About a decade in the past I ran the North Pole Marathon Grand Slam. The Grand Slam includes working marathons on every of the seven continents and on an iced-over part of the Arctic Ocean of the North Pole. It was a satisfying accomplishment, however that was then. I nonetheless train each day, watch my weight-reduction plan, and routinely search wellness. But I now discover achievement in much less taxing ventures.
It is a indisputable fact that as we age, our power and dexterity diminish. We see the consequences of violating this precept when a once-active athlete tries to do, in later years, what she or he as soon as did in prime. It’s known as the “push-me-and-you’ll-pay effect.” If you excessively pressure the physique, the response will probably be rapid—pains, spasms, or a critical harm.
Maintaining high quality of life and sleek growing older requires some important primary expertise. We start to be taught these expertise in our early years, refine them throughout center years, and, effortlessly or effortfully, proceed them in later years. I borrow the formal idea of primary life expertise from my spouse, a bodily therapist, and name them the FEMIS Factors (Function, Education, Mobility, Independence, Stability) for ease of reminiscence.
To maximize the FEMIS Factors into enriching life, two empowering Bible ideas are useful. First is Paul’s “work it out” precept (see Phil. 2:12). Meaning, we have now a duty to do our cooperative half in our salvation and self-improvement. Second is Ellen White’s “master the basics” mindset. Here we deliberately be taught the sensible necessities of life (i.e., thoughts, physique, spirit, social) for temporal and everlasting service.*
As we mature, these primary expertise develop into more and more useful. They enhance in value as we progress all through life. If we lose any of them by accident, sickness, or incapacity, we’ll in all probability spend vital time looking for to regain or compensate for them. Here they’re:
1. Function. This is the power to successfully do the essential actions of each day residing (ADL), corresponding to bathing, dressing, consuming, and toileting. Function additionally consists of the instrumental actions of each day residing (IADL), corresponding to cooking, housecleaning, purchasing, and private finance.
2. Education. This consists of steady lifelong studying and progress within the psychological, bodily, social, and non secular domains, together with the occupational and monetary realities. All these make up the core of life’s development and actions. A main aim of life is to be at all times studying, rising, progressing. Always growing and bettering.
3. Mobility. Movement, vary of movement, exercise, and train stay vitally necessary all through life. They assist us to carry out life actions, facilitate administration of stress, enhance sociability, increase mind efficiency, and enhance sleep and power ranges. Basic mobility is critical at every stage of life.
4. Independence. Independence is the tendency to observe self-efficacy and private initiation. This leads to profitable efficiency of the aim of your life, and it flows into the features of service and goodness for God and society. Independence leads to the great observe of pondering and appearing autonomously, ideally, for good and noble outcomes.
5. Safety. Often neglected, this significant ability strategically improves our total means to properly handle threat, hurt, hazard, and crises. It means we’re individually, socially, and morally cautious and proactive. Safety is a sensible and essential ability that preserves one’s continuous existence and longevity.
So, the FEMIS Factors purposefully focus consideration and power on these basic threads that proceed all through life. These expertise might take numerous kinds and precedence within the totally different phases. Nevertheless, vigilant enchancment in these areas have to be carefully maintained all through life.
Think about these FEMIS Factors. Analyze how they’re working with you. Prioritize and enhance them. Refine and share them. With diligence and intentionality, they’ll add a recent, thrilling perspective to your life, management, and witness.
Delbert W. Baker, Ph.D., resides in Laurel, Maryland. He is director of Research and Development for the Regional Conference Retirement Plan/Office of Regional Conference Ministries. His spouse, Dr. Susan Baker, is an educator and working towards bodily therapist.
* Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1903, 1952), pp. 221, 222).