Some days I am surprised at which words in the Bible jump out at me. I shouldn't be, but there I was with these two verses from my reading lingering with me throughout the day. Why? I didn't know.....But God! My day started off pretty well. I went in to work for a couple hours, had a coffee date with a friend and spent some sweet time on my devotions and some beautiful readings from the book of Genesis. And of all that I read, these are the verses that tugged at my heart. “Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel (who is Jacob) rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.” ~ Genesis 48:1-2 What I didn't know, is that by the time evening came, I too would be ill, fighting off my allergies and having difficulty breathing, along with extreme fatigue and weariness of body. Yet, even with illness creeping at my door, I had things to do. I was scheduled to lead worship that evening at a Celebrate Recovery program. I did my sound check with my voice nearing a whisper and quite gravely by the end of my rehearsal time. But God.... When the gathering began and the worship music started, we all leaped in together and I got to see God do a miracle. As I began to simply pour my heart out to Him, I felt my voice become stronger than ever, my spirit rose, my fatigue vanished, my breathing improved and my weariness ceased. I got to see Him take it all away. The Worship of the one true God, took my pain away. Then the Lord reminded me WHY He had me ponder those verses all day. It wasn't just for me. It was for all of us in that place who needed to be reminded to Worship it out. Yes, I was tired when I started, but just as Jacob, upon hearing the good news rallied up his strength, I too, would rally up my strength to worship the one who is worthy and watch my spirit rise to speak His name. And that is what worship does. It revives! When we are tired, we worship. When we are hurt, we worship. When we grow weary, we worship. When we feel sick of life struggles, we worship. May we be quick in our struggles to sit up, rally all our strength and speak Worship as we fix our eyes an the author and perfecter of our faith. I love you in the Lord, Mia
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Disclaimer: This article is simply my personal experience and is not intended to replace any medical advice that you are receiving. Depression is real and what works for one person may not work for everyone. I am a grateful believer in Jesus Christ and I struggle. I struggle with Anxiety, trust and depression. I am hopeful because of the struggle, it means I have not given up, It means that I continue to battle. It means that God is not done with me yet. #TheStruggleIsReal Sunday, I found myself in the battle. I did not know why I was immobile, unable to move, feeling heavy and sad. All I knew is that by 4pm, after a day of isolating myself from my family, their activities and conversations, I could either continue to lay down or I could get up and FIGHT. I chose to fight. I chose to move through the heaviness, to move through the sadness and the weight of my unknown grief. So, I got on my dancing shoes (my trail-runners) and I hit the mountain. My husband joined me. My husband, who also did not know the source of my sadness, walked with me, he hiked with me and he ran beside me quietly as we hit the trails. And then it happened, around mile three, I could feel the weight lifting and my eyes open to see the light of the new day. Then, by our fifth mile, I felt like a brand new person. Depression has a way of creeping in unexpectedly, lurking and crouching, hoping that we will continue to lay in it, continue to listen to it and believe what it has to say. Depression thrives on immobility. As someone that has struggled with depression most of my life, I know that in the intricacy of how I am made, that I may continue to struggle with it until I am called home to heaven, sometimes alone, sometimes with someone walking beside me, sometimes with some saying (after a few days) "Get up off the couch and move!" I believe that there is truth to what the medical field has said regarding the benefits of exercise to combat depression. There is something in the way that we are designed that allows movement to re-set us and help us to dig ourselves out of the funk that we can be in. For those of us that struggle occasionally and those that struggle often, know that there is hope. Sometimes, we fight alone, sometimes we fight with someone beside us, sometimes we fight with the aid of medication and sometimes....no, ALL THE TIME we fight with the the Lord at our side. The Lord says that we can cast all of our cares, even when we don't know what they are, upon him. The Lord, who says that His yoke is easy and His burden light, calls us to take His yoke on us. The Lord will never leave us or forsake us in our sadness or in our struggles. Our Lord, who is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imaging is by our side. Today, if this is you, fight. Fight to move. Fight to lift your eyes up to the source of life and light. Fight to get up. You got this, because He's got you! As one who remembers, I love you in the Lord, Mia For more information about depression help medically and spiritually, check out this article from Relevant Magazine: CLICK HERE Disclaimer: This article is simply my personal experience and is not intended to replace any medical advice that you are receiving. Depression is real and what works for one person may not work for everyone.
In the past, I was addicted to cigarettes and I used to drink a lot and smoke pot (and stuff). I rejoice that I have been delivered from those patterns and addictions and celebrate the fact that I am not who I once was. God changed my life! But now as I learn more (and get older), I realize my addiction to food has been the longest, trickiest addiction I have had to battle. Becoming educated in this area (and I know so little) has changed my mindset, it is changing my life. I have lost 25 pounds since January, 2015 and I still have about 20 to go. Obesity is literally killing us, it was killing me and I was in pain everyday. The thing with obesity is that it is one of those "addiction" consequences that no one wants to talk about for fear that people may think we are judging people. Well, If I was high on Meth, you would (I hope) confront me because you love me and tell me to stop killing myself. We don't want to point our finger at obesity and plainly put, fat people. It's a tough addiction and probably one that many of us struggle with. I know I do! It's food, we need it, companies need to make money and they need you to come back, so they create a really good product to keep you coming back for more. Hence...the addiction is created! I am a pretty frugal person, I love resale shops, sales and I pride myself on not spending over $20 for a pair of jeans. Well, when I burst out of all my jeans and my baggy shirts became skin tight, I had a very good excuse for why this was happening and basically lied to myself in saying that it had nothing to do with the ice cream, cookies, fast food and snacks that I was eating. **Even when I went and spent almost $200 on a pair of jeans that would fit my new "curves" so that I could spare my kids from having to look at my butt-crack hanging out of my pants, I still didn't recognize the problem. ** I could buy new jeans, but I still felt sick. Headaches, migraines, joint and muscle pain were everyday struggles I dealt with. I had a constant flow or Excedrin Migraine, Motrin, Aleve and sleep aids going through my system and always close at hand. I just thought that this was my life and I would always feel this way. Today, I am on a journey and I have some incredibly inspirational and passionate people that have inspired me as I continue going forward. Let me say it again, It stated with knowledge (and grace). First from my Lord and Savior and the example that He gave in His Word. I recommend the 21 Day Fast through YouVersion. I wasn't setting out to lose weight or to change my life, I just wanted to spend time with the Lord and through it He revealed to me my strongholds and one of the major struggles I had was food. The Lord brought people into my life to walk alongside me. Helping my body to heal through JuicePlus+, my sweet friend and coach, Cheri, taught me so much about the body and what it needs to function properly. I started using the fruit and vegetable powders faithfully and saw much of my pain go away. I have now added the Complete Protein to my routine as well. Love it!! Then I watched the movie Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. This movie did such a great job of making my health and how my body works understandable and it really motivated me to take it to the next level. I started adding juicing to my daily routine. With the added juicing, I saw my body completely detox, the inflammation go away and the weight fall off. An interesting bit of info I heard (and don't quote me, but it made sense in my journey and testimony) was that 15% of weight loss is exercise, 35% is what you eat and 50% is detox. I found that so much of what was keeping me fat was that I was poisoning myself with killer toxins through all the crud I was eating and putting in my body. I could go to the gym all I wanted, but the weight never budged because I was full of poison. So there I was, my relationship with the Lord growing stronger as I began to grasp the importance of keeping the temple of the Holy Spirit healthy SO THAT I can continue to do His work. But, I still needed help on what to now put in to fuel my body. Learning through various sources on how to eat clean, I am still learning. Thankfully as I detox, my cravings for sugar and food-like products have almost completely diminished, minus that 4 day cruise we just took (remember, I operate under grace.) I have been inspired and motivated by the recipes of Christina Jordan who has an incredible weight loss story herself. She now coaches and walks alongside people on Facebook and through her very own company Fit Body Weight Loss to help them to live a healthy life. She has dedicated her life to loving people in the Lord and teaching them the joys of healthy living. I am happy to report that my $200 jeans are too big and I bought a new pair (that I love) for $15! A friend of mine said "Your skin looks so healthy." My pain is 99% gone. I have more energy than I have had in long time. My massage therapist re-evaluated me yesterday and said my posture and muscle functions have increased positively. I LOVE coffee, but don't drink it regularly anymore because I don't "need" it to get me going in the morning. Now, when I have it, it's a special treat on that rare occasion. I sleep well at night and the insomnia is gone and most nights, I can fall asleep even through my husbands snoring (I love him so!) Please know, I don't claim to know much except what is going on in my own life and in my own journey. Healthy living is changing my life for the best. I am learning through the journey. God loves me and thinks I am amazing regardless of my weight and the food I put in my body. He loves you the same way, regardless of what you look like and what you eat. But I do know, that God has entrusted me to care for what He has given and He has entrusted you with the same. So how are you doing? I operate under grace. Grace has saved my life eternally and grace in my daily walk keeps me going on the days when I fall down, when I slip and when I fail. Today I am staying healthy so that I can continue to do what God has called me to do. Lots of ups and downs, but God is faithful. I love how people have loved me and gently (and sometimes extremely firmly) spoken truth into my life. I love you in the Lord and pray that He would draw you close to Him and speak whatever truth He needs to into your life. I pray that He would bring people into your life to walk alongside you to keep you strong in Him and strong in body SO THAT you can continue to do His work joyfully and with a healthy temple. Please feel free to contact the people I have listed, Cheri and Christina. They are there to help and they know way more I do. Their lives and testimonies have encouraged me and I hope that my journey will do the same for you! Blessings sweet friends! Mia PS, as I was scrubbing the tub, this other thought came to me. Food addiction isn't just for those of us who show it through obesity, it's for all of us who struggle. You can be thin and struggle, but maybe your struggle is silent. It comes down to the fact that we are called to be healthy! #GoodChoices I love looking at before and after shots. Sometimes they are so drastic that I spend more time than is necessary trying to figure out if that really is the same person. You can see some similarities, but the transformation, most of the time through weight-loss, makes them look like a whole new person...on the outside. As I was spending time in the Word of God today, I was struck by change. Jesus changed lives. When He touched them, they were never the same, sometimes on the outside, but mostly and most importantly on the inside. He cleansed the lepers, He drove out demons, he healed the sick, he raised the dead and HE FORGAVE SINS. Through the past decade or so, I have gone though changes. I have lost weight drastically, but even though I looked really good, my heart was in a bad place. God changed my heart during that time, I gained weight back, but more importantly, I was brought back into a right relationship with Christ. He healed me. Recently, I have put on a nice 40 pounds, which I am working to loose through balanced exercise and wise eating choices, but regardless I know where my heart and my trust lie.... In Christ Jesus. I think about the times when I lacked discretion and I mad really poor decisions that almost destroyed my family, left me out on the street and separated me from fellowship with other believers. I may have looked really good to some, but the reality is that I looked like this (see picture below) to my husband. THE BEFORE & AFTER Proverbs 11:22 "Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion." All those years ago, I lacked discretion, I made horrible choices, BUT GOD healed me. It is because of God's healing hand, redemption and forgiveness that I was able to begin to make wise choices, choices for life and not death, choices that allowed my husband to look at me and see the AFTER version of me in Christ.
Yes, drastic change. I am not who I was. I am a child of God, an heir to the Kingdom of Heaven. I am a child of the King! Who are you? Do you know the truth about your identity? If not, ask me and let me tell you about my Lord, let me tell you about YOU! Today, I'm doing the public service portion of my blog. After I posted this picture on my FB page, my sweet friend commented that she didn't know what some of this stuff was. So Rachel, this is in honor of you!! Love you girl. And no worries, I only know about it because my Mom keeps me up to date. I'm not a health nut, but there are a few things, especially with being on the road, that are essential in keeping me healthy. Being on airplanes, singing and sometimes licking other peoples microphones (which is why I carry my own most times), and sometimes not getting much sleep, I have found that these little things have been very helpful. 1. The Word of God. I can't live without it-LITERALLY. Having a great body (which I am NOT claiming) means absolutely nothing if the Word of God does not dwell in me richly. It is life and it is a non-negotiable. My husband and I were talking the other day about a time, maybe 13+ years ago, when I was 5'9' (I'm shrinking) and down to 125lbs. I was running twice a day (obsessively), not eating much, smoking, drinking and wearing a size 5 jeans. I looked really good (on the outside) but, inside my life was a mess until God intervened in a massive way. Speaking of which you can watch my testimony here. #1 The Word! 2. My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I have been reading this daily devotion for years. I always find something new in it. I have a few copies of it, but for some reason the torn up, paper clipped version remains my favorite travelling companion. You can read these online as well. 3. TriVita Vital C Crystal Powder. It is a great powder form of pure Vitamin C and gets absorbed right into your body and does the job. I have not found a better form or more powerful form of Vitamin C. In my house we jokingly call it C-crack. It's that good (not that crack is good. Crack is BAD!) When my daughter feels a cold coming on she immediately asks for the C-crack. It is a little pricey, but coming from one of the worlds cheapest gals.."You get what you pay for" This stuff is worth it. TriVita C Crysal Powder 4. HerbaSway All Natural Memory Support. I call it my Memory juice. Basically it's blueberry extract. A dropper full a day. For someone like me who has horrible memory and retention skills, which can be a problem when trying to sing and play songs (even the ones that I have written) at a concert. Once I began taking this, I noticed a huge improvement in my ability to memorize songs, chords and my children's names. HerbaSway 5. TriVita Nopelea juice. Again, this one is pricey, but well worth it. It's my miracle juice. It takes commitment as it is a natural anti-inflammatory. It's not a quick fix, but with time shows great results. I have arthritis throughout my body. Mornings are tough as I take my first steps out of bed. When I first began using this, I remember the day when I woke up got out of bed and the pain was gone. It was a miracle and if you have suffered from chronic pain, you know what I'm talking about. Unfortunately, some major life events happened that got me off my schedule and I stopped my routine and the pain all came back. So, I am now restarting the regimen, 60 days of a high dosing period, after that I cut my intake down. I am in my first month of re-combating the inflammation. Check in with me in a few months and I'll tell you how it goes. TriVita Nopelea 6. Greens..No brand plugs here. I don't know if they work except that It's good to get all your veggies and fruits in and if you are on the go a lot, using this as a supplement is great. 7. Glucosamine Chondrotin because my doctor said I'm getting old. Bone health is important, so I take it. 8. WATER...always! 9. Coffee, because God is good! The mug with a seal top because I spill everything, especially when I'm on the plane, train or in the automobile. 10. Underwear....Not pictured here, but kinda important. I can wear jeans twice, maybe even my tops, NOT my socks and especially NOT my panties. Is that too much information? If so, welcome to my world and enjoy the ride! Maybe half of this was helpful #10, I'm sure not at all. |
The BlogA collection of writings from a life based on the truth that about midnight anything can happen. AuthorAs an imperfect servant of the Lord, I often feel I am fumbling my way through life, looking upward for guidance and outward to love. So, I write about it, to break up the noise in my head. Categories
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