of alignment with the Creator and natural laws, then we will experience dis-ease. We often think that our actions don’t have consequences in the real world if no one else gets hurt, but this verse, and these definitions clearly demonstrate that our negative actions have negative consequences to our personal emotional, spiritual and physical health. 
• Spirit of God, the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son (as energy of life; as manifest in the Shekinah glory; never referred to as a depersonalised force)
  • This definition of Spirit may be my most favorite. We see here the Spirit of God as the energy of life. Our spirit IS God’s spirit. Our life energy comes from, and is inherently in connection with, the Creator of All Things. They are one in the same. We are of God and in God, and God is in us. We see by definition that the Spirit of God is never referred to as a depersonalised force. Depersonalised means to be divest of human characteristics or individuality. Spirit is never referred to as being without human characteristics or individuality. The Creator of All Things, has intimate knowledge of humanity and what it means to be human, and all the things that we feel and experience are part of being human. The good, the bad, the ugly, it’s all a part of life. Learning how to seek God in the midst of it all and seeking balance of mind, body and soul is how we find our medicine. This definition also says that the Spirit of God is manifest in the Shekinah glory. Shekinah is a Hebrew word that means “dwelling, presence, settling.” It speaks of God’s divine light and glory in the world, and in our lives. We are temples for God, dwelling places for the Creator. God waits for us at the mercy seat. If our connection to God is broken, if we aren’t seeking the Creator of All Things, we are going to have dis-ease. 
  • Here, Spirit is also defined as “as inspiring ecstatic state of prophecy, as impelling prophet to utter instruction or warning, imparting warlike energy and executive and administrative power, as endowing men with various gifts, as energy of life.” These words can be confusing, and even divisive, depending on your religious and spiritual background, but where I tend to start with it is this: The Spirit of God is in us, and we are directly connected to the Spirit of our Creator. When our Spirits are healthy (we are actively connected to The Creator and doing the work on our bodies, minds and souls), it inspires an ecstatic state of prophecy – in other words, we have inspired, ecstatic states of clarity, wisdom, and discernment. We can see things we normally can’t see, hear things we normally can’t hear, understand things we normally can’t understand. Our healthy Spirits can be moved to help teach others or lead by example, helping others without judgement. A healthy spirit can impart warlike energy and executive and administrative power. In other words, we can be filled with righteous energy that we can use to shine God’s light and battle the darkness. We can rise up and bring Heaven to Earth the way that Jesus did. We can have authority and agency over ourselves and over this Earth the way that Jesus demonstrated in his life and works. And lastly, it says a healthy spirit endows us with various gifts, and acts as an energy for life. A healthy Spirit gives us everything – every good and perfect gift and ability to have an energy for life, for living. When we look at the definitions in this way, it’s easy to see that when we are out of alignment and our Spirits are not healthy and in active connection to God, that all of these things can then be broken and not functioning properly. What starts as an inspiring, ecstatic state of clarity, understanding and wisdom can turn into judging others, criticizing others, trying to tell other people how to live and that warlike energy that should be channeled towards shining the light ends up as arguments, fights and discord in our relationships and leads to us not treating others with the kindness we would like to receive ourselves. My point here is that a healthy Spirit leads to good things, and a broken Spirit leads not only to physical sickness, but the sickness and darkness we see in the world around us.

Finally, on the topic of spirit, I want to note that the word rûaḥ (roo’-akh), is the same word used in Genesis 1:2. As God is speaking out the creation of the Earth, the Spirit (rûaḥ (roo’-akh),) is hovering over the earth as all of the creation comes into existence. Remember that this word for Spirit is feminine. The masculine energy puts forth the creative idea and the feminine energy is the vessel that brings the creation forth. I just want to assert again the possibility that the heavenly “father” and mother “earth” scenario can lead us to better health, and a better understanding of who we are – that our Spirits are a vessel to receive the Light of The Creator of All Things, and how we treat our Spirit, and the quality of our vessel, matters. I encourage you to pray and seek discernment about all of these concepts and definitions we’ve discussed.

We see the different ways our spirits can be broken and what our spirits are and include. Now let’s talk about what it means to drieth the bones. The Hebrew word for drieth used here is yāḇēš (yaw-bashe’). This is a verb that means to be ashamed, confused or disappointed, or to dry up (as water), or wither (as herbage). It can denote the action of making to dry up, to do shamefully, or to wither away. You might already be able to see how this all ties to everything else we’ve discussed up until this point. To be ashamed, confused or disappointed IS to dry up (drieth). Those specific things specifically lead to dis-ease. The imagery it presents is clear – think about a puddle of water on the sidewalk drying up on a super hot summer day. Think about your favorite herb, or plant, out in the hot, July Texas sun without any water and imagine how it would look all withered up. We’re told the drying up (as water) or withering (as herbage, or plants) is what happens to our bones when we are ashamed, confused, disappointed, or doing shamefully. And that’s just based on the definition of drieth. We know that all of those other things we discussed about how a lack of a merry heart or a broken spirit directly contributes to a drying up of the bones, or dis-ease. Keep in mind that this is a verb – this is an active situation. When you’re actively in these states, there will be active dis-ease. We have to do the work of a merry heart and the work of healing any brokenness in our spirits to avoid a drying up of the bones.

This isn’t just some abstract biblical concept. As you will see in the upcoming corresponding nutrition foundations lessons, stress (can be any kind of stress – good, bad, emotional, physical, etc.) causes very specific reactions within the body. Stress literally causes a depletion of the mineral stores in our bodies. When our mineral stores are depleted, the body has to pull, or leech, minerals from our bones in order for things to function properly on a cellular level. What do you think happens to your bones if they are chronically being leeched of their mineral stores? Do you think your bones remain strong and healthy? What do you think happens when your cells don’t have the minerals they need in order to function properly? Do you think you are going to have good health if your body is struggling to function properly? Our emotional condition (stress, trauma, etc.) has a direct effect on our physical bodies. It is science. It is the way The Creator of All Things designed us. Why do you think that might be? Could it be a demonstration of how everything is connected and how we need to seek the Creator in all things and at all times in our lives – especially those times that are particularly stressful and trying? We also need to be particularly disciplined with our wellness practices during these times in order to properly support our bodies physically while we deal with the stressors of life. To be clear, I say all this as someone who has a VERY hard time staying consistent with my good habits when I’m stressed out or don’t feel good. This is one of those times I really need to hear my own words.

The Hebrew word for bones used here is gerem (gheh’-rem). This is a masculine noun that means bone (as in the skeleton of the body), strength, self. So we see that this word does literally mean our bones – so all of those emotional and spiritual things do quite literally affect our bones, or our physical bodies. This word also refers to strength, which can be physical, emotional and spiritual in meaning. If one area of our lives is out of balance, the other areas will be too, and our strength and resilience is tested. The definition of self is a person’s essential being that distinguishes them from others, especially considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action. This means that when we let the negative things rule us, when we don’t do the work, when we aren’t accountable, our very self – the things that make us unique, the things that God has called us to do, the very purpose we have in our lifetimes – comes under fire. Our sense of self, purpose, our gifts and talents, all of those things start to dry up and wither. But we know that it isn’t just our sense of self that is affected. We know that if our self withers, then our bodies and minds follow. Dis-ease will be present. We will be disconnected from ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually.

I think my basic take away from all of this is that everything is connected. We are responsible for doing the work, and choosing to live with joy and gratitude. When we don’t do our work, we pay for it with dis-ease of mind, body and soul. This is the work of being human, and the work of healing and living in true wellness. For me personally, I can see this verse at work not only in my own life, but in the lives of my fellow humans, in the ways that our governments and societies operate, in the ways we see war, violence, hunger, poverty, depravity and sickness on this Earth. When our Spirits are sick, we are sick, and we act sick. When we do the work of living in thankfulness, in that merry heart state of intention, we shine our Light and we act in love because it’s the only way to have true connection to God and true wellness in our lives. I also think it’s important to take into account the different ways the masculine and feminine energies interact throughout this verse, and how that can be applied in our own lives. And finally, it’s not lost on me that this verse tells us what makes us sick, but it also tells us our cure, and it leads with that: “A cheerful heart does good like medicine (a cure)” – it tells us that first. The hope and the promise come first. The Light and love of the Creator comes first, always.

So what do we do? Where do we start? How do we even begin to tackle healing when we’re sick and tired and discouraged and all the things?

In the next email, we’ll look at some ways you can start to apply these teachings in a practical way. In the meantime, take time to prayerfully consider everything we’ve discussed. These are deep topics and I’m barely scratching the surface. As always, please pray, reflect, seek discernment and trust God, The Creator of All Things above all else.

Reflection

Take some time to look back over all the definitions we discussed in this email. Which of the definitions of Spirit stand out to you or resonate with you? Are there ways your Spirit is broken, and therefore contributing to dis-ease in some other area(s) of your life? Are there past traumas, events, disappointments, shame, etc. that you’re carrying with you? How can you start to feel the feelings related to those things and begin to process and release those things from your Spirit (or your Ark)?

Have you ever experienced direct physical symptoms from something mental or emotional you’re dealing with (i.e., an upset stomach when you’re anxious, etc.)? Can you see the connection between a broken Spirit and a drying up, or withering of the bones? 

Take a few moments to think about Proverbs 17:22 in its entirety.  “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” My sweet Aunt Mary sent me a different translation of this verse and I thought I would share it here. This is Proverbs 17:22 from the Passion Translation: “A joyful, cheerful heart brings healing to both body and soul. But the one whose heart is crushed struggles with sickness and depression.”

What are your overall takeaways from everything we’ve discussed with this verse? Has this changed your perspective on your overall health and wellness? Are there areas in your internal world (your mind, thoughts, emotions, appetites, traumas, etc.) or your external world (relationships, how you treat others, priorities, etc.) that need work? Do you have a good support system to help you stay accountable and consistent in your healing work and in your daily routines/habits?

This one little verse contains a lot of wisdom and instruction. As I’ve said many times, I’m just scratching the surface of what all of these words and concepts mean. I, too, am on my own healing journey – working on areas that need healing, and working on my own consistency and accountability. When I first started this series, I mentioned that I knew this verse was true because I’ve lived it. Now that you have read the verse and studied it, do you feel like it’s something you’ve experienced first-hand as well? Can you see it at work in your own life?

If you want to talk more about these concepts, have questions or need support or encouragement, send me an email and let’s connect. As I mentioned at the top of this post, I do feel like there’s something I’ve missed or overlooked, so if you see something different or have a different perspective, please reach out. I’m hoping someone has the puzzle piece that I feel like I’m missing. You can also leave a comment on this post for discussion.

I know that figuring out what to do with all of this and turning it into actual, practical steps can be hard – especially when you’re already overwhelmed by illness or whatever else life is throwing at you. I’ll be back soon in this space with a Practical Guide to Wellness that will hopefully give you a place to start on your own healing journey. In the meantime, I encourage you to seek God – pray, seek discernment, spend time in nature, and work on your connection to The Creator of All Things.

I’ll see you back here soon!

With gratitude, sending love and blessings,

Kelly

P.S. I shared this video in my last email, but I’m sharing again in case you missed it. If you haven’t taken a few minutes to listen to 103 year old Dr. Gladys McGarey talk about the secret to good health and good living, you need to do it. I love her Spirit so much.