The Road to an Abundant Life...
A huge part of taking care of ourselves is learning to be introspective. We spend a lot of time critiquing the actions of others, but I wonder have we spent any time looking at ourselves. Evaluating our own behavior and measuring it against the word of God is essential for our spiritual growth.
When you take the time to look at your part in an offense or in a situation - you grow. I am appreciative of those who would call me on behavior that is outside of the parameters of God’s word. We all need friends who will hold us accountable.
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” -Psalm 139:23-24
I have grown so much in the last year. I have reclaimed my time in huge ways. Joy has been re-birthed within me and I am working my way to complete wellness. It has been a journey filled with tears and pain but every last bit of it was necessary for me to lean how to live again. I had to dig, crawl and scrape for every inch to get myself out of the pit I called life. I am a living witness that you can have breath in your body and be dead at the same time.
I am still on a journey. Getting better day by day. My mind, body and soul suffered trauma and so I had to set myself on a course to repair all three.
Mind - I started seeing a therapist. Now I know many believe that we should be able to just pray everything out. We can, but I am a firm believer that God blesses us with tools that are meant to be used. Just as we go to the doctor when we are suffering in our body, we can also go to the doctor/therapist when we are suffering in our mind. For me, the Word of God always trumps everything. I take what is useful and leave the rest. So far the tools I’ve been given have been invaluable and I’m thankful for the continued journey.
Body - Now I am not one who obsess over size or the scale. I believe that body positivity is key in how you see yourself. My confidence has never been determined by my size. I will say, however, I have uncovered my unhealthy relationship with things that I consume, and it’s negative impact on my overall energy and stamina. Having a consistent workout routine and honoring the commitment to this kind of self care has been a life saver. Adding regular exercise has freed me more than I care to admit. Like, I could have been doing this all along. Crazy how we can get stuck. Pray for me as I journey on.
Soul - Spending time with God is something I have always done. I have always carved out time to spend with the Lord. If I hadn’t I would probably be dead by now, perhaps at my own hand. I will say that living in a state of severe sadness and depression makes you numb to life. The only way I was able to survive and actually function in this state for so long was that I walked with a promise keeping God. He never left me, nor did He forsake me. I could easily encourage others while I myself was drowning. I look back now and realize God literally carried me for like 27 years. Insane. Forgiving myself for allowing myself to live in this state for so long was my first order of business. Once I did that (and I still have minor relapses), I was able to move forward and begin to do the spiritual work necessary to get me back on track. Spending time in the presence of God in devotion, prayer and worship is the highest form of self care!
I am here to tell you today that you can LIVE. I mean really live. God promises us an abundant life, the question is are we willing to live it. I pray that by sharing the experiences on my journey it will encourage someone else to self evaluate and make the necessary adjustments to live the abundant life God promised us. If we are not living abundantly then it has everything to do with the choices we are making.
We can do all things though Christ who gives us strength. Let’s all live the abundant life God has promised us, together.