Seeking and Finding Abundant Wholeness
In order to attain abundant wholeness, we must experience many peaks and valleys. Until we walk through our dark times, we can’t experience true light. (Watch my video Help for Dark Times.)
So, when you are faced with sadness, doubts and fears, be prayerful and examine these feelings to address a buried issue that may have never come to the surface. My favorite way of dealing with feelings is to journal and get it all “out” and down on paper. It can be a healing, transforming act.
When I start thinking about what I want to share with you, so many times scripture will pop into my head. On this subject of seeking and finding abundant wholeness, these two verses bubbled up (an expression my pastor uses a lot).
John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
Jude: 2 – “Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.”
Yes, we are meant to live a life full of abundant wholeness. However, people and circumstances (thieves) come to steal that from us. Many times our deepest wounds happen when we are children and we are defenseless. We stuff the hurts down so deep that we build a literal fortress around our hearts. Denial and avoiding pain are the bricks that we build up over time, one by one, to keep out the hurt.
As of this writing, I have come out of one of my darkest valleys, and it feels great to be moving in a positive direction and feel abundant wholeness. Getting in touch with these buried feelings is a key to spiritual growth. If we are not growing, we are lifeless. To be continued…..
How to Listen – God Gave us Two Ears that are Open All of the Time
Someone said the other evening at a church meeting that God gave us two ears that were always open and one mouth that we could shut. I had never “heard” it put that way before, so I wanted to share that description.
Meditation involves listening to God. As part of God’s family, it’s important that we listen to others too. Sometimes we are called just to show up and be present.
Paul Reiter shared the following with me. Paul is the Executive Presbyter of the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy and will be joining us during our Build Spiritual Muscle series in the month of June. It was too good to keep to myself, so I wanted to share it with you.
Listen
When I ask you to listen to me,
And you start giving me advice,
You have not done what I asked.
When I ask that you listen to me,
And you begin to tell me what I shouldn’t feel that way,
You are trampling on my feelings,
When I ask you to listen to me,
And you feel you have to do something to solve my problems,
You have failed me, strange as it may seem.
Mother’s Day – God Bless Mothers – On Earth and In Heaven
Sunday will be Mother’s Day. For many, it’s a time of celebration. For me, this mother’s day will be a time of celebration. My mother is still with me. She turned 92 in January. Considering all that she has physically to deal with, congestive heart failure, diabetes, and asthma, you would never guess that she is 92 – more like 70, and she certainly doesn’t act a day over 16!
Here she is after she broke her left wrist in the fall of 2008. She goes by the name of Bea. This pose is typical of her personality because she always felt more comfortable performing on the stage.
After this happened, I told her, “Mom, you’re lucky that it was your left wrist because you’re right handed.” Two weeks later the phone rang. It was my mother telling me she had broken her right wrist. She told me she couldn’t help it because she’s always been an over-achiever! That’s where I get it….. and her sense of humor. My mother is truly an inspiration.
I am a mother. For the first time in a long time, my son will be with me this Mother’s Day – Another reason for celebration.
For others, who have lost their mothers, however, this will be a time of, perhaps, grief. Continue reading