Day Nineteen

Waking up this morning - REMINDING myself (since I'm attempting to develop a habit in this 21 days) to S M I L E  as soon as my eye's open and Start "saying"
                                  Thanksgiving unto My Creator!  
   This morning I sang the song "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say Rejoice"


I search for the word "Care" as this is what came to mind as I started to read in Matthew Chapter 6.   I like to use "biblegateway.com" ! Love it.  I can click on different Versions of the Word.   


I woke up this morning SEEKING TO FEED my Spirit!  (well, in all honesty I do have a cup of coffee with me).

1 Peter 5:5-6

"God opposes the proud 

      but gives grace to the humble."^[a] 

⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, 

that he may lift you up in due time. 

⁷Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Matthew 6:30

And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.

 Why do you have so little faith?

1 Corinthians 6:13   ¹³You know the old saying, "First you eat to live, and then you live to eat"? Well, it may be true that the body is only a temporary thing, but that's no excuse for stuffing your body with food, or indulging it with sex. Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body!

Mark 4:19

Then the cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and 

suffocate the Word, and it becomes fruitless.

Luke 12:22

And [Jesus] said to His disciples, Therefore I tell you, 

do not be anxious and troubled [with cares] about your life, 

as to what you will [have to] eat; 

or about your body, as to what you will [have to] wear.

Today is a travel day for me.   Which is my challenge to stay on task and focused.  It's not an excuse to not Choose Healthy Foods to feed my body, or Feed my Spirit  or Feed my muscles (exercise).  In fact, I know that it provides an opportunity to LIVE what I believe.  At the Airport Restaurant.... I absolutely know I can find a meal that is full of nutrients! 

 I have the opportunity to walk in the spirit as I meet and interact with PEOPLE - be a witness to those around me as I practice "patience" during travel (ahhh, travel has a reputation of being trying to one's patience.)

And wow, talk about opportunity to exercise - WALK, WALK, WALK  as I wait to board the plane.  (My husband's habit is to arrive at the airport  EARLY! ).  One of the habit's I have sought to develop is using EVERY moment I can to stretch and Move and bring life giving Oxygen to my body!  

BREATH (for crying out loud) BREATH!  

Breath in the Breath of LIFE!  (This is the first thing you do in CPR - Check for Breathing.... why?  because that is how GOD brought man to life... 

Genesis 2:7

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

One of the classic symptoms of ANXIETY is not breathing properly - holding or breath, or breathing rapid shallow breaths!  
 That is why  "Deep breathing exercises" is so very VITAL!   When a thought of anxiety enters your mind. Stop, Take in a deep breath through your Nose (exhaling slowly through your mouth)

FIVE TIMES - while saying to your self.  
Something like "He Care's for ME!"

"I give it to the LORD"..... "Thank you Lord I AM Yours".... whatever.

So,  today.... I will not be anxious today about flying!  He CARES for me!  

So I will honor him by taking care of me.   BODY, MIND and SPIRIT.

 Then I will bear the fruit and be a blessing to those around me.

PRAYER this MORNING:

Thank you God for creating me.  Please, today give me the Grace, Strength and  Faith I need to Be your Eye's and Voice in this world.  

May my Soul be full of Sunshine today spreading it's light in this dark world.

In Jesus Name

Amen

Salute! 

Day 18

72 hours left of the 21 day..... thing-a-ma-bob that I do!

Yesterday I heard confirmation of what I'd heard in the past.  50-60% increase in weight loss when keeping a journal.  

Although this isn't about weight loss (only a benefit) The message is the benefit of Journalizing.... a point of accountability.  Thinking, writing.... activities that provide a vehicle for staying focused on a goal.

These are all side notes to today's blog.

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 Last night I did what I had blogged to do... Read the Word of God... and county my blessings before bed.

 "The Living Bible" is the version I have... and the verse read...

Matthew 6:22

"If your eye is pure, there will be sunshine in your soul"

Verse 23 is: But if your eye is clouded with evil thoughts and desires, you are in deep spiritual darkness.  And oh, how deep that darkness can be!"

The thought of SUNSHINE in MY SOUL  sent me off to sleep in such joy to think this was possible.   I LOVE sunshine! It means blue skies.... warmth touching my face.... all good thoughts.

But I was intrigued as to the words "if your eye is pure".... So here are two other versions of the Scripture.


                        Matthew 6:22-23 (King James Version)

 ²²The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,

 thy whole body shall be full of light.

 ²³But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. 

If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Matthew 6:22-23 (The Message)

 ^22-23"Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!

Balance!  Balancing Spirit, Mind and Body

Being a healthy weight, physical strength and energy, sound quick mind...

and  having "sunshine" in my soul.... being successful at reaching my goals. 

This is what my quest is.... This is MY journey in the "21 day to Health and Wellness".

It occurred to me yesterday, after several day's of blogging about "we are God's Creation and we need to respect ourselves".... 

asking  the question "DO I LIKE MYSELF?"

Truly something we all need to ask ourselves.   

Stop and think about it  - 

   Look at yourself in a full length mirror.... what do you see?  What do you say?

   Then think of how someone may describe you to someone else.... 

Depriving ourselves of things / activities that benefit our body, mind and spirit is a symptom of "a unhealthy relationship with ourselves".  I think it's about Not liking ourselves.... be unhappy with our self.  Feeling like a failure..... Not forgiving ourselves for (you can fill in the blank)


God created you..... but unless your following the Instruction Manual (Bible) that your Creator wrote.... Unless you see yourself through GOD's EYE's and love yourself.... unhappiness  can be your cholesterol level or the size of your waist line.


Take what God gave you.... even a big nose, large frame... whatever.... keeps you from "culturally looking perfect"
    and.....  When you  don't love what he created ... how can anyone else love it!  


How many times have you said when thinking about eating some high calorie sugary food... "ah, forgetaboutit,  I want it so I'm going to eat it".  While the internal message your hearing is screaming "don't do it..... it'll make you more fat"....


And again (as said in previous blogs) eating unhealthy is sometimes trying to fill the void in your soul..... Your just not happy!  That Chocolate Chip cookie from Mrs. Fields won't fill the void!  You know that... but you'll eat it for the quick fix
just like an addict who needs a fix!  Harsh but True (same behavior). 


Yes, this is my opinion.... I'll back it up with scientific research later!


What else could it be.... NO, it can't be a lack of knowledge because we are saturated with information on what is an unhealthy lifestyle choices (smoking, drinking, eating fat filled sugary desserts, sedentary, couch potato... etc.....)
Sorry, but I put smoking cigerette in the same catagorie as eating heavily fat/sugary foods...
They both contribute to causing life style disease!   HARSH!  but True




What do you "SEE" ?  Are you looking through a heart that appreciates and respects what God has given to you? What are you "Looking" for in Life?




I don't know about you, but I want my SOUL TO BE FULL OF SUNSHINE!!!!




SMILE!  it'll open up your heart.


Salute!   

for the record during the 21 days

Just for the record - my previous 21 blogs have this info:

15/15/15

This is the formula I use.   15 minutes each day dedicated to each discipline: Activity/Exercise, Pray and Reading Gods Word, and Learning something New

I also believe in KNOWING what you are putting in your body; Spiritually, Mentally, Physically

I want to make sure what I'm eating is rich in nutrients and low in Calories.
Aim for 200-300  calorie meals while seeking Weight Loss -  I SAID AIM!    that's FIVE meals a day
Otherwise google up what is the Caloric intake for your height/weight and age.

Drink 8+ glasses of water.  FILL up a pitcher in the morning and finish THAT pitcher by evening.
   Your pee should be VERY LIGHT in color

Pick activities and exercises that YOU WILL DO!   Look for opportunities during the day to just stretch or walk.  Do this outside of the 15-30 minutes of exercise a day.

Start your day with a BIG SMILE (as soon as you open your eye's in the morning)
Plant a smile on your face and SAY unto the LORD ... THANK YOU for my Day.... speaking words of faith and Praise that HE WILL BE WITH YOU.

END you Day with Reading GOD's word... and counting Your blessings.

Choose a Goal each week of something to learn or a book your want to read...  puzzel you can work on... something to stimulate and strengthen your mind.

OK

That is what I wanted to quickly say..... (yes, I always have more to say on this subect)

Oh..... FILL your senses with wonderful, life giving music, sights and fragrances!  Keep them NEAR you!



SALUTE!  

Day 17

Isaiah 64:8  

 ⁸ Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. 

       We are the clay, you are the potter; 

       we are all the work of your hand.  

He created us... but we have the RESPONSIBLITY to  "tend to the Body he created"....
It is our responsibility to Listen to our body, it tells us how we are doing as the Landlord of our Body.

You have been designed in such a way that your body speaks to you.  In the medical profession we call this "symptoms".

For instance,  the symptom of craving "ice" can be a symptom of anemia.
The symptom of aching neck and shoulder muscles can be a symptom of emotional stress/tension.
The symptom of headaches can be a symptom of dehydration or caffeine withdrawals.
The symptom of fatigue can be a symptom of fighting a virus or symptom of depression.

I believe our creator (here's that theme again for this week) put in place an incredible brain.
We just need to USE OUR BRAIN.

Respect the symptom!  It's a message from our body that we need to listen to.
Ok, so we may acknowledge a symptom but sometimes need to seek out help in discovering what is causing the symptom.  Yes, you can treat the symptom.... BUT don't you want to find the reason for the symptom ?

There are many times that you don't understand and even medically there is no explanation for a symptom.
That's when you pull out the instruction manual and then call the 800 number to get assistance.

     Funny way to say.... Read the Word of God and then talk to God!

It occurs to me that "we" humans are way to caught up in our symptoms.... kind of like those that like to watch reality shows - other peoples lives filled with drama.  Or the Movies with tension and conflict.

Haven't you heard those..... "oh, my I have such a headache.... " what they're saying is "look at me.. listen to me.... oh, my life is so hard... busy.... stressful...."    whatever people.

Step one of my "steps to success"  (check out the table in the back of the room for my latest CD's and books...... HA HA HA),   is to not EVER take possession of a symptom.

 Meaning,  NEVER Say I HAVE a .... headache.
Yet, it's ok to say "I'm fighting a Headache".  Words are SO very powerful.
When you speak the words "I have" you take possession of "it".
It becomes yours.

When your body is sending you a message like "ahhh my head hurts"... you need to send your body a message  like "I'm FIGHTING that headache".
Then stop and assess what could be the root of that headache.

It maybe as simple as dehydration or lack of sleep or food.
It maybe related to fighting a virus or allergies....
Hey, maybe you need to get your vision checked....
Maybe the new vitamins your taking are too much....
It maybe related to stress at work or with family.....
Ahhhhh,   .................It maybe related to unforgiveness or anger... some toxic emotion


Note: Did you know that  "some" people who suffer from migraines have a history of child abuse?
Or emotional trauma's has been linked to IBS) Our Body's hold's our hurts and come's out in illnesses.
Where do you "wear" your hurt?  In your head, stomach, joints....
Yes, about 20% of illness do NOT come from our mind.  But, 80%! wow.....


We ARE BODY, MIND and SPIRIT.  They all go hand in hand.
Mental issues can result  in  bodily symptoms - Toxic thoughts
Spiritual issues can result  in bodily symptoms - Toxic Spirit
Body issues can can result in bodily symptoms - Toxic Body

There is scientific research to back up these statements.  (read my footnotes ... Ha,Ha)
But it's true..... Medical science and even Eastern Medicine acknowledges the Mind body connection.

No matter what is causing the symptom.... Take it to the Creator!  PRAY!  Meditate and Listen!
So much better than a 800 number (like having to call for Computer Support! )

People, People, People..... "He that has ear's let him hear" (scripture verse)

You cry out (as I did) "why can't I lose weight".... "why am I always so tired" .... "why do I always feel sick".... blah ,  blah, blah,  waaa, waaaa, waaaa.

Yes, as a Nurse I hear it all the time from my patients.   Unfortunately, I am limited at work and unable to "pray with my patients" and talk about Spiritual Issues.   BUT THAT IS THE ANSWER!

                                                          Balance

TREAT the whole person.  When a symptom is acknowledged, assess the Body  but don't forget to assess the MIND and SPIRIT TOO!

Geese Louise people.   In all honesty people don't want to be accountable!
People today want a "microwave" cure.  No effort, just pop a pill and make it go away.
Stop with the ... "got to find the right diet plan" or can you believe the one about sprinkling something on your food to lose weight commercial?

Treat your body with respect - Healthy Foods, an Active Life (exercise) and READ THE WORD!

Enough sermon!
I'll get off the soap box.

Salute!  


PS 
The Two  Best way's to Detox your Body:
        Deep Breathing exercises - optimal is 20 minutes a day (google for instructions)
        Drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day ( I like it with a "kiss of lemon")
Best way to Detox your Mind & Spirit:  
        Read the Word, Speak and Listen to your Creator and Savior - then LIVE IT

Day 16

Today I'm  tending to the "Tree" (Respecting His  Creation - ME)   ... See previous Blogs

Today's Scripture

Colossians 3:17  

¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

When you have a thought today -  

When you go to choose what to eat -  

When you made a choice of what you need to do today- 

Hold it up in the Light of Christ to see if it BRINGS HIM Glory

Start Detoxing yourself  Physically, Mentally and Spiritually 

When you are unbalanced YOU FALL!

Salute!