I'm F.I.N.E.

 

I'm fine. 

I guess you could say that's my mantra. I'm fine. It's what I tell myself when the road gets bumpy. 

 

Is that sometimes a denial that things are harder than I want to admit?

 

Does it mean things could be better, but "I'm fine"?

 

When I'm sick or just feeling lousy, I'll remind myself, "I'm fine."

 

Sometimes it's a phrase I quietly assert repeatedly in my mind. Sometimes I tell it to myself out loud. 

 

Is it merely a positive confession or an affirmation?

 

I took time to think about it. What do I mean when I say I'm fine?

I chose my meaning. 

 

I deliberately came up with what I actually mean when I humbly acknowledge I'm fine. 

 

I'm (Finally and) Forever In Need of Emmanuel. 

 

I'm

Forever

In

Need of

Emmanuel

 

Emmanuel - God with us. God with ME!

 

I need God to draw my next breath and take my next heartbeat. 

Of course, I need Him for anything and everything. 

 

Whether I'm doing great and don't remind myself I'm fine or I'm dragging and feeling defeated - I'm fine. Because I truly am forever in need of Emmanuel. I always need God with me. 

 

That's my reminder. 

 

What do you mean when you say you're fine?

 

"Let all those that seek and require You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified!

[As for me] I am poor and needy, yet the Lord takes thought and plans for me. You are my Help and my Deliverer. O my God, do not tarry!"

Psalm 40:16-17 AMPC

 

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Philippians 4:19-20 ESV

 

Denial?

Striving for that perfect body? With new year resolutions abounding, many of us have jumped on the weight-loss bandwagon. Most of us won’t stick to it, but many of us will learn a new lifestyle that proves powerful in our physical bodies. I hope to be one of them.

 

But even those of us not working toward the perfect body, most of us would like a great body. And those of us not willing to put in the hours at the gym, at least want a healthy body. Our health is to be treasured, but so often we fail to take care of ourselves when we’re young, living to regret it as we get older, feeling trapped in the bad habits we’ve accumulated.

 

There is help out there if we seek it. But all the help in the world won’t help if we don’t implement it.

 

Often times we neglect the spiritual aspects of our life far worse than even our bodies. But just as often, we think it shows more on the outside, because people can see the shape we’ve allowed our bodies to get into.

 

Do we seriously think they can’t see the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into spiritually just as easily?

 

I think that’s called denial; and that’s a river we’ve all floundered around in at one point or another in our lives. Whether it was over how we were raising our children or the relationships we were avoiding or the success we were running from or the inches being added daily to our waist – to the emptiness that fills our souls because our spirit is hungry.

 

Why do we deny our spirit the nourishment it needs? I suspect for the same reasons we don’t take adequate care of our bodies or our relationships.

 

Denying there’s a problem goes a long way. The scary part is that so much of the time, we don’t recognize the denial; we don’t believe (at least on a conscious level) that we’re doing anything wrong.

 

This year, launch: Self-discovery! Look inside and discovery what’s hurting, what’s lacking and find the strength to overcome. It’s all in there, because God made us to flourish and rebuild the broken places; He made us to reflect His glory, and we don’t do that as well when we’re in denial.

 

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” – Matthew 6:21, Luke 12:34 (KJV)

 

“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” – 1 John 3:20 (KJV)