Category: Unwell

About your spiritual / psychological toolbox.

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the wil of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Where are your thoughts falling short of God’s life-giving truth? Here are four tools to help you:

  1. remove the lie and replace it with truth. …an enemy who is seeking to destroy us. His weapon is the lie…
  2. create new trenches of truth. Our brains have neural pathways—mental ruts we created through repeatedly thinking the same thoughts—which trigger our automatic response to external stimuli. To stop a behavior, we need to remove the lie behind it and replace the neural pathway.
  3. reframe. You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control how you receive it and react to it. We all have cognitive biases that cause us to see things in ways that do not reflect reality. you have the power to reframe…
  4. change your perspective through prayer and praise. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everything that is happening, but when we’ve had enough, God is enough. Not only is God enough, God is near. We stay mindful of His presence. When we do, it leads us to pray. Praying changes our brain, as does praising God. We praise Him for the who of who He is, even if the what is not what we want. As we praise God, we feel warming peace of mind.

Decide today that you will not think like the rest of the world. You will let God renew your mind… fix your thoughts on Jesus. He made you. He will sustain you. He can carry you, strengthen you, and empower you to do what He’s called you to do. You are more than a conqueror through Christ.

A blend of my thoughts and “excerpts from today’s Bible App Devotional called ‘Winning the War in your mind’”

Embrace Your Wabi-Sabi

In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete” in nature.

We do not have to fear or compete with others in order to have a place, and a purpose, and love.

Psalm 139:13-14 “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
and
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Practice the Pause

In my wisdom years, I am learning more the value of the pause, and one day at a time, making every day count, which is really all we have, right? We live daily until our last breath, then there’s the afterlife.

Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Only God knows what tomorrow will bring, much more each single day beyond that.

Here’s what I know: you are alive today. Your people need your love and full presence. When your time (or your beloved’s time) comes to leave this earth, let it be with love, knowing you did your best.

A final note: When a loved one departs, don’t make any big decisions for awhile, you will not be able to make wise choices so soon. Allow the memories to wash over you, along with some mixed thoughts and feelings.

You may feel alone in this necessary time of processing the great loss, and you will come through it. You are not alone, and will never be. God has you, and you have God.

Stress and Overthinking and God Interventions

When it feels like the world is spinning out of control, do your spiraling thoughts overwhelm you? I can tell you what helps when I feel this way. I have learned this doesn’t just magically go away.

For me, I have to make an intentional decision to stop what I’m doing, become aware that I am spiraling, take a deep cleansing breath, find a quiet place, and talk to God.

I find it helpful to begin by acknowledging who God is, and offer gratitude for everything I can think of, as well as things I don’t even know. In those moments, I breathe deeply again, and allow God to re-introduce the peace I need, and that He desires for my spirit to feel.

Beloved, if you are too much “in your head” lately, ruminating, pondering excessively, with spinning thoughts to no end, I pray you find praying through the book of Ecclesiastes strangely comforting, like I did this morning.

In the end, this is what matters most: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

P.S. And isn’t it just like God’s Holy Spirit, that in the middle of processing all this, as my troubled spirit was healing, an unexpected encounter happened – a woman stopped to talk with me in the coffee shop, and poured out her heart to me and God, and we listened, and I cried with her. Thank you God.

Peace Within

In scripture, as with my own story, I have learned peace is a gift from God. Receive God’s gift of peace for yourself today. Take a moment and use your calming breaths, release body tension, and recognize God’s Spirit dwelling in you.

“The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

(written with inspiration from “The Upper Room”)

The Skill of Listening Well

A truly worthy goal for us all. I am trained as a Chaplain to listen well with all individuals. This article is refreshing and life-giving. We all can learn to improve in this area, and consequently all our interactions and relationships will blossom.

https://hbr.org/2016/07/what-great-listeners-actually-do