Vulnerable?

(picture from picsart.com)

Vul-ner-able

ONE OF THE SYNONYMS of vulnerable is ‘unguarded’. I would say that when we feel vulnerable, our hearts are not unguarded, but rather, being guarded by the wrong keeper.

“Jesus wept.” – John 11:35

I’ve often wondered why we don’t read that Jesus laughed. Surely, He has a sense of humor; He created us.

Childhood can pack away memories we carry with us throughout life. Catastrophe looks unreconcilably different depending on whose eyes we see it through. As a child, small things can make it feel like your world is falling apart, but to a parent who’s seen it all, it’s too easy to scold and cause the child to question their own feelings.

“Suck it up.”

“If you’re going to cry, go to your room.”

“Get over yourself.”

“Stop crying.”

“The world doesn’t revolve around you, princess.”

“Do you want me to give you something real to cry about?”

But, what better example can we see than this; that the very God Who spoke everything into existence lets us look into His heart and see Him weep? Should we stifle ourselves?

NO MATTER WHAT THE WORLD DICTATES, no matter how many times we’ve been told that big girls (and big boys) don’t cry, or if we’ve received the message that crying is something to be ashamed of, there are times when tears are the only remedy in the moment. To hold them back cripples us. It can leave us in a spot where we deny what we’re feeling.

Now, here we sit in adulthood, unpacking our past and choosing what to keep and what to throw away. It can be a lot harder than cleaning out a closet. The memories we delve into have morphed over time. Perhaps we remember the words that were spoken, but have twisted the tone with which they were said, or even who imposed them on us.

(picture from ebay)

IT CAN BE very difficult for me to cry. Logically, I know it’s not only okay, it can even be healing to purge those tears. But, emotionally, sometimes the door to my tears is locked.

Even reading John 11:35 in context with the story it’s tucked into, we can still only guess why Jesus was crying. Was He crying at the unbelief that filled the hearts of His friends? Was He crying because His friends were upset over the loss of Lazarus? Was He crying in anticipation of the miracle His friends were about to behold?

No matter the reason for our tears, or whether we shed them in private, before our friends or in front of the whole world, God gave us tears for good reasons. Our tears are a gift from God. The writer of the Psalms even indicates that God keeps our tears. (Psalm 56:8)

Romans 8:26 implies that there are prayers in our tears, as the Spirit of God helps us pray through groanings which cannot be uttered.

Yes, tears are a gift to be treasured, not a curse to fear. They communicate things we cannot put into words. They’re not a punishment, or something to feel shame over.

Tears must begin in our heart, because that’s where mine get stuck before they even make it to my eyes. Seldom do I ever sob, and if I do, it’s for a minute or less at a time. My heart must be trying to protect me from something unseen, but overshadowing my brain.

(picture from etsy)

Galatians 5:1 tells us, to “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

Whatever bondage grips my tears so tightly, may not be something you wrestle with. Your wrestling matches are your business.

BUT I AM DETERMINED to rest in the care of my Savior, and trust Him to work this out with me. He sent His Holy Spirit to be our Comforter, but we know there are stubborn children who refuse to be comforted. It’s time for God’s children to surrender and be healed. It’s time for THIS Child of God to let go, not only of this wadded up mess in the middle of the bag, but to give the whole, heavy suitcase over to Jesus.

“…and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7 (NKJV)

(picture from pinterest)

Healthy Habits

(puatraining.com)

It’s easy enough to list them out and expound on why they’re healthy habits.

(human-movement.com)

Exercise – we all need exercise, even those of us who consider it a chore. Actually we’re probably the ones who need it most. Exercise strengthens our muscles, helps rid us of unwanted fat, give us energy, releases endorphins in our brains, relieves stress and lets us prove to ourselves just how strong we really are. What’s not to like about it? Yet, many of us don’t.

(pixbam.com)

Clean eating – logical, common sense. When we eat “junk food” or convenience foods, we’re filling our bodies with chemicals and toxins that can’t lead to anything good except a temporarily content belly. Even our belly complains eventually. That kind of eating leads to more body fat, which leads to other health problems. It gives way to becoming sluggish and we lack desire to do anything. Eating real foods that don’t count on chemicals for flavor and other addictive traits contributes to healthier bodies that serve us better.

(theguardian.com)

Adequate sleep – we know this, our bodies need to be well-rested to perform at their best! Yet so many of us toss and turn well into the night, only to glare at the blaring alarm clock just as we finally enter that restful phase of sleep. We need to rejuvenate like we’re suppose to! I’m preaching to the choir leader here, because I’m up late with the rest of you. But, we know better.

A list of healthy habits could quite long, but this next one could potentially be the healthiest habit we can adopt: thankfulness. Can we make a habit of being thankful? Can we become grateful for all we have instead of daydreaming about all we want?

Think about it. If we purposefully wake up every single morning and reach for that attitude of gratitude before we even put on our glasses, before we stumble to the bathroom, before we throw the covers off – what benefits could we quickly see unfolding in our day?

(crosscards.com)

Every November we pull out our lists of what we’re thankful for and post them on social media for all the world to see. And, yay – sharing them is great! But, what if this year, we put a little more pondering into our gratitude? It’s pretty easy to write out a list of things we thank God for, perhaps even getting carried away with how long our list is becoming. If while we’re writing out that list, or even just composing it in our minds, we actually take the time to say thank You to Him, the list making might take longer and be even more fulfilling.

Plus, He loves to hear from us!

If it’s not a habit already engrained in our lives, it’s an addiction that will benefit all of us. Making new habits is much easier than breaking old ones. It makes sense that building new habits that will eventually replace our bad habits will erase the need to battle the ones that were dragging us down.

“In all things, give thanks….” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

(etsy.com)

Full, Half-full or Empty?

(huffingtonpost.com)

That cup we’re always hearing about that’s either half-full or half-empty; what’s it’s filled with anyways?

In the Old Testament (Jeremiah 18) we read the story of the potter and his clay. Whenever I ponder that story, I envision a potter’s hands on a wet mound of clay gently pressing inward as his wheel turns. Behind him, I see other vessels he’s made, awaiting the kiln – where they’ll be tried by fire. I see tall, thin vessels – perhaps beautiful vases; I see shorter, fat bowls – perhaps casserole dishes; I even see one that looks like it could be a bedpan.

(hotpotspottery.com)

In the vast array of his work, I see the plans for his pottery unfold in his mind as he creates each one. When he shapes one like a bedpan, he probably doesn’t get excited about the flowers that wait to fill it. Yet, when he shapes the tall slender vases, he probably doesn’t smile at the aroma of a baking casserole that might enter his senses as he molds the clay for the baking dish. His mind will cause his fingers to shape the clay in just the right way to embrace the untold beauty of the bouquets that will all but cause the vase to vanish from sight completely.

(ingpeaceproject.com)

As I ponder the potter’s trophies, I trust that the Master Potter had a perfect plan for me when He created this vessel. What did He originally plan to pour into me? If I’m having a rough day, no doubt my mind wanders to the bedpan and laughs, “that’s you – right there!” Yeah. I’m still working on that. But, praise God – I’m making progress by leaps and bounds.

Fortunately, His Word tells me exactly what He planned to fill me with, and He pours into me with great abundance. In 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 we read: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” (KJV)

(discussionsmnhs.org)

His original intent was, and still is, to fill us with His Spirit, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, which He revealed to us through Jesus Christ. The glory is in that incredible power, not in the construction of the vessel it fills.

I may notice a lovely vase, but once it’s filled with the beauty of a bouquet, the vase almost seems to fade away, by comparison. It’s kind of like the word “is” in the middle of a sentence; who notices it when we’re busy taking in the meaning of the word combinations?

(etsy.com)

I recently heard Dr. Matthew Thomas speak on joy. He just wears it all over his face, there’s no mistaking it there. He used the illustration of pouring water from a large pitcher into a smaller glass. Once he filled it to the rim, he asked if there was room in the glass for anything else. He surmised that, if we are filled with the joy of the Lord, there could be no room for worry or anxiety, doubt or fear, complaining or offenses. His point lodged in my mind.

Psalm 139:14 beautifully points out that I am (we are all) fearfully and wonderfully made. But, an empty vessel just collects dust. Our Potter created us with specific purpose and phenomenal plans in mind.

(lakesidepottery.com)

It’s time for a fresh refilling of His Spirit, a topping off. Remind yourself Who you belong to, Who keeps you and loves you always and forever. No - matter - what! There’s no reason to be half-full or half-empty when He’s willing and wanting to fill us to overflowing!

A Plan of Action: NEBAI

(crafthubs.com)

This cocoon is getting a little tight and I’m getting a little restless. I need to stop being so hard on myself, I’m not a caterpillar permanently trapped in preparation mode. Though I’m anxious to break out, maybe I need “one more minute”.

I’ve been feeling a little anxious lately. Upcoming situations beg me to come up with doable plans to deal with it. However, I don’t see myself as a planner; I’m a pantzer (one who flies by the seat of their pants)!

Clearly, information may lead to transformation, but information itself isn’t transformation. Hence, no matter how much information I’ve crammed into my pretty little head, it won’t do a thing for me just rattling around in there, I have to implement it into my daily life.

(colourbox.com)

 Today I’m looking at some of the things that make me anxious. I know God doesn’t want me dwelling in anxiety. His Word tells me to be anxious for nothing. (Philippians 4:6) His Word also tells me that in this world I’ll have tribulations. Tribulations can bring anxieties along with them. (John 16:33)

I’m drawn back to being mindful. Though I regularly think of myself as ditzy or scatterbrained, I’m not. Those are just adjectives that catapult me into a negative mindset, or attempt to excuse me from being present and in the moment.

I’ve gleaned many tools to help be become a healthier person at the Metabolic Research Center, where I check in regularly. One of those useful tools is a behavior called “pattern interrupt”. Simply put, interrupting a pattern of destructive behavior, or even those that are just not good for me – such as temptations to eat something unhealthy. Anyone with an addiction can benefit by interrupting his or her addictive behaviors.

Interrupt it with what? A different behavior.

(pinterest.com)

 If it’s my habit to stop at Starbucks on my way home, I need to adopt a new routine. But, if it’s an impulse that suddenly strikes me, I can interrupt it by doing something else. As I sit here, now thinking about a Java Chip Frappuccino, a craving could easily mount. I could abandon my laptop and head over to Starbucks, perhaps justifying it by walking over there instead of driving. Yes, it’s that close. If instead, I choose to interrupt that temptation and pick up my weighted hula-hoop and go at it for ten minutes, by then the craving should pass.

I need to have a ready selection of viable options at my disposal. A list of things I can do instead of give in to the impulse. By viable, I mean things I will actually do. I need to find options I can do anywhere. Yes, here at home, I can grab my hula-hoop. But, if I’m driving down the road – what then? Your list will be different from mine, but we can interrupt a temptation easily, if we’re prepared for them and if we notice when they hit us.

For me, dietary temptations generally hit in the late afternoon. This is common. I may be able to avoid them altogether if I have a prepared or readily available snack with me. Maybe not.

Oftentimes, temptations seem to hit us unexpectedly. They’re most likely emotionally triggered, though. Perhaps emotional triggers cause our sugar to drop, or maybe our sugar dropping creates the emotional trigger. We’ll let scientists sort that out.

(wallpaperseries.com)

Again, with the mindfulness; I need to pay attention. I need to notice what’s going on around me and inside of me when irresistible temptations attempt to consume me. I’m in charge, not the temptations.

Here’s my plan.

NOTICE when I’m anxious. I’ve seen that temptations quickly follow.

(Does my sugar dropping create part of that anxiety?)

EXAMINE what I’m feeling – briefly. Allowing my mind to wallow in something stressful won’t do me any good at all; I’d probably end up eating something sugary while I stew over what’s bothering me.

BREATHE. While looking at what has me falling prey to a temptation, I’ll focus on my breathing for a minute or two; breathing deeply and purposefully. That always calms me down noticeably.

ALLOW the pieces to fall in place. Many of life’s stressors are out of our control. Nevertheless, our response is always within our control. The old Serenity Prayer comes into play here.

(covermyfb.com)

For me, this will mean confronting thoughts that pull me down and taking ownership of them, choosing whether I allow them to dominate my mind. Mindfully following the instructions in Philippians 4:8: thinking on the good things, will give me power.

When I confront my own thoughts, I need to do it in love or I can wind up mentally beating myself up again for thinking them. Self-love is not selfish.

Lastly, IMPLEMENT my alternative activity. I need to get busy on that list and keep a copy in my phone!

Hmmmm. NEBAI. I need an acronym to remember my plan! Is that even a word? I looked it up. How cool is this? According to several Hebrew dictionaries, nebai means fruitful! So, I greatly anticipate that my strategy will be fruitful. And I’ll pronounce it however I like. The “i” will be silent and I’ll make it rhyme with Reba, my favorite country singer.

Sounds easy enough, want to try it with me?

(wallpaperseries.com)

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God…” – Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me [Jesus] you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (NKJV)