The burden of this message is to cover some practical matters in your living so that as young people pursuing to serve the Lord, you may receive some practical training and learning in three main categories—eating, clothing, and sleeping and exercise. Sleeping is inactive whereas exercise is active. I am going to teach you something practical about food, clothing, and being inactive and active. Do not think that being active or inactive are small matters. If you are inactive when you should be active, or if you are active when you should be inactive, you will have great problems and much trouble. Therefore, you must be trained in these matters. I thank the Lord that He has kept me on the earth for so long a time. There is a Chinese proverb which says, “Since the ancient times it is rare for human life to reach seventy years.” In the Bible Moses said something similar—“The days of our years are seventy years, / Or, if because of strength, eighty years” (Psa. 90:10). I am over eighty years old now, so I am a man with strength. Of course, this is the mercy of God, and I have nothing to boast of. However, you have to realize that the dealings between God and us are always of two sides. For example, suppose that God desires to give us water to drink, but we close our mouth and refuse to drink. If we do this, He cannot do anything about it. Suppose also that God wants to give you longevity, but instead of appreciating His desire to do so, you jump into the sea or run in front of someone’s car. If you did this, you would die sooner than others. If this were to happen, it would be because you acted contrary to God’s will.
Therefore, from your youth you have to pay attention to your daily living so that you will be healthy and will live longer on the earth. You should not think that since you are young, you are very useful and can be used to do many things. This may cause you to use your body excessively. Of course, you are useful while you are young, but you will be more useful as you become older. No one desires to die early; everyone wants to live longer. I can tell you that the secret to good health depends on eating, resting, and exercising properly. Eating refers to our diet, resting refers mainly to our sleep, and exercise refers to our activities, our bodily exercise.
When I was young, I did not pay proper attention to my eating. I was always under stress and busy, and sometimes I ate without restraint. Consequently, I developed stomach problems very early in life. Before I reached the age of thirty, I already had a very serious stomach problem. Therefore, you have to be warned. Do not eat under stress, eat in haste, or eat without control. Second, do not pay too much attention to the taste of the food that you eat; rather, pay attention to the nutrition that you receive from it. You should know something about nutrition, and you should also have a little knowledge about such things as oil, sugar, salt, and meat. Third, learn to eat a regular amount—avoid eating too much at times and too little at others. Perhaps in these days you frequently fast. Although this is very good, you should not do it too irregularly. To do so will ruin your stomach. Fourth, as much as possible eat at a regular time. According to your present schedule, I am afraid that you may not eat at regular times. You may either skip supper or eat after the meetings. This is not right. This may be acceptable occasionally, but in the long run you will have stomach problems.
We must know the way our body works. Once a certain part is damaged, it is hard to restore it to the original state and condition. Some of the parts may recover, but it is still not possible to restore them a hundred percent. It is best not to allow anything to damage your body. Do not allow this to happen and then seek to be cured after the damage is already done. The best thing to do is to cherish and maintain your body now. I remind you to pay much attention to the matter of eating.
Regarding resting, you should sleep at night and avoid constantly burning the midnight oil. It is best to sleep early and rise early. Generally speaking, this is the proper way. After lunch you should have at least ten minutes to close your eyes and rest. It is best if you can lie down and take a short nap. However, to nap for more than an hour is excessive.
You should consider exercise and being active as your recreation and leisure, but you must be careful not to fall into sin. It is necessary to be active for the sake of your physical health. Therefore, you should exercise regularly, either doing calisthenics or “shadowboxing” for at least twenty minutes each day. Moreover, it is good to have a little exercise after each meal. There is a Chinese saying—“Walk a hundred steps after every meal; live for ninety and nine years.” Doctors, nurses, and all those who are experienced know that eating meals in bed or refraining from any activity after eating is detrimental to one’s health. Doctors even encourage the patients who are confined in bed to try to stand up for awhile or to take a little walk after meals if possible.
It is also not good to read or work immediately after eating. The best thing to do after a meal is to walk for three to five minutes, taking around a hundred steps each minute. In this way, you will enjoy longevity. A certain senior statesman in Chinese politics who lived to an advanced age wrote a proverb that contains a formula for longevity. The gist of the proverb is—“To enjoy longevity, you have to sleep seven hours at night and walk seven thousand steps during the day.” This man walked one hundred steps a minute, so it took him seventy minutes to walk seven thousand steps. If an elderly man can walk seven thousand steps a day, he will be very healthy, but walking seven thousand steps is not enough for young people. They need more exercise, and it is better for them to have some more vigorous activities. Elderly ones should walk seven thousand steps a day, but it is not too much for children to walk ten thousand steps a day. As young people, you are in between the children and the elderly ones, so you also should have the proper amount of exercise. While you are exercising, however, you have to bear in mind that you are doing so because you love the Lord. I hope that the Lord would grant me another twenty years, because I still have many burdens. The Lord gives us life and breath for us to love Him. This is why we need to be trained from our youth.