What is 'Healthy'?

A Perspective Rooted in Shalom

In today’s world, the word “healthy” is often reduced to diet trends, exercise routines, or mental well-being checklists. But true health is so much more than physical fitness or even emotional stability. At its core, health is about wholeness—about being fully and wholly connected to God, living in a state of Shalom.

The Biblical Concept of Shalom

Shalom is often translated as “peace,” but its meaning extends far beyond the absence of conflict. It is about completeness, harmony, and well-being in every aspect of life—physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, and even societal. When God created the world, He established a perfect Shalom, where everything was in balance, working as it should.

This state of complete well-being was disrupted by sin, which fractured our relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves. Ever since, humanity has sought restoration—sometimes in fleeting ways like temporary health fixes, but true restoration is only found in returning to God's design.

Health as Staying Centered in God

Many definitions of health focus on avoiding sickness, but biblical health is about being centered—firmly rooted in God’s truth so that the trials of life do not knock us off balance. When we are physically sick, emotionally drained, or spiritually distant, we feel disconnected, fragmented. True health, then, is about living in a way that restores and maintains our connection with God and His purpose for us.

To be “healthy” in this sense means:

• Physical Wholeness – Caring for our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), not through obsession with fitness or restrictive diets, but through stewarding our health as an act of worship.

• Emotional Stability – Guarding our hearts and minds in Christ (Philippians 4:7), not by denying feelings but by processing them through the truth of God’s Word.

• Spiritual Alignment – Seeking first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33), ensuring that our spiritual disciplines—prayer, worship, and Scripture—anchor us, no matter what life throws our way.

• Relational Peace – Living in harmony with others, forgiving as Christ forgave us (Colossians 3:13), and fostering communities where love and truth thrive.

The Journey to Wholeness

Unlike the world’s definition of health, which often sets unattainable or shifting goals, biblical health is a lifelong process of returning to Shalom. This means:

• Reorienting our lives daily to God’s truth, rather than cultural definitions of success or wellness.

• Recognizing when we’ve been knocked off center and seeking restoration through prayer, repentance, and wise counsel.

• Embracing grace, knowing that perfect wholeness will only be fully realized in eternity, but we can experience glimpses of it now through faith.

Living Out True Health

When we define health through the lens of Shalom, it frees us from the pressure of perfection and invites us into a life of purpose and peace. Instead of chasing fleeting wellness trends, we can rest in the truth that our health—our wholeness—is found in Jesus, the Prince of Shalom (Isaiah 9:6).

So, what is healthy? It is not merely the absence of disease or distress. It is being deeply rooted in God, fully alive in His presence, and unwavering in faith, no matter the circumstances. It is the restoration of all things—body, mind, and spirit—back to Him.

May we all pursue this kind of health, not as a checklist to achieve, but as a relationship to nurture. Shalom!