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Are You Tired of Being Tired?

Physically B A L A N C E D Part 1 of 8

I have been writing about being spiritually balanced.  And I really believe that being physically balanced affects our spiritual lives as well.  So I will be writing back and forth between the spiritual and the physical.

It is hard to be physically balanced with the chaos in the world today.  We are rushing here and there and life is so full that we forget to take care of ourselves, not only spiritually, but also physically. In this series on being balanced in the physical area of our lives I will be focusing on the following:

Bed Time

Aqua

Light

Air

Nutrition

Control

Exercise

Dependence on God

In part one I will be focusing on Bed Time.

Bed Time

Getting adequate rest is so important.  It affects every aspect of our physical health when we do not get the rest we need.  Our bodies actually repair at night while we are sleeping.  Getting the rest we need, will help us with keeping a healthy weight, keeping our emotions balanced, our immune systems strong, and many other things.  And from what I have learned for those that are still growing, you actually grow while you sleep.  We need to rest.

How much sleep you need depends on your age.  We often think the older you get the more sleep you need but that is not necessarily true, according to the Sleep Foundation (https://www.sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-sleep-foundation-recommends-new-sleep-times). There are recommended amounts of sleep but also you can oversleep as well.  There again there is a balance in all things.  Newborns up to 13 need between 9-17 hours, Teenagers 8-10 (14-17), Young Adults 7-9 (18-25), Adults 7-9 (26-64), and Older Adults (65+) 7-8.  If you want more details check out their website.

Prepare for bed

All the 8 laws of health that I am going to talk about through this series can help improve your sleep.  All these work together and are intertwined.  But I am going to only address sleep while you keep in mind that all 8 laws affect your sleep also.

There are things that you can do that will get you ready for a good night’s sleep.  It is best to be off any kind of electronics an hour or two before bed.  All the electronics stimulate the brain so that it has a hard time shutting down.  So this would include but not be limited to your cellphone, computers, iPods, iPads or equivalent, and television.  So many people watch TV right before bed or even check their phones (guilty); this can affect your sleep.  It is very difficult not to pick up some device.  Some people even read a book on their electronic device.  May I suggest a real book that you can touch and has real pages!  Reading a real book before going to bed can be helpful.

You also want to be sure that your bedroom is dark.  This is so important in your melatonin and serotonin levels.  We were meant to sleep in the dark.  But often we have night-lights, clocks, and other devices that light up our rooms.  It is best to keep all electronics out of the room as well.  Go back over 100 years I am sure their sleep was so much better than it is in our modern age.  When the lamp was put out it was dark, darker than most of us have ever experienced.

It is really helpful to have fresh air coming into your bedroom as well, which can be difficult in the winter months.  But it aids in better sleep.  And believe it or not, having a cooling room aids in sleep.  May I suggest that you dress warmer so that you can have that fresh crisp air in your bedroom for a great restful sleep?

Other ways…

There can be other things that you can do to get your body into the relax mode so it is prepared to sleep.  There are herb teas that you can drink like Chamomile, Sleepy Time (One of my favorites), and many others.  Pick a favorite herb tea along with your favorite book and spend some time sipping tea and reading.  This can get you all relaxed.

Another amazing thing is a nice warm bath or if you don’t have a bathtub you can do a hot footbath as well.  Take some Epson Salt and add a few drops of essential oils like Lavender to it and place it in your bath.  This is a great way to relax your body to get ready for sleep.

If you don’t have time for a bath or maybe even drinking some tea while reading a great book, use some essential oils.  You can diffuse some in your room, like Lavender, Serenity oil blend, Petitgrain, just to name a few.  I also like to put a drop on each one of my feet and breathe it in, the bottom of our feet have the largest pores and take things in more quickly.  And the aroma is very effective as well, as it hits that olfactory nerve which tells the brain, “It is time to relax”.   This writing is not exhaustive when it comes to supporting our sleep but this can get you started with some ideas.

Dear Father,

Thank You for all the things that you have given us to help promote good health. Help us in following your laws of health and using the things that You have provided in nature so that we can be in ultimate health.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Focus on making sure you get great sleep.

What changes have you made or plan to make so that you can get better sleep?

If you have questions feel free to reach out to me.

 

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“Can You be Toxic Spiritually?” Part 10

Toxic?

The truth of the matter is we are bombarded every day with so many things that are toxic to our spiritual lives.  Even if we are striving to live a clean non-toxic life we are bombarded with ungodly music, advertising, food, people, emotional stress, etc.  You might be saying, “Food, what do you mean.  How can food be toxic to my spiritual life?”  I will get to that question in a few minutes.

There are so many spiritual toxins that we may not be able to control.  Every time we go shopping we cannot control what we hear, music is everywhere.  We may even have music to contend with at work and it may not be the kind of music that brings health to our spiritual lives.  And then there are people.  Can people be toxic?  Yes, they can!!  But we can’t always control what people we are around.  It could be someone at work or it may be someone right in your own home.

What can we do?

“Breathing” (prayer) is a key component.  For more details on this component read part 6.  Just like we need to have fresh air breathed into our lungs to deal with toxins in the body we need “fresh” prayer to deal with our spiritual toxins.  We can’t expect to do a quick prayer in the morning and maybe a short prayer at night and expect that to deal with the problem.  We should naturally be “breathing” (prayer) throughout the day.  What would happen physically if you stopped breathing?  I will take a big breath in the morning and I will be fine throughout the day.  Breathing once a day doesn’t work and neither does praying once a day.  Prayer is just as important as breathing.

What we “eat” spiritually can also affect the toxicity within our spiritual lives. Read part 2 for more details on this subject.   We need to be careful about what we take in.  We know that we can be safe with God’s Word.  But even then we need to be sure that we are being “washed” with “soap” (Holy Spirit).  Just like we need to wash the wonderful foods that God has given us to get rid of any toxins that may be present, we need to be “washed” by the Holy Spirit to get rid of any “toxins” that may be present.

You may be asking, “Are you saying the Bible has the wrong things in it?”  My answer is no.  But without the Holy Spirit, we can get toxic ideas that are really not good food.  So the good food of God’s Word can become toxic without the direction of the Holy Spirit.  We also need discernment about any other books that we read, other than the Bible.  There are a lot of spiritual books we can read but we need to make sure they are not toxic to our spiritual growth.  They need to be in line with God’s principles laid out in His Word.

The rest we get…

The rest we get physically is very important.  But the rest spiritually is just as valuable and important.  They are really both intertwined.  Lack of physical rest affects our spiritual rest and lack of spiritual rest affects our physical rest.  How many times have you stayed awake at night because you are not spiritually resting?  If we are not resting in Christ our spiritual lives will become very toxic.  We have to be doing all the foundational things that I have talked about above in order for us to have that spiritual rest.

Exercise is another aspect that helps in eliminating our physical toxic load.  The same is true in our spiritual lives.  As we exercise our spiritual muscles with memorizing God’s Word it will help reduce our toxic load.  It will also help us rest in Christ.  We will have the help we need for us to rest physically as well as spiritually.  I have been awake at night struggling with worry.  I have found that as I pray and dwell upon Scriptures that I have memorized I go to sleep and have a peaceful rest.  It can also help you resist temptations that will bring more toxins into your life.

Emotional stress…

Emotional stress seems to be more powerful than anything.  Because it doesn’t matter what you are going through it affects you emotionally.  Emotional stress can be the biggest toxic load to our spiritual lives.  I believe that our moral character is made up of two things, thoughts, and feelings.  Our thoughts affect our feelings and our feelings dictate how we respond.  So one of the big things we need to control is our thoughts because that is where things begin.  “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:…” Proverbs 7:7.

We need to control our thoughts.  Now, this is way easier said than done.  And that is where memorizing scriptures and prayer come in handy.  It is like anything in life.  If you want to do something you learn how to do it and then you do it.  Take any career.  You go to school or someone trains you into a position.  If you don’t work in the area that you have been trained you start to lose the ability to do it.

I know that prayer and memorizing God’s Word are keys to keeping my thoughts where they should be.  But knowing it does not accomplish it.  Doing is what brings about success.  It will be a challenge at first just like it is in any career.  But when you do it every day it suddenly becomes a habit and you tend to do it without even thinking about it.

We need to flood our bodies…

Just like we need to flood our physical bodies with water to help get the toxins flushed out we need to flush out our spiritual lives with God’s Word.  “…Christ…loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” Ephesians 5:25-27.”

God’s Word is like water washing out the toxins in our lives.  Drink from it daily and not just in the morning.  If you were to drink only a glass of water in the morning and not drink anymore the rest of the day you would become dehydrated.  It would affect your body in so many ways.  The toxins would buildup, your brain would not function as it should, and you would be all together sluggish.  You might be able to get by for a little while but your health would fail.  The same is true with our spiritual lives.  This is one of the reasons why it is so important to memorize God’s Word so you can drink it in several times a day.

What about…

What about the cleaners in our homes?  Now in my last writing, I talked about ridding our homes of the toxic things that we use physically, like cleaners.  How does this apply spiritual speaking?  If the washing of God’s Word cleanses are there other things that we use in its place to “cleanse” us, maybe to get our thoughts on something else besides our problem we may be facing.

We want to cleanse our minds of the toxic thoughts that we are having.  But do you use God’s Word or are we browsing Facebook, watching YouTube clips, movies, music, religious DVD’s, etc?  In and of themselves these may not be bad but can they become toxic in our lives along with many other things.  If they are robbing our time from doing those things God would have us to do, spend time with Him, family, homeless, widowed, helping others, etc., then they are getting in the way.  There are some things that we need to totally eliminate and others refine how we use them so that they don’t control our lives.

I am grateful for all the options for us to keep spiritually healthy.  God has given us His Word as our guide.  Another guide that has so many lessons for us is nature.  The health that we can gain spiritually as well as physically is profound.  It doesn’t matter what time of year it is there are lessons for us to learn through nature.

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your Word.  I give You thanks for the nature You have provided for our enjoyment as well as for great lessons that can empty us of the spiritual toxins within our lives.  Lord, show us those things that are toxic to our spiritual lives and help us to eliminate them.  Prompt our hearts to fill stay in Your Word and allow Your word to wash us clean from all the toxins of this world.  The worldly toxins are all around us Lord and we need Your help to guide us.  Convict our hearts and keep us in Your will as we surrender to You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Cleanse your life of all those things that are toxic to your spiritual life.

Love you all.

Is there a blessing you can share of something you eliminated from your life that helped you spiritually.  Please share below.  If you feel uncomfortable sharing publicly feel free to email me.  I would love to hear your story.

This is part 10 in a several part series “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function”.  There are many things I have shared with you on how to support your immune system, both physically and spiritually.  Although what I have shared has not been exhaustive, I have been sharing just a taste from my own experience.  In part 9 I talked about the toxic products that we use in our home every day and things that we can eliminate to maintain healthy immune function.  This concludes this series on how to maintain healthy immune function both physically and spiritually.  I pray that you have gained a blessing.  And as you make changes in both your physical and spiritual lives I pray that you will be drawn closer to Jesus and be ready for His soon coming.

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“Reduce Your Bodies Toxic Load” Part 9

Toxic?

The fact is we are bombarded each day with so many things that are toxic to our bodies.  Even if we are eating the best foods, clean of all the chemicals and pesticides, there are more chemicals that we are bombarded with each day other than just in our foods.

There are so many toxins that we can’t even control.  Every time we walk out our door and breathe the air we are being filled with toxins.  We even get it in our homes, from furniture too, carpeting, cleaners, clothes, and just the structure of our homes.  It is like how can we get away from it.  The reality is we cannot get away from it all but we can control as much as possible to give our bodies less to fight off.

What can I do?

I cannot exhaust everything that can make the difference in this writing but I am going to share what I can.  In part 5 I talked to you about the importance of breathing and how important it is to our health.  Even though we can’t get away from all the toxins in the air there are areas that are less toxic.  If you have the privilege of living in the country, rather than the city, the air is fresher.  There is a lot more of God’s green creation that helps to purify the air, like the trees.  You can also help to purify your home with having plants that give off oxygen for us.  I also love to bring in the outdoors by diffusing essential oils.  There are different ones that kill off bad bacteria that is in the air.  My favorite is a Protective Blend.

What we eat can also be a factor in ridding our body of toxins.  There is so much of our food today that is full of toxic substances.  The more we stay away from processed foods the better.  But even the fresh foods that God has given us to eat are covered with toxins.  The more we can eat organic and non-GMO foods the better.  And it is best to wash all our fruits and veggies with soap to get rid of what we can of the bad bacteria.

I make up a foaming wash that I use that works great not only for washing fruits and veggies but also to wash my hands.  I take a 10-12 ounce foamer and put around 2 T. of Dr. Bronners Castile non-scented liquid soap in and then add 3-4 drops of Protective Blend.  Then I fill the rest with water and I have a great fruit and veggie wash.

The rest we get…

The rest we get is very important when it comes to reducing our toxic load as well.  In part 7 of this series, I went into more depth about getting good rest and the benefits of it.  But in short, it also helps our bodies to deal with the toxic load.  And if we are not doing all things that help with the toxic load our bodies get to the point that they can’t take it anymore and they become very sick.  For more details what sleep does and how you can get more rest make sure to read part 7.

We also need to be exercising.  Exercise keeps our blood moving through more quickly so that the impurities are filtered out.  And also when we get moving it we start to sweat and actually sweat out toxins.  Our body systems work together and we need to be doing all we can to support all our body systems.

Emotional stress…

Emotional stress is very toxic to the body.  We have to learn how to reduce our emotional stress.  All the things I mentioned above will really help with our emotional toxicity but there are other things that also will help in this area.  I will be diving into this more in part 10 in this series so stay tuned.

We need to flood our bodies…

We also need to flood our bodies with water.  Now you can over drink water but on the majority, we do not have trouble with too much water in our society.  I hate to break it to you but coffee, sodas, or any other drink other than water does not work.  Imagine trying to wash your dishes with any other substance other than water.  They would not be clean.  The same is true of our bodies.  We need water to keep our bodies clean and cleansed of the toxins.

It is easy to figure out the minimum amount of water you should drink each day.  Just take your weight and divide it by two and drink that in ounces.  So if you way 150 you would drink 75 ounces a day which is around 9-10 cups of water.  Now for me, I drink more than the minimum.

Some people have a really hard time drinking water.  There are some little tricks that you can do that can help.  You not only help you get rid of the toxins but also give some flavor to your water.  Some people like to squeeze fresh lemon or lime in their water.  Now I am not talking about lemonade, just the pure lemon.  What I like to do is add a few drops of essential oil like Lemon, Lime, Wild Orange, etc.  It gives some flavor and helps detox me at the same time.

You might be saying, “I thought you just said not to add anything to your water.”  I did say that but it depends on what you add.  Essential oils like Lemon are actually added to many cleaning products such as dish soap.  If it can help detox my dishes it can detox me.  I am sorry coffee, soda, etc do not detox our dishes or our bodies.  There is a warning with this.  Not all essential oils are created equal so be careful which ones you choose to put on your body or take internally.  Purity is the key!  And even if you put it on your skin you are taking it into your body.

What about…

What about cleaners that are in our home?  Can they be toxic to us and cause our bodies to become toxic?  Absolutely!  That is why have made a big change in my cleaning products.  It has been a process.  But it has been so worth it.  I have tried different “healthy” laundry soaps and even though the smell is better than the ones you buy in the store, what I use now is even better for me.

And what I do for my dryer is wool balls with drops of my favorite essential oil on them.  You can change it up now and then with different ones.  I also have changed to a multi-purpose concentrated cleaner that I can mix up in different ways for different cleaning needs.  Also, there are DIY’s that I have used or want to try for the toilet, shower, sinks, etc.  My body handles these so much better.

And then there are the things that we put on our bodies like deodorants, lotions, soaps, shampoos, teeth, etc.  To have a healthy deodorant is a must. Using the deodorants that are antiperspirants is very unhealthy.  You want to the toxins to come out not be left in your body.  I have never used an antiperspirant but I have struggled with finding a healthy deodorant that actually works.  But now I have one and it is naturally infused with essential oils.  There is also an option for people who can’t use baking soda for absorbance.

I have changed my toothpaste to a natural one that does not have fluoride.  I love it and it has been a miracle for my mom.  She had been dealing with receding gum issues but the dentist told her that her gums are now reattaching.  I am so grateful!

I have also changed my shampoo and conditioner and what I actually put on my hair.  There are so many toxins in hair products and it goes right into your body.  It makes me cringe to think about it because it goes right into your brain.

What about perfumes? There are so many options with essential oils with DIY recipes for perfumes and it is way healthier for your body.  You will smell great and the oils are a blessing to your body.  Depending on which oils you use they can be relaxing during a stressful time at work, give you energy when you need a boost, etc.  I have several blends of oils that I get to use as a perfume.  One of my favorite essential oil blends for perfume is Hope.  I love the smell.  But another reason I love it is that the proceeds help support organizations like Operation Underground Railroad that are fighting against sex trafficking worldwide.

Lotions are another area of so many toxins.  I love the lotion that I use now because it has no scent.  Whenever I use some lotion I can choose to leave it with no scent or I can add one of my favorite essential oils to it.  For me, I love it when I know that I am using things that do not fill my body with toxins.

I am so grateful for the options that we now have to keep us healthier.  If we want to support healthy immune function we do need to make the appropriate changes in order to accomplish our goal.

Dear Father,

Thank You that You have ways for us to stay healthier.  It can be hard to follow a plan that is healthier for us.  Please give us the courage and the strength to make the changes that will make us healthier.  It can be more expensive for us to make those changes but Lord I have found that as I follow your plan for a healthier lifestyle You always come through with the blessings I need to accomplish my goal to be healthier.  Thank You for leading and guiding in each our lives.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Start out making some changes today in your toxic load.  Just take it a step and a time and you will get there.

Love you all.

What changes have you already made in your life to eliminate your toxic load?  Share in the comments.

This is part 9 in a several part series “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function”.  There are many things I will be sharing with you on how to support your immune system, both physically and spiritually.  Although what I am sharing is not exhaustive, I am sharing just a taste from my own experience.  In part 8 I talked about the rest that can bring complete rest and how it helps us maintain healthy spiritual immune function.  Coming up in part 10 I will be talking about toxic load when it comes to our spiritual lives.  Toxic things bombard us each day that can affect our spiritual lives.  What can we do to help reduce toxic load so that we can “Maintain Healthy Spiritual Immune Function?”  Stay tuned!

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“I Don’t Want to be Sick!!!” (Part 1)

Sickness!

I don’t know about you but everywhere I go there is someone sick.  I keep thinking that maybe I can let down my guard a little because everyone at my house is well.  But then someone gets sick at work, home, church, or I run into someone at the store, bank, or post office that is sick.

Because I have a compromised immune system due to the different health issues I have had over the years I have to work really hard to stay on top of things.  I cannot step aside from right health principles and get away with it like some people seem to do.

I am not able to diagnose, treat or cure.  But I do believe disease is an effort of nature to free our bodies from conditions that result from violating the laws of health.  So when a person does get sick, the cause should be discovered. There should be changes made in the unhealthful conditions.  And make sure to correct wrong habits.  Then nature is to be assisted in her effort to get rid of impurities and to reestablish the right conditions in the body.

God has made our bodies to be an amazing machine and if we give it the right conditions by following His laws of health then our bodies can heal themselves.  I believe that nature must have an opportunity to do her work.  Any obstacles must be removed, and a chance must be given her to exert her healing forces, which she will surely do if every abuse is removed from her and she has a fair opportunity to do so.

I believe nature is God’s physician.  And the Lord has provided us health-giving properties in the flowers and trees.

Invite God to join you as you read and learn ways that you can assist your body in supporting your immune system.

Foundation

The foundation of a healthy immune system is in how we eat.  We are bombarded with so many toxic things in our foods today.  It would be good for us to stay away from as many processed foods as possible.  So when it comes to shopping get more of those things that are on the outside isles.

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables is great in helping to build the immune system.  The fresher you can eat the better.  These should make up the majority of our diets.

The meats and dairy products have become so diseased that it would be better to choose legumes, whole grains, and nuts.  Instead of getting the mostly white bread, choose the whole grain bread or make your own.  And instead of buying dairy products you can get alternative milk and cheeses.  Or if you are like me I like to make them myself.  There are some great recipes out there.  Eating a plant-based diet helps keep our body healthy.

Real Food

We need to be staying away from all the refined foods and making sure to lower your sugar intake or just throw it out altogether.   Instead of eating or drinking something full of sugar just eat a piece of fresh fruit.  Sugar can lead to insulin resistance, it promotes inflammation, can lead to weight gain, contributes to non-alcoholic liver disease, appears to act as a fertilizer for cancer, among other things, it also lowers the immune system.

I remember hearing a story about a person getting pulled over and they had an alcohol level.  They were not a drinker but had just come from a party where they had consumed ice cream.  Sugar and milk together actually ferments in the stomach and therefore turns to alcohol.

Speaking of cancer, did you know that the stuff they have you drink before doing a scan to see if you have cancer is sugar because it makes the cancer light up like a Christmas tree?

When you eat sugar it lowers your immune system for several hours while your body tries to deal with it.  If you have a sugary drink or food several times a day your body does not have the defenses it needs to fight against anything it may come in contact with each day.  It seems best to stick with what God has given us to eat.

Supplement

Also available in vegan

Even if we are eating the healthiest food we cannot get all the nutrients that we need.  Everything is so depleted.  To help support a healthy immune system taking a good supplement is very needed.  Making sure it is a good quality supplement is important as well.  I know that I have tried many but when you find a supplement that is good quality what a difference it makes.  It changed my life.

Digestion

To keep our healthy immune systems functioning properly we need to make sure our digestion is working well.  Taking enzymes to help with the digestion of our food is needed.  The only food that we get enzymes from for digestion is raw.  As soon as you cook it you lose the enzymes.  And the raw that we get from the grocery stores, even if it is organic, is only around 20% due to the fact that it is picked green.  The more we can eat directly picked ripe the better.  We have two types of enzymes our metabolic and our digestive enzymes.  If we do not have enough digestive enzymes it steals from our metabolic enzymes.

So what exactly is the difference between metabolic and digestive enzymes?  Simply put the metabolic enzymes are responsible for the functioning of our bodies at the level of the blood, tissues, and organs.  And of course, the digestive enzymes digest our food.

The fact is if we are stealing from our metabolic enzymes to digest our foods it can lead to many problems happening in the body, thus lowering our immune function.  We have got to get our digestive system working well.  Probiotics are another one that helps keep our digestive system flowing well.  A probiotic keeps the good bacteria in the gut that helps improve our digestion and elimination process.  I like to take enzymes and a probiotic, one of each before bed to help move things through the body by morning.  And for me, I take enzymes at each meal as well.  If our digestion is working, as it should, it helps us maintain a healthy immunes system.

Dear Father,

As we strive to do those things that will give the best nutrients to our bodies we ask for Your blessing.  You have given us such an amazing body that runs in perfect order if we supply it with what you have given us.  Thank You for such a blessing.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Make some changes in your life today to support a healthy immune system.

Love you all.

This is part 1 in a several part series “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function”.  There are many other things I will be sharing with you on how to support your immune system.  Although what I am sharing is not exhaustive, I am sharing just a taste from my own experience.  In part 1 I have been talking about the foundation of how to support your healthy immune system.  In Part 2 I will talk about the foundation of spiritual nutrition.

 

 

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Maintenance Required!!

Maintenance!

There is really nothing in life that does not require maintenance.  If you want to keep your car in running order it requires maintenance.  Things in your home start going bad and it requires you to maintain it.  Some examples are if you want a toilet, sink, or lighting working properly. The other thing that we have to maintain is our body.  We can’t just go on with life as usual without maintenance.

For me, I fall into the latter category.  As a child, I got Scarlet Fever and Rheumatic Fever.   These brought damage to my immune system and my heart so I had to be more careful than others.  Then in 2008, I got Lyme disease and it did more damage to my body.  It has made it more of a struggle for my immune system.  So maintaining a healthy lifestyle has been a must.  But it also did damage to nerves and muscles that affect the right side of my body.  It totally deformed my body on the right side, which took therapy to get it back to some normalcy.  But it requires maintenance to keep the pain at a minimal.  It brought more damage to my heart so exercising is paramount.  And trying to have less stress is also helpful but seemingly impossible.

Requirements

With those that are generally healthy you can get away with a lot of things for a long while and it seems okay.  But it will eventually catch up with you in your older years.  For me, it is work to stay where I need to be.

For me, there are requirements if I want to stay in less pain and to be functional.  All my muscles have never been the same since I came down with Lyme.  But my right side is the worst.  The muscles stay very tight and easily pull things out of alignment.  So there are two things I need to do to get back to somewhat normal.  I need to go to a deep massage therapist who gets really deep into the muscles to try to loosen them.  Anything other than that will not get them to loosen up some.  Then I also need to go to a chiropractor (I have a great one)  and get an adjustment.  I do have to do these fairly often to maintain.  But because I want to save the money, I often don’t which causes me more discomfort.

Daily Routine

Once I am loosened and adjusted there is a daily routine that helps keep things where they should be for longer and that is exercise.  And I am not talking about just walking, although that is great and needed.  I am talking about muscle strengthening exercises.  I need to do weights and anything that will strengthen those muscles.  It does help make the adjustments and message last longer.   But I still have to get that maintenance every so often.

Our bodies are amazing!  Our spines have nerves running through them.  And it sends messages to the brain and the brain sends messages back.  Like if you poke your finger it travels to the brain.  Then a message is sent back to say that it is pain and what to do about it.  Wow!  And it happens in less than seconds.

Misaligned

Think about if your spine is misaligned.  What exactly will happen?  There are so many things that can go wrong.  The nerves that have certain jobs to do get crimped and those jobs are not done as they should be and things go wrong.

I understand that very much because of my own health.  When things are not aligned as they should be I feel the results.  I already have nerve damage from the Lyme and it increases the results when there is crimping of the nerves going on.

Example

I have a good example from my daughter.  Just before she was born I got into a rear-ending accident.  I was hit pretty hard and it took therapy for the damage that had been done. I was still receiving treatment when my daughter was born.

She had a problem right from the start that seemed really unbelievable to me.  I was nursing her but she was not pooping.  I finally took her into the doctor and he told me that I would need to use a depository to get her to poop.  He told me that this was a condition that some people have and that she would have to deal with constipation for the rest of her life.  I was really devastated with that but went forward and did what I had to do.

I was at one of my chiropractic treatments one day and somehow the subject got brought up about my daughter.  The gal told me to bring her in the next time and let her take a look at my daughter.  I did so and she did an adjustment in her hip area.  I was so amazed it took care of her problem and I no longer had to use a depository for her to poop.  The gal had me bring her in one more time and that was it.  I asked her how that would happen.  She told me that when a baby is born it can be rough on their bodies and sometimes misalignment takes place.

Due to my condition, I must have ongoing maintenance and I am so grateful that chiropractic and message are available to help me through my journey in life.  And as I exercise with walking and weight lifting I can help maintain my health so that I don’t need as much of the maintenance.

Thinking

But all this got me to thinking about my Christian walk.  The concept for our Christian walk is the same.  Lyme disease is not much different than sin. Lyme disease attacks the heart, mind, muscles, nerves, etc. And sin “disease” also attacks the heart, mind, muscles, nerves, etc.  I have to spend time in prayer and study of God’s Word to keep my spiritual muscles strong.  If I don’t do it every day my spiritual muscles start to get weak and I get misaligned with God.  When this happens things don’t go as well.

In order for me to get back in alignment, I need to go to the “Chiropractor” (God) and get an “adjustment” (forgiveness).  Sometimes if we have allowed ourselves to get too far those spiritual muscles have become so hard and stiff that it takes more than just a simple “adjustment”.  You really have to get in and get a “deep massage” (agonizing on your knees).  Sometimes we need God to dig deep into our lives and reveal to us those things that are causing the misalignment.  Our spiritual muscles have become so tight we can’t see why but God knows and can show us.  Just like a deep massage can be physically painful for a temporary time, when we go to God in need of a deep spiritual “massage” and “adjustment” it can be emotionally painful as we allow Him to show us why our spiritual muscles are so tight.

Just like if we try to exercise and lift weights when our body is misaligned it will do damage so spiritually if we try to get close to the Lord without first aligning ourselves with His will it will do spiritual damage.  It will make us feel like we are okay because we are doing the “works” but we are not.

Maintain

Once we have made things right with God we can maintain our connection by spending that time each day in prayer and the study of His Word.  So the question is do we still need to get a spiritual “massage” and “adjustment” if we are exercising and building our spiritual muscles every day?  I believe that we do.  I believe that now and then we need to go to God asking for Him to reveal to us ways that we can have a deeper relationship with Him.  He will give us a spiritual “massage” and “adjustment” that will give us an even deeper connection with Him.

I am grateful for His grace and mercy that does not reveal to us every aspect that we need to change in our lives all at once.  He brings things to us as we can handle them.  So now and then He does a “deep massage” and “adjustment” when He can see that we are ready.  So one time you may go to Him and He reveals nothing and the next time He does.  And you may wonder why He didn’t show you that the last time because it was in your life then too.  It is His grace and mercy.  He knows when the time is right to show us the changes that we need.

Dear Father,

Thank You so much for Your grace and mercy.  I am grateful that I can come to you for a spiritual “massage” and “adjustment” and I know that You will not give me more than I can handle.  It may seem, at times, that it is more than I can handle but I know that I can trust You and that You will walk through it with me, for which I am thankful.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

You can trust God with your life.  Go to Him today and allow Him to give you a spiritual “massage” and “adjustment” so that you can be fully aligned with Him.

Love you all.

Do you have an experience that you can share that would express God’s grace and mercy?  Share it below in the comments.

 

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“Today is Your Last Day!”

Your last day!

What if you were told that today was your last day to live?  What would become the most important things in your life?  Would you do things differently?  I think for most of us the answer would be “yes”.

I think we often get so caught up in our days that we forget how important we are to others and how important others are to us.  And when someone you know or even yourself goes through some hard times or facing death, it is a wake-up call.

An acquaintance

What has really gotten me thinking?  I have some dear friends who have a relative that I am acquainted with who has gone through a tragedy.  It was something so sudden that it was a shock.  This acquaintance could have died but after much time survived.  But still, it is going to be a long road to full recovery.

I’m sure that it has given the spouse a new perspective.  I don’t know them well so I don’t know what their family life is like.  But I do know that we all tend to get caught up in life and it is things like this that make us stop and question what are the most important things in life.

And what about the children?  How has this affected them?  When you realize that you may lose a parent your perspective of them suddenly changes.  You realize how much they mean to you and how much they have done for you.  Even if there have been mistakes made you start to realize you don’t want to lose them.

Perspective

I think tragedy suddenly makes a person’s perspective change.  What are the most important things in my life?  What can I change to make things better?  If this were my last day what would I really want to be doing?

Unfortunately, we all have to work and may not have the time with our spouse, children, parents, etc. that we really want to have.  But what can we do differently?  You can reprioritize your life.  Look at what is most important.  If you really look at your day you can probably find some time wasters.  Cut all the time wasters out.

Another thing that is so important is to take care of yourself.  You can’t be there for a parent, children, friends, etc. if you are not taking care of yourself.  Make sure you are living a B A L A N C E D life.  Bedtime, Aqua, Light, Air, Nutrition, Control, Exercise, and Dependence on God.  A lot of times we think we are only hurting ourselves when we fail to take care of us.  But that is far from the truth.  When we fail to take care of ourselves it affects all the people around us.  It may not seem like it at the time but when we become sick or even die it affects everyone we know.

Change

Just stop right now and be thankful for all those friends and loved ones you have around you. And then decide to make a change.  I would suggest you put your day before the Lord and ask Him to help you reprioritize.  Plug into place all the “must” things you have to do, like go to work, if you have a job outside the home.  And then prioritize all the rest of each day.  Make sure to include God in your decisions.

Dear Father,

Today I consecrate to You.  Help me not to calculate for the months and years ahead, I know these are not mine.  I know You have given me this day.  Focus my mind to see this day as if it was my last here on earth and to work during its hours for You.  I Lay all my plans before You to be carried out or given up as Your providence shall indicate.  Help me to accept Your plans instead of my own even though their acceptance requires the abandonment of cherished projects.  Through You, mold me more and more after Your divine example and give me the peace of God, which passeth all understanding keeping my heart and mind through Christ Jesus.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender each day to God.  Give your family an extra hug today because you never know when it may be the last one.

Love you all!

What has happened in your life that has given you a wake-up call?  Share your experience below.

 

 

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“Get Into The Light!”

It seems with the busy life of today it is really hard to get outside and spend time in the sun.  If you have a garden or need to do some yard work you might find the time.  But to just lay out in the sun, forget it, we don’t have time.  What we don’t realize is the benefit of the sun.

I have been writing about the “BALANCED” life.  Today I am going to focus on “L” for Light.  When I am talking about light I am talking about the natural light of the sun.  It is the best kind of light that we can have.

So the question is, “How important is it to get out into the sunlight?”

  • Increases vitamin D levels.  That being said it is really hard for us to get the amount of vitamin D that we need just getting into the sun.  I definitely recommend that you ask you doctor to test you levels.  Most people need supplementation.
  • It increases our ability to handle stress.  Along with the vitamin D that helps with stress, sunlight helps as well.  Being in the sun can help you relax.
  • Depression can be eliminated. Now it does depend on what kind of depression you are talking about.  If you are so depressed that you are having trouble functioning get professional help.  The sunlight can still be wonderful but you need professional help along with it.  For those of us that may have days where we just are feeling a little down get out in the sun.

It seems that it is getting harder and harder to even get out in the sunshine.  Most of us go from home to work and the only sun we get is through the window of our car. It may make you sweat but it doesn’t benefit you unless it has direct contact.

We all have a day or two off each week and we need to make sure to get out in the sun on those days.  This still will not be enough to give you the vitamin D that you need but it will still be beneficial.  And be careful not to get a sunburn.

Here are some tips:

  • Write it into your schedule. Things that are scheduled get done.  So set aside a little time each day and get out into the sunshine.  You will find it to be very uplifting.
  • Don’t wear sunscreen. Your probably are thinking, “What? Your crazy!!”  You do need to wear sunscreen when you are out for long periods of time.  But if you have sunscreen on you will not get the benefits that you need from the sun.  Just spend about 5 to 10 minutes without it, and then put some on.  I would highly recommend something more natural than what you get at the grocery store.  You can contact me for some ideas on some sunscreen.
  • Make sure to attend to burns. If you do make the mistake of spending too much time in the sun without proper protection make sure to do something soothing for the skin.  One thing I really like to do is take some good healthy none scented lotion and add some lavender essential oil drops rub it carefully on.  It is so soothing.
  • Take a vitamin D supplement. The truth is we cannot get enough vitamin D in the sun.  Make sure to get your levels checked by your doctor and then supplement if you need to.

I am so grateful for the sun.  It was given to us for a reason.  Of course we need to be BALANCED in all things.  Just because it is a good thing does not mean more is better.

Dear Father,

Thank You for the sun that you gave us.  You have made everything we need to have a good healthy life.  Just like we can’t do without the sun we need Your Son to give us spiritual health as He shines on us.  Thank You for Your love for us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Get out in the sunshine starting today.

What benefits have you received when you spend time in the sun?

 

 

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“He’s Getting Married!”

It seems that hardly a week goes by and I hear about someone getting married.  I am sure as you read this you probably have more than one person come to mind that is either getting married very soon, has recently gotten engaged, or has recently married.

A few days ago somebody I know got married.  Although I was unable to attend the wedding it makes me think of weddings that I have attended.

I love the beauty of a wedding and to see all the diversity of wedding ideas that come out of different personalities, cultures and backgrounds.

I can picture the happiness of the bride preparing herself for her soon to be husband.  I love it when the groom does not see his bride until she is fully prepared.  The brides beautiful white dress, representing purity and her hair beautifully done.  She has prepared herself in the most beautiful way.  She is radiant with love for her husband to be.

The groom is anticipating his pride walking down the aisle toward him.  He will have the privilege of her being with him forever, “until death do us part”.  He is full of excitement and a desire to take care of the one that he loves and has longed to be with him.

We live in such a sad society now.  Relationships are such a walk in, walk out mentality.  There is no commitment.  There is no ideal.  There are many selfish people who just want what they want.  As soon as they get tired of it they want to throw it away.  There is not commitment in marriage like there once was.  Unfortunately this also applies to Christians as well.

How can this be?  The devil knows that if he can get the marriage and family he can take down the church.  He knows that the marriage is what God has given us to represent our relationship with Him.  So if Satan can corrupt our thoughts of marriage and how it is supposed to be, he can corrupt the thinking of people about how our relationship needs to be with Him.

Here are some steps you can take toward a good marriage to your spouse as well as a good marriage between the church or Christian and Christ.

  1. “Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church andgave Himself for it.” Ephesians 5:25.  This is a very tall command.  This is a command for Christian men.  Just like Christ continues to love us no matter what we do, husbands should do the same for their wives.

This will be a very hard thing to do at times.  Husbands can only do this with a full surrender to God and being totally dead to self.  This is a commitment that God expects of Christian men.

In 1 Peter 3:7-12 it reads,  “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them (wives)according to knowledge (understanding), giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” It is frightening to think that, as men, your prayers are hindered if you do not live with your wife in an understanding way.  It may be a time of reflection and surrendering to God’s plan for marriage.

This can be so challenging.  Dying to self is such a key.  There are wives that are very challenging.  And it will take a lot of love and patience.  And only God can help you love as He loves.

When you are struggling with doing these things think about what Christ has paid for you.  Have you been that perfect “bride”?  Does Christ love you even though you have spat in His face, even though you have argued with His ways?

  1. “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the

Lord.”  Ephesians 5:23.  When a husband truly loves his wife as Christ loves the church this becomes way more possible.  If a wife feels loved and understood it is easier for them to feel safe in the decisions of their husbands and to submit to those.

As a wife you may be asking, “I do not understand, my husband is asking or

telling me to do things that are contrary to the Word of God and/or he is beating me physically or emotionally and you’re telling me I need to submit.” Let me make this clear, there are criteria for submission.

In Colossians 3:18 it reads, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.”  The bottom line, what they are doing or asking you to do needs to be in accordance with God’s Word.  If it is not and it is against God’s ways, “We ought to obey God rather than man.” Acts 5:29b.

God does not want wives to be doormats that are walked all over and beaten either physically or emotional that is not His plan.

We as wives need to be submissive to God first and then to our husbands. We need to die to self and be willing to listen to our husbands as to God if they are not asking us or doing things contrary to God’s Word.

All of us as Christians need to be submissive to God in this way.

There are many other things that can be said on how to have a good marriage but I am only touching on these today.  I will touch on more in the future.

Just like we prepare for a marriage here on earth there is a marriage feast that we are to be preparing for as Christians.

Christ loves us just as a husband is to love a wife.  He loves us unconditionally.  Just as a husband is supposed to sanctify, and cleanse his wife with the washing of water by the Word so that he might present her not having a spot or wrinkle, that she is holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:26-27), so Christ does for us.  And just like a wife needs to be in submission to her husband for this to take place, we need to be submissive to God for Him to be able to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The only way a husband can do this for his wife, with love, is if he is in full submission to God.  And the only reason Jesus can do this for each one of us is because He was and is in full submission to His Father.

Is this an easy path? No, dying to self is a battle.  But God is able to provide the strength if we submit our lives fully to Him.

Dear Father,

We have great need of you.  We cannot do any of these things without You.  Come and heal our marriages and our families.  As we have the marriage that you would have us have and a family that is well-ordered, we can be a true light to the world for You.

Thank You for Your unconditional love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

I don’t remember exactly how the saying goes but it goes something like this, “Couples that pray together, stay together.”  In this world of no real commitment let’s commit to God’s ways in our marriages.

What things have you done to keep your marriage alive?