FIND HEALING THROUGH CHRIST ​AND COMMUNITY

Welcome to our fifth and final post of our five week series: Surrendering Our Health. We're happy you've joined us! If this is your first time here - we hope you'll take a look back at the previous posts to pray for all areas of our health. So far we have prayed for physical, mental, emotional, and financial healing. Today we will conclude with praying for spiritual wellbeing. 

Let's get started!

Welcome to part four of our five week series: Surrendering our Health. If this is your first time joining us - we're glad you're here! When you have some time take a peek at our previous posts. You'll find prayers for physical, mental and emotional health. Today we will focus on financial wellness. 
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​​Good Morning Friends!

Welcome to part three of our five week series: Surrendering Our Health. If you are joining us for the first time, we're glad you're here! When you have time, take a few minutes to check out our previous two posts. So far, we've prayed for our physical and mental health. Today we will pray for our emotional health. 

Briefly, let's talk about the difference between mental and emotional health, since these are often discussed interchangeably. Mental health refers to the overall stability of our mind. Are my thoughts rational? Am I experiencing any symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress? Emotions are how we feel and many times correlate to our mental health, but not necessarily. 

For example, I may be experiencing depression and feeling sad at the same time. However, I could be experiencing anxiety, but coping well with it, thus I still feel confident and overall happy. 


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A key word here is "coping." Coping skills have a lot to do with how we feel or our emotional health. If our coping skills are strong, then regardless of the mental struggles we may face - we will emotionally be able to deal with those struggles. 

As the video above highlighted - we face a lot of trials and tribulations. So many of those are brought on by our own poor choices and lack of healthy coping skills. Perhaps, some of the words mentioned at the beginning of the video resonated with you. Have you found yourself entangled in an addiction and seeing no way out?  Do you carry heavy burdens, loaded down by guilt and shame? Addiction distorts our thoughts and makes it difficult to make wise choices, which in turn leaves us feeling guilty and shameful, embarrassed and unworthy. 
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But God. 


But God tells us a different story. One of redemption. If you are experiencing difficult emotions we want you to know that you are not alone. God loves you and so do we. No matter what you have done. Regardless of why you are in the situation you are in - God still cares. He wants to see you succeed. He is for us and not against us!

 Let's talk more about what we can do, so that we can stop the cycle of repeating the same mistakes over and over. After all, we want to live an emotionally stable and fulfilling life, don't we? 
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What are your coping skills?

If prayer is not at the top of your list, I encourage you to try it! If we build our foundation on Jesus, he will equip us for every situation and circumstance (Psalm 62:6-8). A healthy prayer life is simply a conversation between you and God. He's our parent and our friend. The same way our Earthly relationships need nourishing, so does our relationship with God. Spend time in his word. Understand his will. Make choices that coincide with how he has instructed for us to live.

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Dear Heavenly Father, 

Thank you for my health. I pray against illness and disease. I ask that you would heal any aliment that I may be struggling with now or in the future. I pray that you would provide protection over my physical, mental, emotional, financial and spiritual health. I graciously ask that you help me to not take my health for granted. Help me to stay active - both mentally and physically. Urge me to care for the body and mind you have gifted to me. If there are any unhealthy habits keeping me from caring for my mind and body, please expose those behaviors and help me to overcome them in Your Name. 

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Challenge:

Think of one small goal. A goal so astronomically simple that it is impossible to fail. Then start by completing that goal every day for one week. Mark each day off on your calendar. The following week make that same goal slightly more difficult.

For example: I will walk in place for one minute. That goal is so simple. There is no way I can't accomplish that. The following week - 2 minutes. The following - week 5 minutes. This is about building consistency. The goal you choose is not nearly as important as ensuring you accomplish the goal. By marking off each day on your calendar you are creating a chain. DO NOT let the chain break. See how many days you can link in a row. If you miss one day, don't give up, but do not allow yourself to miss two days! Comment below about the goal you've chosen and keep us updated on your accomplishments!

Let's help one another brainstorm some goal ideas:

1. Write one paragraph a day
2. Read one page out of my Bible each morning
3. Add one vegetable to my plate each dinner meal
4. Write three things I'm grateful for every morning (see gratitude post)
5. Do one push up

Pro Tip: Create a SMART goal. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound. 

If my goal is to "get healthy" - That's a great goal! But my chances of accomplishing it are very small, because my goal does not include a plan. If I write my goal with the criteria mentioned above I am much more likely to accomplish it. How could I turn "get healthy" into a SMART goal?

"I will walk for 10 minutes every morning at 7 AM."

Now, that is a SMART goal! It's detailed (specific). I can measure the amount of time, it's attainable (not outrageous like committing to an hour every morning), it supports my overall goal of wanting to improve my health (relevant), and by stating the time that I will walk I have made it time-bound. Try it!