By Sally Jo Pitts
Last night while watching this sunset with my grandson and daughter-in-law, she commented, “God created amazing scenery for us to enjoy.”
God’s first setting was the Garden of Eden—the environment intended for us … until the fall of man. But did you know there are places in the world in which people have low rates of chronic disease and live longer than anywhere else? These regions are known as blue zones. There are common elements shared in these zones which happen to highlight Christian principles. Here are three:
- Living for Purpose– Everyone in the culture has a purpose. People continue to be productive into their 90s and even 100s. They work for their purpose in life, love it, and keep doing it for their whole lives. They don’t retire in order to do something they love when they quit working.
- Consuming a Plant-Based Diet– Most blue zone residents either avoid meat completely or eat fish and lean meat sparingly. The diet consists of mostly whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, seeds, and spices.
- Honoring Family– In blue zones, the oldest people are the most respected ones. Wisdom is celebrated and youngsters grow up around the older family members and benefit from their years of experience.
As authors, we have the privilege of immersing readers in the world we build. My latest book release, Spring Betrayal incorporates these blue zone concepts.
And even though there is trouble in paradise, the island exemplifies the soul gratifying setting of God’s creation, just like the sunset viewed from my backyard last night.
Can you think of a way to use setting to exemplify biblical principles?
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Sally Jo Pitts writes what she likes to read—faith-based stories of romance and mystery with an unusual twist. She brings a career as a private investigator, high school guidance counselor, and teacher of family and consumer sciences to the fiction page. Her real-world experiences fuel her passion to share how faith can bring hope in the face of conflicts that she puts her characters through. Residing in north Florida with her spunky schnauzer Gibbs, Sally Jo enjoys hot mochas, old movies, and writing scenes from scribbled notes that clutter her house. More about Sally Jo and things she investigates can be found at www.sallyjopitts.com.