Healthy Living - Not Just Eating

Yesterday I wrote about when I began to consider getting back to basics. My primary motivation at the time was our financial situation. Getting back to basics saved money.

 As our financial situation improved, the need to save every single little penny didn't seem as urgent. We weren't rolling in the dough (we worked for a non-profit organization, enough said) but I didn't feel the need to make my own baby wipes anymore. Gradually our kids went from homemade playdough to Hasbro Play-doh. Needless to say, I was getting away from the "every little bit counts" mentality towards "I don't have any time or patience to make my own things" mentality.

Then a friend recommended the book What the Bible Says About Healthy Living. I loved the book because it's written by a medical doctor who spells out what God told the Israelites to eat and not to eat way back when, and then he explains the medical reasons why God would say that. Even though those dietary restrictions aren't necessary today, they're still a good idea for reasons the author explains very well. It turns out, God had some good reasons to tell His people not to eat pig.

Buying Well

Last week one of the local Christian radio stations promoted a concert tour called Not For Sale, which is a campaign to bring awareness to human trafficking and modern day slavery. I wasn't able to go to the concert, but as I listened to the interview on the radio before the show, I was shocked by what they were discussing. And I was convicted.

During the brief time that I listened to their conversation, they talked about how many of the products that we buy in our country's discount stores are cheap because they are made with child labor. Sometimes the labor is even forced.

When I got home, I googled "products made from child labor" and found this and several other articles that convicted me of my indiscriminate purchasing habits. Actually, what convicted me most was that this was not new information to me.

Several years ago I was made aware of sweatshops and I decided to change my shopping habits. For a little while. But ultimately I bowed to the bottom line of our budget and I wanted the most bang for my buck. That's easy to do when you look at the rising cost of living. That was my excuse. But at what cost am I saving when there is a moral cost involved? That's a higher price to pay.