What’s the Word?



"A joyful heart is good medicine...." Proverbs 17:22

Several years ago I read an article written by author Debbie MacComber where she shared a personal tradition.  She explained how she chooses a word to focus on each year and calls it her spiritual vocabulary.  She doesn’t choose her word lightly. And, she says that after much thought and prayer, the word usually finds her.  She uses her selected word as a focus in her Bible studies and she also integrates the word’s essence into her daily life.

I loved reading about this idea; so last year I decided to select a word of my own.  And much like Ms. Macomber it seemed that when I went in search of my word; it actually chose me …. My word was ’Peace’.  I love that word, don’t you?  Something about the sound of it creates a safe, warm and cozy feeling. I had a silvery Christmas decoration that spelled out the word ‘peace’ and I hung it in my office and this ornament became a constant reminder and source of comfort.  I came to realize that God’s peace is different than the world’s peace….God’s peace can wrap itself around us in the midst of travail, or in the eye of a storm. It brings with it a stillness and a knowing with complete conviction that The Lord’s mercy and love surrounds us…always; no matter what the final outcome of an event or decision.  Peace; this once familiar term became steeped with meaning for me by the year’s end.

Just recently, I was talking with one of my sisters and she shared that she was giving a wedding shower for a young woman at her church who was a fairly new member.  She said most of the people in her church were unfamiliar with her…including my sister herself.  I asked her why she had decided to host the shower.  She said because this year she was focused on service. She remembered me sharing on my blog about choosing a spiritual vocabulary word for a year so she wanted to try it as well, and she had selected her word: ‘service’.  She said she wanted to make ‘serving others’ a driving force in her life and a stronger attribute in her spiritual life.  Sounds to me like she is doing just that.

This year I have selected a new word to focus on…the word ‘joy’.  I decided to write about joy in my journal each day.  I include things that brought me joy the day before.  Things like this: A morning walk, a phone call from one my children, having lunch with a friend, enjoying a class of wine with my husband, skyping with the grandkids, hearing from someone who has enjoyed my blog, having a chat with a sister, hearing the birds sing, love making, a nice clean house…

A dear friend gives me The Guidepost devotional each year.  It’s filled with daily devotions that I read each day.  This year the authors are using ‘joy’ as their theme, so I have the opportunity to hear short stories and prayers about how ‘joy’ is apparent in their lives. 

I’ve lately began working on learning to be still and meditate.  One way to begin meditation is to lie quietly, relax each part of your body  and repeat the same word or phrase over and over again.….I have the perfect word to use.. Joy!

And speaking of things joy….We went on a recent trip to visit with one of our children. While there, I taught a song to two of my darling granddaughters and as we skipped to the park on Easter day we belted it out so the whole word could hear. I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy

“Down in my heart

Down in my heart - Where

Down in my heart

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart

Down in my heart to stay”

I’m looking forward to learning more about the word joy in my Bible study.  I plan to use the word a lot this year and I will no doubt grow to appreciate it even more.



               

Have You Changed Your Mind?



"Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof." ~John Kenneth Galbraith

So what exactly do you think we are supposed to do with this information we’ve been learning about from Lissa Rakin’s book Mind Over Medicine?   Have you changed your mind? Is there enough proof for us to say goodbye to our traditional physicians?  Changing how we feel about something can be tough, can’t it?  I still find myself clinging to the idea of traditional medicine as if it were a buoy out in the sea. I know there comes a time when I need to be willing to let loose and swim to shore, but I can’t quite let go. And although I find myself being drawn to this notion of integrated, holistic, health care, I’m not yet ready to fully embrace it. So for now, what is my take away in all this information about our body and our mind?

It appears to me that this idea of mind over medicine is not so much a matter of a fluffy positive thinking kind of approach to health, but rather a scientific connection to the body’s action and reaction to the chemical responses of the brain. In which case, I must be more mindful of the stressors in my life and pay closer attention to their consequences.  And I need to buck up and be assertive in making tough choices to minimize those stressors.

   

Another thing that I have taken away from this information is how important it is to teach our children about the miraculous healing power of their bodies that God created. Several months ago I spent some time with one of my daughters and her children.  We were out shopping and my 3 year old granddaughter said to me…”Look grandma I have a boo boo on my finger.” And then she quickly explained, “But it will get all better cuz Jesus will heal it!” I love that my daughter takes the opportunity for using real life concrete lessons to teach her daughter. When her kids get a cut or scrap, instead of telling them the medicine will make it better, she tells them to watch and see what happens as she covers it with a band aide.  Then later, when she lifts the band aide off they have a front row seat and a discussion about the miraculous healing power their body has.  Even when it comes to broken bones.  Shouldn’t we explain that the Doctor’s job is to put the bone back in its place, and put a cast over it…and then it's time for the body to do what it does so well; heal?  It’s exciting to help a child envision their bones actually growing back together again, isn’t it.    Wouldn’t it be better for our children to grow up with an understanding that it is their body that heals the common ailments that come along, and not that nasty medicine they had to gag down.  If we learn at a young age the miraculous healing power of our bodies, then that message would be in our subconscious and we’d all be more inclined to nix the negative comments about our health when we become adults.

In summary, the most important message for me, and one that continues to reverberate, is that I must take responsibility for my health. So, I need to be more aware of my thoughts, my words and my actions when it comes to my health.  I need to think, talk, and act healthy.


I was speaking to someone this week about the mind/body connection and the person said the stuff I had been sharing was scary to her. It made her afraid….Afraid because she was now feeling responsible for her ailments…her sore foot, her arthritis. “It’s like my thoughts caused it.” She shared.  As I thought about her concerns,  I came to the opinion that I don’t think our concern for our health should be about a quilt trip, any more than our actions; like eating too much junk food, or not exercising, should cause us to feel guilty.  No sense mourning the past…that keeps us stuck there. No, it’s more about stepping up and taking responsibility now. And that responsibility includes not only the basic stuff we often think of such as; exercise, nutrition and plenty of rest; but I see that if I am going to adopt this philosophy of the mind/body connection, I also need to take responsibility in finding a health care provider that will support my wellness philosophy (a combination of holistic and traditional health care). Do you suppose Dr. Rakken could suggest a physician for me here in Yuma?  

I still have a lot for me to ponder...still lots on my mind. Maybe I need more proof.

I'd love to hear from me. Post your thoughts on my blog, or Facebook,  or email me at smallsteps4bigresults@yahoo.com