It is amazing how being a parent can teach you things about God. Lately, I have been reflecting on my role of being God's child. Some of my best teaching lessons have occurred while trying to be a good parent to my own kids.
At this age, my kids think every twinge is an ouchie that must be treated. Every little poke needs a bandaid and every scratch needs a medicine. Every little discomfort needs to be smothered in kisses. And I love that my kiss can heal so many hurts. I fear the day that my kiss will no longer be enough.
This makes me wonder, Do I let God's kisses take away my hurts? Do I bring the little things to God and let Him sooth my ouchies?
Recently, one of my kids has been demanding comfort. Oh, it isn't angry tantrums so much as coming to me and purposefully pressing the wound into my lips rather than let me kiss it. This child will come for a hug and lunge at me rather than allow me to gently offer a hug. So we have been working on being gentle and not forcing things upon others, etc.
Today this child was hurt and came to me crying. I offered a hug and wiped the tears away. But since the child was crying, the nose was running. So my hug turned into an opportunity to wipe a messy nose against my shirt and arm. (It is true that being a mom, I get to deal with all kinds of bodily messes, and usually that is okay.) But today, I thought , "Ugh, here I offer a hug and kiss and instead I get yuckies all over me." Needless to say, the child and I had a bit of a conversation about healing the hurts and not getting mama gross.
Also, this got me thinking, When I come to God with my hurts, do I let Him heal them the way He knows is best or do I try to take advantage? When I'm hurting do I try to manipulate the situation or do I accept healing?
A fabulous book I have started reading, and based on the first two chapters I would recommend, "Healing for Damaged Emotions" by David Seamands. I look forward to reading the rest. We all have hurts throughout our entire lives and we need to heal.
May God bless you and heal all your ouchies! Have a great day!!
Showing posts with label Inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inspiration. Show all posts
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
What's new
So today I watched the new show, Losing it with Jillian Michaels. WOW! I may already be addicted and it has only aired one episode. Clearly, I have issues.
So anyway, a couple things I picked up on while watching the first episode include: little issues never dealt with grow into HUGE issues, fixing the outside physical body doesn't fix the inside issues, and with the right kind of small healing whole body healing can come.
So, what does this mean for you and me?
In my mind, it means, "Oh crap, I have to deal with my issues!" I'm not too happy about that. I mean, I know we all have issues. And somehow I believe we are all supposed to be working on our issues. And it is definitely easier to say, "that person needs to deal with his/her issues." But, really, do I have to deal with my issues? Really? That is hard. Can't I just justify them and somehow blame others for my problems? I'm much more comfortable with that idea.
So, I not only need to eat healthier and sweat like crazy working out, I also need to go through an emotional and mental overhaul. I could say, fix the eating and exercise problems first, but that may not fix me in the long run. So, I need to get to the heart of the issue. I need to face reality.
Why am I unhealthy? And what am I going to do about it?
Those are tough questions. But I guess if I really hate being unhealthy and if I really want life change, I better get answering.
Someone once said, something to the effect of, insanity is when you keep doing what you did and expect different results.
Another someone, somewhere long ago, told me about a mama eagle. She builds her nest with briers and sticks, but then fills it with soft fluff. When the eggs are whole, they are kept warm in the fluff. They are cushioned soft and comfy. When the eggs hatch and babies emerge, the warmth and comfort are still necessary. But eventually the tiny eagles are ready to learn to fly, but the nest is so comfy they don't want to leave. They don't want the challenge. They don't want anything different than the false bliss they already feel. So the Mama Eagle takes out the fluff, She pecks away so much fluff that finally the tiny eagles are only surrounded by prickly briers and sticks. They endure enough discomfort and enough pain, that they finally decide it is time for change. And they learn to fly. They soar.
Can you imagine a life of health? Can you picture what that would mean for you? I picture clothes shopping based on style rather than size. I picture going up a flight of stairs and not being winded, but rather being able to carry on a normal conversation. I imagine being comfortable sitting in theater seats, walking in between church pews, walking in a crowded hallway, and not feeling squished. Or going on a family hike or bike ride all afternoon and not being exhausted.
Is it worth it? Is your picture of health worth the sacrifices and hard work it will take to achieve your dream? Mine are. I hope I can remember that when the going gets tough.
So anyway, a couple things I picked up on while watching the first episode include: little issues never dealt with grow into HUGE issues, fixing the outside physical body doesn't fix the inside issues, and with the right kind of small healing whole body healing can come.
So, what does this mean for you and me?
In my mind, it means, "Oh crap, I have to deal with my issues!" I'm not too happy about that. I mean, I know we all have issues. And somehow I believe we are all supposed to be working on our issues. And it is definitely easier to say, "that person needs to deal with his/her issues." But, really, do I have to deal with my issues? Really? That is hard. Can't I just justify them and somehow blame others for my problems? I'm much more comfortable with that idea.
So, I not only need to eat healthier and sweat like crazy working out, I also need to go through an emotional and mental overhaul. I could say, fix the eating and exercise problems first, but that may not fix me in the long run. So, I need to get to the heart of the issue. I need to face reality.
Why am I unhealthy? And what am I going to do about it?
Those are tough questions. But I guess if I really hate being unhealthy and if I really want life change, I better get answering.
Someone once said, something to the effect of, insanity is when you keep doing what you did and expect different results.
Another someone, somewhere long ago, told me about a mama eagle. She builds her nest with briers and sticks, but then fills it with soft fluff. When the eggs are whole, they are kept warm in the fluff. They are cushioned soft and comfy. When the eggs hatch and babies emerge, the warmth and comfort are still necessary. But eventually the tiny eagles are ready to learn to fly, but the nest is so comfy they don't want to leave. They don't want the challenge. They don't want anything different than the false bliss they already feel. So the Mama Eagle takes out the fluff, She pecks away so much fluff that finally the tiny eagles are only surrounded by prickly briers and sticks. They endure enough discomfort and enough pain, that they finally decide it is time for change. And they learn to fly. They soar.
Can you imagine a life of health? Can you picture what that would mean for you? I picture clothes shopping based on style rather than size. I picture going up a flight of stairs and not being winded, but rather being able to carry on a normal conversation. I imagine being comfortable sitting in theater seats, walking in between church pews, walking in a crowded hallway, and not feeling squished. Or going on a family hike or bike ride all afternoon and not being exhausted.
Is it worth it? Is your picture of health worth the sacrifices and hard work it will take to achieve your dream? Mine are. I hope I can remember that when the going gets tough.
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