tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79321672180932381412024-03-13T00:16:08.268-04:00A Heartening LifeFinding Hope In All SeasonsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.comBlogger351125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-68299662367800504532016-01-08T19:00:00.001-05:002016-01-08T19:00:26.082-05:00Receive (My #OneWord365 for 2016)It's been one year since I last wrote on my blog. I hadn't planned on taking a sabbatical.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2015/01/wait-my-oneword365-for-2015.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iXKGOISdU6I/VpBFV6V_ECI/AAAAAAAACqU/Cid3sjVGvog/s200/WAIT.jpg" width="200" /></a>I don't think it was a coincidence that my last post was about the word I chose for 2015 -- WAIT. <b>It was a beautifully hard year unpacking the word and understanding its impact on my life. </b>Even now, I wouldn't say that waiting is my favorite thing. And certainly my blog suffered for it. But waiting is a necessary skill, drenched in patience and trust. Both of which I struggle with.<br />
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The do-er in me tends to jump in and take care of business, but as I practice boundary setting in my life I realize <b>I need time</b>. I'm allowed time -- to think, listen, and wait.<br />
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There were times I thought about blogging last year, but <b>I felt an overwhelming sense that I should just wait.</b> I'm not sure why. Maybe I'll never know exactly.<br />
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It's now the first week of January 2016 and the freshness of the new year has yet to wear off. I wondered if I would choose a word this year and what it might be. So I waited. And all I heard was silence.<br />
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I was toying with a few different words, but nothing seemed to fit. Until today.<br />
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It came wrapped in a beautiful package of tears and trepidation, and I knew as soon as I heard it that this was my word, part of my journey for the year.<br />
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<b>Receive.</b> This is the word God chose for me. Joining <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2013/12/365-days-to-fruitful-my-one-word-2013.html" target="_blank">fruitful</a>, <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2014/01/esteem-my-one-word-for-2014.html" target="_blank">esteem</a>, and <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2015/01/wait-my-oneword365-for-2015.html" target="_blank">wait</a> in the line of words God has used in the past 3 years to show me new things about myself.<br />
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There is a thread of doubt tangled up inside my heart. It wonders if God will take care of me. It questions whether I'm even deserving of it.<br />
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The receiving of grace. Of provision. Of love.<br />
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The price He paid -- the hardest of all blessings to receive.<br />
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In the everyday, in relationships, when I'm in need -- do I ask for help? Do I deny others the opportunity to love me in real and tangible ways?<br />
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Receiving is hard because it's inconceivable to me that people would care that much without reciprocation.<br />
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I deflect compliments and minimize my needs. I'm blinded by my perceived self-sufficiency.<br />
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Receiving carves away that pride. I have to humble myself in order to receive. And believe I am valued, not because of what I do, but because of who I am.<br />
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<b>I want to learn how to receive well. </b>To be better at saying yes to love and care and good gifts. Without strings or IOUs.<br />
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But instead with open hands. <b>Open hands</b>. To simply receive.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">"Every good and perfect gift is from above,</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-30284A" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-30284A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"> coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-30284B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-30284B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"> who does not change</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-30284C" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-30284C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"> like shifting shadows." James 1:17</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">RECEIVE: (by Merriam-Webster)</span></span><br />
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<span style="display: block; margin: 0px 0px 0.125em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">to come into possession of, acquire; <span style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">to</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"> assimilate</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">through the mind or senses; to welcome, greet;</span><span style="font-style: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.04em;"> to accept as authoritative, true, or accurate, believe; </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"> to support the weight or pressure of, to bear; to suffer the hurt or injury of</span></span></span></li>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What's #oneword365? Click the pic to find out more.</span></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-47116466738899805362015-01-06T12:55:00.000-05:002015-01-06T13:38:23.463-05:00Wait (My #OneWord365 for 2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I fidgeted in the saddle, my knees still aching a bit from the ride a few days earlier. My horse shifted its weight impatiently, swishing flies away with his long, black tail. It took awhile to get everyone mounted and the horses were anxious to get started, each vying for a position near the front of the line.</div>
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It was warm and dry when we started the trail up through the valley, along the mountain stream surrounded by fields of tall grass. I had no idea what was ahead, only that it would take several hours to reach the peak where we were to eat lunch.</div>
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We had begun the slow climb through thick forests when we heard the first rumble. A Wyoming thunderstorm pops up quickly, blowing over mountain ranges and through valleys, ending as fast as it starts. The mountain trail was damp and dreary as the horses slipped and clumped along the muddy trail.</div>
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As we ascended past the tree line, beautiful views surrounded us as mountain ridge after ridge created an unbelievable backdrop. The higher we went, the closer we came to the storm brewing overhead and the thunder clapped its threats to turn back.</div>
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We reached our stopping place as fat, cold drops of rain began to fall. We huddled under a pine tree canopy, eating our sandwiches and wondering if the storm was moving on. The corral was hours away, the only way back was the way we came.</div>
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Down the muddy mountain trail we clopped, wet and cold and longing for home. And it was on this trail, with a thunderstorm booming and rain pelting, riding a stubborn horse down sometimes steep mountain switchbacks, that I was reminded, once again, that <b>I am not in control.</b></div>
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Feeling vulnerable I did the only thing I could do in that moment —<b> I trusted, I prayed, and I waited.</b></div>
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By the time we reached the thick forest again the thunder and rain had stopped. Once in the lush, green valley the sun broke through, warming and drying us out. We reached the corral as expected all in one piece, tucking the ride away with the other memories from our Wyoming adventure.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ftOrBP85zQQ/VKwKpOTGJJI/AAAAAAAACog/qO0kD3bvVZ8/s1600/psalm130%2B5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ftOrBP85zQQ/VKwKpOTGJJI/AAAAAAAACog/qO0kD3bvVZ8/s1600/psalm130%2B5.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have been wondering if God was going to prompt me to a word this year. I have been participating for the past two years in choosing a <a href="http://oneword365.com/" target="_blank">One Word</a>, instead of making resolutions.<br />
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Last year, my word was <b>"<a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2014/01/esteem-my-one-word-for-2014.html" target="_blank">Esteem</a>"</b> and the Lord used it to show me how little I thought of myself and to teach me how to "be loved" and valued. And the year before my word was <b>"<a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2013/12/365-days-to-fruitful-my-one-word-2013.html" target="_blank">Fruitful</a>"</b> which really changed the way I approach ministering to others and how I participate in and understand the purposes God has for me.<br />
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In some ways I think I have been hesitant to ask God about a word this year. It didn't seem obvious right away and I have been writing here less and less (as you may have noticed).<br />
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But today it came, wrapped around several other words I feel like God is nudging me about…<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Wait.</span></b><br />
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I don't know why this word makes me nervous. I wasn't good at "esteem" when it became my word last year, but it was a journey God took me on and I feel like I am better for it.<br />
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A few years ago I would have said waiting, for me, was impossible. It wasn't in my genes to wait. I am a do-er. End of story.<br />
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But the last year or so there has been a quiet pull. A deep prodding to stay and wait — in the valley, in the storm, in the darkness. Like the seedlings we plant in May growing and blooming and producing fruit in July, <b>God has been asking me to wait and see</b>.<br />
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So when I prayed this morning about a word for this year God simply said, "wait."<br />
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I am already asking, "What does waiting look like?"<br />
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And He reminded me about riding horseback in a thunderstorm on a mountain in Wyoming when there was nothing I could do, but trust, pray, and wait. I am quite sure I am embarking on another challenging journey that I trust God will use for my good.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>"I <b>wait</b> for
the Lord, my whole being <b>wait</b>s, and in his word I put my hope."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Psalm 130:5</span></div>
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What word does God have for you in 2015? (<i>Might you share it with me in the comments?</i>)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lxX_CdwG9D0/VKwKl91zGeI/AAAAAAAACoY/e_NR7K_dhAE/s1600/WAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lxX_CdwG9D0/VKwKl91zGeI/AAAAAAAACoY/e_NR7K_dhAE/s1600/WAIT.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Also linking with the <span style="font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">#GiveMeGrace community over <a href="http://seespeakhearmama.com/2015/01/03/give-me-grace-a-slow-walk-into-a-new-year/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-21109035304678544922014-10-23T11:53:00.001-04:002014-10-23T11:57:14.844-04:00People Can Help You (31 Days of Healing in Him)<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>People hurt people. </b>You have heard that before, I'm sure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We have been talking about healing and I could guess that most of us are healing from something someone did to us. So it would make sense that you might be wary of trusting another person again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I know, because I have been there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Trust is a complicated thing, especially if you've been hurt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rick Warren, in <i>The Purpose Driven
Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?, </i>writes, "Trust requires a track record."</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2GFloO2Kssc/VEkkb3f45CI/AAAAAAAACoE/a81F4v8dQVE/s1600/IMG_3664%2Brick%2Bwarren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2GFloO2Kssc/VEkkb3f45CI/AAAAAAAACoE/a81F4v8dQVE/s1600/IMG_3664%2Brick%2Bwarren.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>At some point, in order to trust someone, what they say and what they do have to line up.</b> Their words and actions will reveal who they are and whether they are safe and trustworthy for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In spite of the fact that people have hurt me in the past, healing that hurt actually happens best in relationship with people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whether it is a close friend you can confide in or a group of people who have experienced similar pain, having a place to share your story, your honest feelings, disappointments, fears and doubts without judgement is cathartic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've had the privilege of <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2014/05/one-way-to-find-your-people.html" target="_blank">walking alongside such a group of women since May</a>. To watch how God can work and heal in this kind of environment is an honor. It has been a true testament to how feeling connected and safe with people can encourage and <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2013/05/demolishing-walls-we-build.html" target="_blank">break down the walls we build to protect ourselves</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">God uses the "right" people to help you. They will hear you, affirm you, and love you no matter what you share. They will pull up a chair or <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2014/05/not-afraid-of-mud-puddles-five-minute.html" target="_blank">"sit in the mud with you"</a> because they care that much.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And they will be a healing balm to the wounds other people have caused.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A relationship built on a loving foundation won't be perfect. It might even be hard sometimes. But it is one on which you can rely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am in no way an expert on this topic. For more information on finding safe people you may be interested in reading the book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Safe-People-Relationships-Avoid-Those-ebook/dp/B002AKPG34" target="_blank"><i style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">Safe People (How to Find Relationships That Are Good for You and Avoid Those That Aren’t) </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">#write31Days</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-43423560218954149322014-10-22T10:43:00.000-04:002014-10-22T10:45:22.671-04:00Hope in the Wilderness (31 Days of Healing in Him)<div style="text-align: left;">
I have been fortunate enough to have done a lot of traveling and I have been in many a wilderness.<br />
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Anyone who has visited Death Valley in California can attest to the literal nothingness that surrounds you. This barren land is my best visual for the wilderness described in Exodus 16.<br />
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And God led His people there — on purpose.<br />
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Moses and the "whole Israelite community" were brought out of slavery and bondage. But before they would arrive in the "Promised Land" where they could settle and thrive, they were led into the wilderness — a barren desert without food or drink.</div>
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The land was harsh and as you might imagine, it was difficult for them. They were hungry and thirsty and didn't know how they would eat. So like any of us would, they began to complain.</div>
<b><br /></b><b>"Why were we led out of slavery and into the wilderness</b>," they demanded. They had been rescued and yet they still struggled. It wasn't the "freedom" they had in mind.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">“If only we had died by the Lord's </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">hand in Egypt!</span><sup class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-1951A" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-1951A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></sup><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food</span><sup class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-1951B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-1951B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></sup><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death” (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+16&version=NIV" target="_blank">Exodus 16:3</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span>
They reminisced about the "good old days" enslaved, but not hungry. They were disillusioned — no longer slaves, but not living in that freedom. <i>Do we live in that freedom?</i><br />
<br />
Moses and the Israelites were saved, by God's grace. But they were completely and utterly dependent on God to provide for their needs — and He did. But even then, they continued to quarrel, complain, and question the Lord.<br />
<br />
Last Sunday, my Pastor talked about how God had a purpose in leading them into the wilderness — it was for their good, to teach and train them.<br />
<br />
"It's a process to learn how to 'not be a slave' and it's in the wilderness that God can show us our own heart" (Tony Taylor).<br />
<br />
<b>The healing path can feel like the wilderness to me.</b> It's hard and lonely, sometimes.<br />
<br />
God provided food in the desert for Moses and the Israelites. Their only job, besides obeying and trusting God, was do the work to gather it. In the same way, God provides for us in our healing, but we have to be willing to do the work.<br />
<br />
Instead of the wilderness being a punishment, it is a means for God to help us break the chains of bondage we still hold onto.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2014/10/new-31-days-of-healing-in-him-five.html" target="_blank">We are free people. But there are things that keep us stuck.</a><br />
<br />
The path may feel unending. It may twist and turn and seem like it isn't leading anywhere at all.<br />
<br />
But take heart, your time in the wilderness, ultimately, is the road — to the "Promised Land."<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VfXrS6LOX6I/VEe63O72UYI/AAAAAAAACn0/2jTat5PCSeA/s1600/IMG_3675%2Bpe%2Bwilderness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VfXrS6LOX6I/VEe63O72UYI/AAAAAAAACn0/2jTat5PCSeA/s1600/IMG_3675%2Bpe%2Bwilderness.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art Journaling by Christy Mae Willard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">***My Pastor, Tony Taylor, preached this sermon, </span><a href="http://getfaith.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Desert_Food_101914.mp3" target="_blank"><span style="color: #743399;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Desert Food</span></span>: </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://getfaith.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Desert_Food_101914.mp3" target="_blank">Exodus 16 (Oct. 19, 2014)</a>, </span><span style="line-height: 21px;">which inspired and directed this post. You can listen to it <a href="http://getfaith.org/sermons" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">#write31Days</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-30505290729239371722014-10-21T12:52:00.004-04:002014-10-21T22:15:49.398-04:00You Deserve A Break Today (31 Days of Healing in Him)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I4TmgUvOgcs/VEaQf_YWwEI/AAAAAAAACnk/WVfUcn2JCZE/s1600/IMG_3059%2Btake%2Ba%2Bbreak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I4TmgUvOgcs/VEaQf_YWwEI/AAAAAAAACnk/WVfUcn2JCZE/s1600/IMG_3059%2Btake%2Ba%2Bbreak.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
It's day 21 of my <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" target="_blank">31 day series on healing</a>. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted!<br />
<br />
Healing is a beautiful and necessary process, but it's never good to hang out there too long without a break.<br />
<br />
It's a journey, not a race to the finish.<br />
<br />
<b>When I start feeling overwhelmed or anxious or just plain exhausted from all the muck trudging, I know I need to stop.</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2013/08/accepting-yourself-five-minute-friday.html" target="_blank">Caring for myself</a> means making time for healthy distractions. A quiet walk, reading a good book, listening to my favorite music, taking a warm bath, art journaling, or crocheting, or making time to chat with a friend.<br />
<br />
It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you are taking time to refresh. Like a deep, cleansing breath, participating in activities I enjoy grounds me to the present.<br />
<br />
I am alive! And my life is not "<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">reduced to the abuse and its pain" (Diane Langberg, On The Threshold of Hope) or whatever the trial you are working through might be.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<b>Today, I'm feeling tired of the heavy.</b> So, even though I feel like this might be a little unconventional, I'm sharing a <a href="http://youtu.be/OPdbdjctx2I" target="_blank">funny video</a>. I had a good laugh watching it. I love rollercoasters — at least I did before I had children and <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2014/10/the-beauty-of-right-now-31-days-of.html" target="_blank">I "forgot" how to have fun</a>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OPdbdjctx2I?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Find ways to rest in between the "rollercoasters" in this life.<br />
<br />
Laugh, play, indulge in activities you enjoy. You are loving yourself well when you do.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">#write31Days</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-75274604962078048762014-10-20T11:00:00.000-04:002014-10-20T11:11:24.693-04:00Go Ahead and Grieve It: 31 Days of Healing in Him (an incourage guest post)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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One of the most critical stages in any healing process is grief. We cannot move on or let go of things without grieving what's been lost. I'm including this repost in my 31 Days of Healing in Him series because it is so important. And as you will read in this <a href="http://www.incourage.me/2014/08/go-ahead-and-grieve-it.html" target="_blank">guest post I wrote for (in)courage</a>, it doesn't matter how big or how small the loss is, there are distinct benefits to grieving.<br />
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<i><br /></i>
<i>Here's an excerpt:</i></div>
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I knew it was coming. I had suspected it would be
soon, but when the time came it still hit me hard.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The end of a job I had loved -- an unexpected, yet
temporary, opportunity that only God could have orchestrated.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I numbly stared at the email pink slip when it had
arrived in my inbox, not really sure how to feel about something I knew was
inevitable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I casually emailed a friend about what happened and
she replied simply with, <b>"Go ahead and grieve it."</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Five simple words and yet the minute I read them
the floodgates opened. It was like all I needed was permission.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.incourage.me/2014/08/go-ahead-and-grieve-it.html" target="_blank">Read more over at (in)courage</a> and leave me some comment love...</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r-sCgBm1Weo/U-qxJseZTmI/AAAAAAAACdk/Ej5Dz1aAQUs/s1600/GoAheadAndGrieveIt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r-sCgBm1Weo/U-qxJseZTmI/AAAAAAAACdk/Ej5Dz1aAQUs/s1600/GoAheadAndGrieveIt.png" height="245" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">#write31Days</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-35385346039460015452014-10-19T07:30:00.000-04:002014-10-19T07:30:00.119-04:00Blessings: 31 Days of Healing in Him (a song)<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes our circumstances keep us from seeing who God is. But God is beyond our own comprehension.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He is sovereign. And we cannot know more than God.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes God uses "the wilderness" to get our attention.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">If we believe that God is good and that He loves us fiercely, then our faith and trust in this truth can give us hope, even in the darkest of times.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u7BWDNGS4QU/VEGtfHnvOPI/AAAAAAAACnU/fZllybVY0uE/s1600/CW1_1971%2Bpe%2Blovely%2Bblessings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u7BWDNGS4QU/VEGtfHnvOPI/AAAAAAAACnU/fZllybVY0uE/s1600/CW1_1971%2Bpe%2Blovely%2Bblessings.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">The struggles we face, the heartache and deep need for healing may not feel "good," but we can believe that God is working in it — ultimately for our redemption and His glory.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">How do we know He loves us? The cross. He sacrificed His son for you. He chose death on a cross for you. He became flesh and experienced pain, betrayal, persecution, rejection, brutality, so that we could be free.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Love costs and He paid the ultimate price.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Today I'm sharing a song by Laura Story called <i>Blessings</i>. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Listen to it. Contemplate the questions asked in it. Let the Truth of it sink into your soul.</span></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/JKPeoPiK9XE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>As if every promise from Your Word is not enough</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And all the while You hear each desperate plea</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And long that we'd have faith to believe</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>What if Your healing comes through tears?</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Writer(s): Laura Mixon Story, Liz Story Copyright: Story Duke Music, Laura Stories, New Spring Publishing Inc., Warner-tamerlane Publishing Corp.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">
<i style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">#write31Days</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-23457872010593804032014-10-18T07:30:00.000-04:002014-10-18T07:30:01.990-04:00Using Art to Remember (31 Days of Healing in Him)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Art journaling can be a worshipful activity. I use it to express my thoughts and feelings. To create with words and images ideas I want to meditate on or scripture passages I want to remember.</div>
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There is a common misperception that trusting in God means that he won't give you more then you can handle. If we hang our hope on this idea, we will surely be disappointed.</div>
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Here's an art journaling page I created of one of my favorite passages of scripture, Isaiah 43:2.</div>
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Whether I feel like I'm drowning or my feet are to the flame, God's promise to be with me, not if, but <b>when</b> the trials come, is a great comfort.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">but to be fearless in facing them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">for the heart to conquer it.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">~ Rabindranath Tagore, <i>Collected Poems and Plays of Rabindranath Tagore</i></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I believe that God can use the course of working through our trials to help us grow, to strengthen and refine us.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;"><b>CHALLENGE:</b> Create an art journaling page that expresses or represents your favorite bible verse. Use it as a reminder and an encouragement of God's faithfulness and love.</span><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">#write31Days</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-10898283077078264422014-10-17T10:21:00.003-04:002014-10-17T10:27:34.957-04:00How Long, Lord?: 31 Days of Healing in Him (a five minute friday)<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">How long, Lord?</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I feel like a kid strapped in the back seat of a minivan on a long car ride, nagging her father, impatient to arrive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm not sure of much. Not sure what the destination looks like. <i>Will I even know when I get there?</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My restlessness affirms my longing.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I search in vain for <b>my</b> justice, <b>my</b> redemption, <b>my</b> peace and comfort. They do not come from me, I know, but sometimes I forget.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"I'm continually reminded that it is not in my own strength that I can stand under the weight of the struggles of this life. While beauty and growth unfold, so also does hardship and suffering ensnare the heart, and tempt it to doubt and grapple with bootstrap faith that says, "I can do this, I can handle this". But the truth is that I can only move forward because God bears me up. He carries us not only when life beats us down, but even in seasons of prosperity, in which we can also be tempted to say, "I did this, I got this". Whether we are in a season of struggle or a season of wild success, it is always and only God who bears us up. He is our deliverance, he is our strength."</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">~ <a href="http://kriscamealy.com/">Kris Camealy</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't get my answer — "how long" is not mine to know. But He gives me <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;">“the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” instead (</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;">Hebrews 11:1)</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I know justice will come and wholeness. That He is not done with me yet.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>Such a beautiful mystery, to be part of the story He has written.</b> To walk in the mystery is to trust. And when the impatience of waiting rises again in me I know there is grace.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I will go home one day and He will smile at me and say, "It's been long enough." </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XxihSSOX0oM/VEElbE5szmI/AAAAAAAACm0/YBBN-6_366U/s1600/IMG_2637%2Bkris%2Bquote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XxihSSOX0oM/VEElbE5szmI/AAAAAAAACm0/YBBN-6_366U/s1600/IMG_2637%2Bkris%2Bquote.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">#write31Days</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">I am also linking up with the Five Minute Friday community over </span><a href="http://katemotaung.com/2014/10/16/five-minute-friday-and-a-giveaway-day-17-long/">HERE</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Today's words was: Long</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span><a href="http://katemotaung.com/five-minute-friday/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ia0aQQTvymc/VC6gtB-Gz4I/AAAAAAAACi4/p26ZzFGauSU/s1600/Five-Minute-Friday-4.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-87090275246379878222014-10-16T11:41:00.000-04:002014-10-16T11:43:11.061-04:00Owning Your Worthiness (31 Days of Healing in Him)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I believe that owning our worthiness is the act of acknowledging that we are sacred. Perhaps embracing vulnerability and overcoming numbing is ultimately about the care and feeding of our spirits.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Brené Brown, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Daring Greatly</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I may brush my teeth, shower regularly, and eat three meals a day, but that doesn't necessarily mean I <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2013/08/accepting-yourself-five-minute-friday.html">take care of myself</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">About a year ago, something inside started brewing again. I could feel the tension, as though I were still tied to something, so I decided to go back to counseling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“The worst kind of brokenness is the kind that you don’t know you have.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Amy Neftzger</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Orphanage of Miracles</i></div>
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</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">What was unearthed through counseling, prayer, and self-reflection was an issue with worth. A deep down belief that I wasn't enough. <b>Informed by what people said or did, I have struggled with feeling unacceptable and not worth choosing.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Even in sharing this I start to feel a crushing pressure on my chest. I don't want to give people so much power.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Existing this way makes an enemy of my own reflection, threatens my relationships, and leaves me skeptical of everyone, especially myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But it's in this space that God speaks and is working to heal me. With grace He opens my eyes to see the idol of my heart, my "need" for people acceptance, but ultimately, my lacking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I breathe in a new truth — that I have always been acceptable. And He unravels the string that has kept me bound to people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>I find how little I've thought of myself, cared for my heart, or acknowledged my deepest dreams and desires.</b> I feel the pain of my own <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2014/03/silencing-your-inner-critic.html">choices to belittle myself</a> and ignore the voice that tells me "I am His."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fear and doubt has kept me from "feeding and caring for my own spirit" (Brene Brown).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I watch the struggle in my own children to carve out a place for themselves, not rattled by the words and actions of others. It is a battle we all face.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The balm is belief. It's the confidence of knowing who you are and whose you are. A verse comes — "You are fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). Why do I struggle to believe that?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On the way to school this morning my daughter and I were marveling at how amazing it is that God made us so different and yet so similar. How there's no one in this world just like her. Triggered by the complexity of friendships I wanted her to know how special and loved she is — regardless of what other kids say or do. But also how important it is to find ways to appreciate the uniqueness of others and extend grace when the differences sometimes cause conflicts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I can articulate these thoughts and believe them about her, but I need to believe them about myself, too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">I study this verse </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">— "</span><span style="line-height: 24px;">in God I trust and am not afraid. </span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;">What can man do to me?" (Psalm 56:11). I ruminate on a friend's honest response to it:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"What can mere mortals do to me, Your word asks? I've got a long list of what they can do. And what they did. And if I stayed right here too long I will become afraid again. But I'd like to answer that question while there is praise on my lips because here my thoughts are the purest and the most truthful. They can't touch my soul. They can't take my name off Your engraved hand. They cannot make me matter less to You or be loved less."</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">~ <a href="http://arrangedbygod.com/">Shannon Coe</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>They can't touch my soul, if I don't let them.</b> They can't inform, dismiss, hurt, who I am if my confidence comes from God. When I accept His words as truth, His thoughts of me matter more than the noisy crowd.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Caring for my soul is like learning how to walk again. Being honest with myself about what I need and want and honoring that. Some days it looks like <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2013/11/when-your-fence-is-wobbly-four-ways-to.html">setting boundaries</a> and other days it looks like making time for <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2014/10/creative-healing-31-days-of-healing-in.html">creativity</a> or <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2014/10/the-making-of-something-beautiful-31.html">crocheting</a> or just rest.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Once we "own our worthiness" (Brene Brown) we will take better </span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;">care of</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"> our souls. What does this look like in your life?</span></span></b></span><br />
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</span> <i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">#write31Days</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-76990817265363027662014-10-15T11:57:00.000-04:002014-10-16T10:51:49.234-04:00The Making of Something Beautiful (31 Days of Healing in Him)<div style="text-align: center;">
"Relieving people's suffering is not always the compassionate thing to do."</div>
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~ Kevin D. Huggins</div>
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My son loved reading the Harry Potter book series. But I wonder sometimes, what about it makes it so wildly popular?</div>
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Is it the battle between the forces of good and evil? Maybe it's the steadfast loyalty of Harry's friends and classmates working together for the same cause?</div>
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Or perhaps it's just simply magic. Have a problem? Just wave your magic wand, say a few latin phrases and all is right in the Hogwarts world.<br />
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Casting a magical spell to fix my problems does seem easier, less painful even. If I'm honest, the idea of living a safe and comfortable life never having to "do hard" seems appealing.</div>
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That's what we want from God, isn't it? To use His power to fix things?</div>
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But life doesn't work that way and neither does God.</div>
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Hard things do happen and there's no avoiding it. But why? Why can't He just fix everything? Why do people have to suffer?</div>
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I don't know. But here's a thought…</div>
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The free-will God put within us means we can choose. Choose God or the world. Choose healing or denial. Truth or deceit. Light or darkness.</div>
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Fixing the hurts so I don't have to experience them wouldn't actually help me. It might feel better, but what would it really mean to me?</div>
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I just learned how to crochet. I can buy a scarf or a winter hat at a store and it's just a hat or a scarf. But when I make one, suddenly it's not <b>just</b> a hat or <b>just</b> a scarf. Its value increases because it represents me — invested time and energy, creativity. Each "yarn on" the hook creating a stitch now means so much more.</div>
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In the same way, time invested in working through trials can have a rich reward. I can stop wondering "what if this hadn't happened" and thank God that it did. Not because I'm a <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">masochist, but because <b>in the overcoming, something beautiful has been made in me.</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dmK15rXM0q0/VD6ZE_2g6-I/AAAAAAAACmI/HhFwKH9CyTc/s1600/IMG_3617%2Bday15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dmK15rXM0q0/VD6ZE_2g6-I/AAAAAAAACmI/HhFwKH9CyTc/s1600/IMG_3617%2Bday15.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's not a flawless process. It does require perseverance. But anything worth having takes work.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">There is a story God is writing in my life and yours. It's a story filled with good versus evil, loyal friends, disappointments, battles waged, and victories. A tale that won't be completed until our days on earth are done. And it's beautiful </span></span><span style="line-height: 16px;">— broken, healed, scarred and all</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">~ Gilda Radner</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">#write31Days</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-50940198099591872062014-10-14T13:17:00.001-04:002014-10-14T13:17:39.833-04:00Healing Resources (31 Days of Healing in Him)<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember sitting dismayed on the side of my bed. Sadness had enveloped me and my body was wracked with sobs. A wave of terrible hopelessness and despair threatened to drag me under, like a rip current after a storm at sea.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What was wrong with me?</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The burden of my secret wounds had become too much to bear. After 20 years of denial, it was time to seek help and face my past. It was the only way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Counseling became an opportunity to speak the pain I was holding onto. To receive objective insights that began a healing process in my life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If counseling was the cake then books became the icing, opening more doors for God to heal my heart. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are a handful that made a real impact on me.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life</i> by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: transparent;">Not Marked: Finding Hope & Healing After Sexual Abuse </i><span style="background-color: transparent;">(and study guide) by Mary DeMuth </span><a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marydemuth.com%2Fstore%2Ffind-healing-joy%2Fmarked-paperback%2F&h=UAQF9fYFR&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.marydemuth.com/store/find-healing-joy/marked-paperback/</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: transparent;">The Wounded Heart</i><span style="background-color: transparent;"> by Dr. DanAllender</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: transparent;">On the Threshold of Hope </i><span style="background-color: transparent;">by Dr. Diane Langberg</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: transparent;">Undefiled: Redemption from Sexual Sin, Restoration for Broken Relationships</i><span style="background-color: transparent;"> by Harry Schaumburg</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are some other books that had a strong impact on others I know.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Wounded by God’s People: Discovering How God’s Love Heals Our Hearts</i> by Anne Graham Lotz</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Changes that Heal</i> by Dr. Henry Cloud & John Townsend</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Safe People (How to Find Relationships That Are Good for You and Avoid Those That Aren’t) </i>by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>When a Woman You Love Was Abused: A Husband's Guide to Helping Her Overcome Childhood Sexual Molestation</i> by Dawn Scott Jones</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Counseling can be expensive, but is a worthwhile option when dealing with issues that are too complicated to work through on your own. I don't believe I would be where I am today without it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Are there books that have helped you? Feel free to share them in the comments.</span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">#write31Days</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-18163908675424702812014-10-13T12:30:00.000-04:002014-10-13T15:53:08.394-04:00When Your Fence is Wobbly: Four Ways to Reinforce Your Boundaries (31 days of Healing in Him)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x6xW7-hr2fs/UoJiEAb0WlI/AAAAAAAACF0/-i0-VCyb1Ss/s1600/CW1_3644+pe+post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x6xW7-hr2fs/UoJiEAb0WlI/AAAAAAAACF0/-i0-VCyb1Ss/s400/CW1_3644+pe+post.jpg" height="400" width="263" /></a><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2013/09/the-field-and-fence-story-about-limits.html">I have lived most of my life without a fence.</a> But I never realized, until just recently, how much I needed one.<br />
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The fenceless life wasn't working for me anymore, so with encouragement and a new awareness I began constructing one.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-When-Take-Control-Your/dp/0310247454">Boundaries</a> don't just magically appear because you want them. And it's far more complicated then pounding posts in the ground and threading some rails between them.<br />
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<b>At the heart of a fenceless life is fear.</b> I didn't set boundaries because I was afraid — afraid what other people thought, of other people's reactions, that I wasn't making the right choice, or perhaps, afraid of what I could lose.<br />
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One negative reaction could send me reeling or cause me to doubt myself. <b>It takes time to build a confident boundary that can stand strong and a fence is not built overnight.</b><br />
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My fence is new and a bit wobbly right now. The posts and rails aren't very solid and I'm concerned that one strong gust of wind could blow the whole thing down.<br />
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To reinforce my wobbly fence I have constructed <span style="font-size: large;">four reinforcements</span>, a plan, if you will, to keep the fence from caving.<br />
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1. <b>Take time before you answer. </b>I used to pressure myself to answer someone's request right away, which typically resulted in an impulsive "yes" response. Taking time to consider your answer helps you to make a more honest decision. Give yourself a fair deadline and let the person know when they can expect your answer.<br />
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2. <b>Repeat your request.</b> Sometimes people don't take no for an answer. My fence can become wobbly when people ignore or don't accept my "no." I know it can be hard, but sticking to your answer is key. Confidently repeat yourself until they listen. Don't let other people steam roll your fence.<br />
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3. <b>Physically remove yourself.</b> Boundaries set limits for you — how much you are willing to accept and what you will do if someone tries to go too far. If someone isn't listening to your boundary and you have confidently repeated it, then by all means, physically remove yourself from the situation. There is a time and a place for being polite. And polite should never be an excuse to allow someone to tear down your fence.<br />
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4. <b>Stop talking and regroup.</b> You may think you have built a strong fence only to find that familiar people or situations knock it right over. Maybe you struggle to set boundaries with a particular person. Perhaps you get so tangled in a familiar way of relating that you forget about your boundaries all together. If you find yourself in this type of situation, just stop. Stop talking or take a break from that person or situation until you have a chance to regroup. Less might be more for a while.<br />
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We all need some fence support sometimes. Confident boundaries come with practice. The more I set boundaries, the less scary they become.<br />
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Boundaries help me to understand and love myself better. And they affirm, to myself and others, that I matter and am worth considering.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>What are some reinforcements you use when your boundaries are threatened or ignored?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>This is a follow-up post. To read <b>The Field and the Fence (A Story About Limits)</b> click <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2013/09/the-field-and-fence-story-about-limits.html">here</a> or <b>A Gap In The Fence: Risking Rejection With Boundaries</b> click <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2014/01/a-gap-in-fence-risking-rejection-with.html">here</a>.</i></span><br />
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<i>**I decided to re-post this from the archives. Learning about and creating boundaries has been a significant step in my healing process. Not only understanding what they look like and how to set them, but valuing myself enough to know that I need them has been empowering.</i></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">#write31Days</span><br />
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<i>This post was also linked with <a href="http://jenniferdukeslee.com/why-we-need-your-story-yes-you/">Jennifer</a> at:</i><br />
<img alt="" src="http://jenniferdukeslee.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/tellhisstory-badge.jpg" style="border: none;" title="" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-54522629481194578062014-10-12T07:30:00.000-04:002014-10-13T11:55:49.744-04:00The Valley: 31 Days of Healing in Him (a song)Today I'm sharing a song by Ellie Holcomb called <i>The Valley</i>.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D25MTcX096A/VDv1o_wMdgI/AAAAAAAAClk/0_ar7uZfaSk/s1600/CW1_2517%2Bthe%2Bvalley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D25MTcX096A/VDv1o_wMdgI/AAAAAAAAClk/0_ar7uZfaSk/s1600/CW1_2517%2Bthe%2Bvalley.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Maybe the lyrics will remind you of those dark times when you didn't know where to turn. Maybe it was in that darkness that God found you. Use it as a prayer or a reminder of the hard times that you have made it through. Let it be a confirmation that others understand and have cried out to God in this way, too.<br />
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<i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">So come and find me</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">In the darkest night of my soul</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">In the shadow of the valley</span></span></i></div>
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<i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">I am dying for you to make me whole</span></span></i><br />
<i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">For you to make me whole</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">~Ellie Holcomb, The Valley</span></span></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">#write31Days</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-52124192850598815162014-10-11T07:30:00.000-04:002014-10-11T07:30:00.084-04:00Only God Can Unlock Your Heart (31 Days of Healing in Him)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This Healing in Him series is inspired by an <a href="http://www.incourage.me/community">(in)courage group</a> I co-lead. Last Spring, one of the ladies talked about how her heart felt locked up tight, and it was only God who had the key to unlock it.</div>
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There was something really beautiful about that visual and I felt led to create an art journal page depicting what this idea looked like in my life.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G_bT_uQ1O7M/VDg4RW_WFnI/AAAAAAAAClU/rDffo5dOUtE/s1600/IMG_3017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G_bT_uQ1O7M/VDg4RW_WFnI/AAAAAAAAClU/rDffo5dOUtE/s1600/IMG_3017.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ten years ago I was in denial about my past. I was self-protective, guarded, locked up and closed off, not wanting to deal with the cause and effect of my <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/my-passion.html">abuse</a>.<br />
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But God had other plans for me. It took time, but I found God to be completely trustworthy and His love is healing and redeeming my heart.<br />
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It's a big, brave step to let God into your mess. But He is the only one that can add light to that darkness.<br />
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Want to learn more about art journaling and how creativity can become a powerful outlet for healing? You might be interested in reading last Saturday's post on <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2014/10/creative-healing-31-days-of-healing-in.html">Creative Healing</a>.</div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post in my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">#write31Days</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-58783216674584297892014-10-10T14:55:00.000-04:002014-10-10T15:06:41.174-04:00Care: 31 Days of Healing in Him (a five minute friday)<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 Peter 5:7 (MSG)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">We think we know God, but do we? We contemplate this question at bible study today. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My circumstances can keep me from seeing who God is. From believing that He is good, even in the darkest of times. But should it?</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have asked the dreaded why and come up empty. How can I possibly know the sovereign plan of God?</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And the more I learn about and experience Him, the smaller I feel. He cares for me in ways I cannot fathom.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">If I stop analyzing my hardships through a filter of good or bad I will begin to see, with greater clarity, </span><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">that "for my good" is relative. </span><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">I cannot define it by my own standards.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oK7jGnlpYAM/VDgrZIUd-8I/AAAAAAAACk8/ZFtcy-_Z1qI/s1600/CW1_2344%2Bcare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oK7jGnlpYAM/VDgrZIUd-8I/AAAAAAAACk8/ZFtcy-_Z1qI/s1600/CW1_2344%2Bcare.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a><span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">What I think I need, what I worry over and fear are in God's care, not mine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And I see a glimmer of what it might be like to live a "carefree" life before God. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Where I no longer need to provide evidence to support my worst fears or use the past to justify my anxieties.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My eyes open and I see that the most important parts of my story are how God was there. How He helped me, changed me, chose me, saved me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Through this healing process He's using the past to do "immeasurably more than I could hope or imagine" in my future.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I cannot understand all that God is, but in this I can trust:</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Romans 8:32</span></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">#write31Days</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">I am also linking up with the Five Minute Friday community over </span><a href="http://katemotaung.com/2014/10/09/five-minute-friday-and-a-giveaway-day-10-care/">HERE</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Today's words was: Care</span><br />
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<a href="http://katemotaung.com/five-minute-friday/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ia0aQQTvymc/VC6gtB-Gz4I/AAAAAAAACi4/p26ZzFGauSU/s1600/Five-Minute-Friday-4.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-33052237956505869082014-10-09T10:30:00.000-04:002014-10-09T10:38:51.604-04:00Why I Stopped Writing Fiction (31 Days of Healing in Him)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>I am not an author.</b> I don't have a bookshelf full of novels or a bestseller label preceding my name. But I do write a lot of fiction.<br />
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One warm summer day I slouched down on my kaki-colored couch and started concocting a riveting story about how my friends had decided they didn't want my <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2013/04/reframing-friendship-five-minute-friday.html">friendship</a> anymore. I wrote compelling dialogue — conversations they must have been having with each other about me. And how I had been replaced, irrelevant, and overlooked.</div>
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My spiral downward took only a matter of minutes and it left me a weeping mess and completely out of sorts. I was convinced they were conspiring against me and I had proof.</div>
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Only problem was, <b>none of it was true.</b> Not one word of it actually happened.</div>
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In essence, it was all fiction.</div>
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This would have been a fine thing had I been aspiring to write my first novel, but in life, the kind of fiction I was writing stunk.</div>
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It took me several long, emotional days to realize what I was doing.</div>
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As <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2013/10/acknowledge-your-story-31-days-of.html">I struggle inwardly with accepting my worth</a>, the lies, if I'm not careful, will continue to give voice to my deepest fears and insecurities.</div>
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With help, I am learning how to stop writing fiction. I can do this through awareness — knowing when I'm reacting to fact or whether I'm just making stuff up — and by understanding my tendency to allow my emotions to run wild with my imagination, so I can stop the lies before they send me reeling.</div>
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It's hard to recognize something that has become a pattern of thinking. Harder still to stop it. But it has honestly been one of the most positive, peace-filled choices I have made.</div>
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Instead of filling in the gaps with my own, uncomplimentary tales I am learning to rest in Him and the truth that I do know.</div>
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<b>When we stop writing fiction we stop assumptions, uncertainty, and worry from taking control and we learn to live in and be okay with the mystery.</b></div>
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Are you a fiction writer? Do you ever catch yourself being angry, sad, or frustrated about something you made up? (It sounds strange, but I've done it.)<br />
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<i>**I decided to re-post this from the archives. I wrote this last year, but the truth of it stays with me today. It was an important step in my healing process to stop "writing fiction" about myself, about my relationships, even about God. And I hope it will encourage and challenge you, as well.</i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">#write31Days</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-50002331952838132452014-10-08T12:37:00.003-04:002014-10-08T12:39:34.080-04:00Acknowledge How Far You've Come (31 Days of Healing in Him)I had been working hard with my counselor to change some ways I view relationships. And the progress was tangible.<br />
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The high of unearthing and reframing an issue left me feeling unstoppable.<br />
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<b>But it wasn't long before my resolve was tested.</b> My response to the conflict surprised me and I found myself back in a familiar place, struggling with thoughts and emotions I thought I had worked through.<br />
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Frustrated, I recounted what happened to my counselor, making sure to put myself down for thinking I had made progress only to find myself right back where I started.<br />
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But she was quick to correct.<br />
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I'm not sure where I got the idea that because I trip and fall sometimes that I don't know how to walk.<br />
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<b>Slipping into old patterns is not an indication that I haven't healed.</b><br />
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The familiarity of my response does not mean that I never left the starting line.<br />
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As we untangled my response and the feelings caught inside it I began to see that although I could recognize the angst, it was slightly different this time. <b>Within the struggle was awareness, shrouded at first by my self-doubt.</b><br />
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Recognizing the familiar was actually a sign of healing. Because healing comes when we can acknowledge what needs to change. <b>Realizing, in the midst of the struggle, that I was stepping back into an old pattern was progress!</b><br />
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I tend to chastise myself. <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2014/03/silencing-your-inner-critic.html">I have been my own bully.</a> But I cannot allow myself to disregard victories in my healing journey. And neither should you.<br />
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Don't ignore or explain away the milestones you have hit along the way. Acknowledge them! Celebrate them! They are victories, no matter how big or small they might be.<br />
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"What are some milestones you can acknowledge in your process of healing? If you have trouble seeing them, ask a spouse or friend to help you." (Mary DeMuth, <i><a href="http://www.marydemuth.com/not-marked-book/">Not Marked: Finding Hope and Healing After Sexual Abuse)</a></i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">#write31Days</span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-73719217352204398842014-10-07T13:54:00.000-04:002014-10-08T13:32:35.245-04:00The Beauty of Right Now (31 Days of Healing in Him)It's one thirty on a Tuesday when I climb the short ladder and crawl my way through the black netting.<br />
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"Now what?" I ask myself.<br />
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It's been nearly 10 years since my pink painted toes touched the pad of a trampoline. I feel awkward and my eyes scan the backyard for gawking neighbors.<br />
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<i>What on earth am I doing on here?</i><br />
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I stand on wobbling legs and begin a light bounce — my feet stay on the pad. There will be no "big air" today.<br />
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A smile creeps across my face and I quietly laugh at, I mean, to myself. <i>Why is this so hard?</i><br />
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Author, <a href="http://lauraboggess.com/">Laura Boggess</a>, talks about the "self-imposed rules (we) subscribe to" in her new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Playdates-God-Having-Childlike-Grownup/dp/0891126201/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412703785&sr=8-1&keywords=playdates+with+god">Playdates With God: Having a Childlike Faith in a Grown-Up World</a>. These unwritten rules squash my joy and my freedom and hold me back from who I want to be, but more importantly, from God.<br />
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It's while I'm standing unsure, feet glued to the trampoline that <b>I wonder where all the fun went</b>.<br />
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As a kid I was very active in sports, in music, in theater. I laughed with friends and I went on long walks around the arboretum where we lived. I rode my bike and I climbed trees. I scampered down the tree lined bank and threw rocks in or fished or just listened to the murky crick water as it slowly flowed by.<br />
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Adulthood hit me like a swirling tornado. It scooped me up and I never looked back. It was in this season that I began to deal with the scars of <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/my-passion.html">my childhood sexual abuse</a>. Joy became a forgotten memory. <b>The playfulness of youth replaced by responsibilities, demands, and emotional turmoil.</b><br />
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But I feel a nudge inside of me now. A longing to break free — most days from my own self.<br />
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Laura shares this quote from Donald Miller, "People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain."<br />
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<b>I see my longings as a healing gift.</b> There was a time, not too long ago, that I didn't recognize that my desires matter. <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2013/10/defined-by-present-31-days-of.html">That I mattered.</a><br />
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The past drags me down some days and the healing process can feel long and hard. I busy myself with routine and schedule, filling my days with important things — but not the most important thing.<br />
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For the "rule bound," meeting with God may feel like another thing you have to do. Perhaps you think it needs to look a certain way making the structured quiet time feel like just another thing to check off the "to-do" list.<br />
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<b>What if I deliberately invited God into my day?</b> What might that look like?<br />
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Perhaps Joy is waiting for me as I feel the sun's warmth on my skin or listen to a bird's song from the trees or in discovering beauty in the right now.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">And maybe these sacred moments with God will mend the tears and remind me of all that God can do.</span></b></div>
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"When did my imagination become so small that I stopped expecting the seemingly impossible (with God)?"</div>
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Laura Boggess, <i>Playdates With God</i></div>
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To learn more about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Playdates-God-Having-Childlike-Grownup/dp/0891126201/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412703785&sr=8-1&keywords=playdates+with+god">Laura Boggess' book</a> you may be interested in watching this trailer:</div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">#write31Days</span></div>
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Also linking up today with Jennifer Lee for <a href="http://jenniferdukeslee.com/this-weeks-tellhisstory-linkup/">#TellHisStory</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-32229112029124388592014-10-06T12:56:00.004-04:002014-10-06T12:56:59.845-04:00Mending a Marriage (31 Days of Healing in Him)<div style="text-align: center;">
"Chains have a way of making you forget the One you serve."</div>
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<i>Pure Eyes, Clean Heart</i>, Jen Ferguson</div>
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I never thought marriage would be easy. But I don't think I could have guessed just how hard it would be.</div>
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My husband and I have both battled a tangle of chains that threatened to keep us tethered to pasts we wished to be free from. Disabling shame that kept sin and pain hidden deep inside and yet, became the source of fiery daggers of defense and frustration.</div>
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Nothing grows in that darkness. <b>Healing cannot come to what is buried.</b></div>
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There are sins we cannot hide well — the scent of alcohol, the overdrawn account, the weight of overindulgence. We wear these secrets out into the world. We may pretend, but people know.</div>
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But sexual sin lurks behind closed doors. It hides well in the comfort of home, where it can wreak silent havoc without ever having to face the light of day.</div>
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It's why stories of <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/my-passion.html">childhood sexual abuse</a> stay dormant for years. It's why marriage beds are wrought with comparison and dissatisfaction. It's why pornography can invade and ravage in secrecy.</div>
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It doesn't have to be this way. <b>We could speak away the shame.</b> Because we are not the only ones who have struggled.</div>
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"We feel alone because very few are willing to stand up and say among people that we know that it is an issue in our homes."</div>
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<i>Pure Eyes, Clean Heart</i>, Ferguson</div>
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Pornography steals security, trust, and satisfaction from marriage. And replaces reality with a fantasy no one can compete with.</div>
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But pornography is a symptom of something much deeper. A longing, a God-shaped hole that cannot be filled not matter what we stuff into it.</div>
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If your marriage has suffered from the pain of silent sin, there is hope. A relationship burdened with tangled chains can be healed. It takes honesty and a commitment to deal with the issues head-on.</div>
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And you need help! These battles aren't meant to be waged alone.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K4_YNZTSa78/VDLFzJwxWAI/AAAAAAAACjY/woNC3tMTPXk/s1600/IMG_1365%2Bpure%2Beyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K4_YNZTSa78/VDLFzJwxWAI/AAAAAAAACjY/woNC3tMTPXk/s1600/IMG_1365%2Bpure%2Beyes.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
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My friend, Jen Ferguson and her husband, Craig, have written a book called <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pure-Eyes-Clean-Heart-Pornography/dp/1627070567/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1412613622&sr=8-1">Pure Eyes, Clean Heart: A Couple's Journey to Freedom from Pornography</a></i>. "Jen and Craig intertwine their personal journeys of healing and offer biblical insight to help you deal with the shame, anger, and insecurity created by porn addiction, recognize lies that both addict and spouse tend to believe, and restore lost respect."</div>
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I celebrate their courage in writing this book — a bold step to acknowledging pornography as an insidious issue that impacts our marriages, our children, our families, and a loving act to give hope and to encourage others that they no longer need to struggle in silence.</div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post from my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">#write31Days</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-52740565054661689502014-10-05T07:30:00.000-04:002014-10-05T07:30:01.105-04:00Nothing Is Wasted: 31 Days of Healing In Him (a song)<div style="text-align: left;">
Sundays during my #write31Days series will be brief, so you can enjoy your Sabbath. A song, a quote, a scripture passage that I pray will encourage you and speak into those tender places in need of healing.</div>
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Today I am sharing this song:</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Nothing Is Wasted" by Jason Gray</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/l26UoD-N2hA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Seeing pain this way can be difficult, especially if the wound is fresh. Our deepest hurts can feel like a heavy chain that we carry.</div>
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But it will not always be this way. And there is freedom and hope when we believe God's plan and promises.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X0EOhtn-R2g/VC73A5WSNZI/AAAAAAAACjI/H6XgtsiOcEU/s1600/IMG_1784%2Bromans%2B8%2B28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X0EOhtn-R2g/VC73A5WSNZI/AAAAAAAACjI/H6XgtsiOcEU/s1600/IMG_1784%2Bromans%2B8%2B28.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post in my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">#write31Days</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-21499467812237520572014-10-04T07:30:00.000-04:002014-10-04T07:30:00.912-04:00Creative Healing (31 days of Healing in Him)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Five months ago I had an unexpected opportunity to attend a women's retreat hosted by <a href="http://kriscamealy.com/">Kris Camealy</a>. Though I experienced many beautiful God-moments in the breezy Ohio countryside, perhaps the most tangible gift I brought home with me was <b>a reawakening, of sorts, to creativity</b>.</div>
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Sitting in a conference room overlooking a glistening lake I learned about <b>art journaling</b> and the sweetness of this form of creative worship.</div>
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Something quite powerful and introspective happened as I stared at the blank page of my art journal, wondering if I had the courage to put paint on paper.</div>
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The beauty of the moment wasn't just that I had no art experience. It wasn't that I was filled with inspiration or did it perfectly.</div>
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It was what happened inside my heart as I <b>leaned in to hear what God was whispering into my heart</b>.</div>
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This creating has become an outlet to explore art, express thoughts, remind myself of truths. But I have also found it to be a process to heal brokenness.</div>
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Repeated woundings have a way of stealing things from you. The hurts blind you and convince you there is something wrong in you.</div>
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Abuse, in particular, takes away your voice. Makes you question yourself and your value to God and others.</div>
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Artistic expression is one way to find your voice again. Creating is something unique and special to you. Expressing yourself in this way, to get thoughts and feelings out of your head and onto a page is so very freeing.</div>
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So I'm challenging you, as a healing act, to try your hand at some form of expression. Paint a word, write a verse, draw something you like — create something that speaks to you.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UpIaIHRbh4U/VC2JnbQPiXI/AAAAAAAACiY/fPHf-4Bn-qg/s1600/IMG_3016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UpIaIHRbh4U/VC2JnbQPiXI/AAAAAAAACiY/fPHf-4Bn-qg/s1600/IMG_3016.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Saturdays in October I will be sharing more about art journaling and it's healing possibilities. And I hope you'll join me.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Has art been a healing experience for you? </b><i>(Please, share in the comments.)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a post in my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">#write31Days</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-88861192541116068452014-10-03T08:43:00.002-04:002014-10-03T09:13:33.415-04:00New: 31 Days of Healing in Him (a five minute friday)<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">new</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">creation</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> has come: The old has gone, the </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">new</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> is here!"</span></span></div>
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I am a work in progress. Within me stirs the promise of new. The possibility of stepping out of who I was and into who I am meant to be.</div>
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But could His words also be a picture of what healing looks like?</div>
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I am a conglomeration of my past and my present. And I grapple with the intermingling of the two.</div>
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Old and new hash it out in some sort of strange dance. And if I'm "in Christ" then He is walking this through with me.</div>
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I <b>already am</b> a new creation. The old <b>is</b> gone. But somewhere in the dance is me, fighting. Not knowing how to let go.</div>
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Not knowing how to be new.</div>
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This is God opening my eyes to who I am today. To the lies I tell myself, to the bully living inside of me.</div>
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This is God revealing the "things that get in the way" (<a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html">Brene' Brown</a>) and me lifting each one into my trembling hands and offering them up to God.</div>
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I hold some tight fisted and by grace He gently pulls each finger back until they tumble out of open hands.</div>
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I picture Him gathering them from around my feet and discarding them for me.</div>
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Maybe the old will never feel gone. But it will not inform my new anymore. It will not hold me back from being a more whole version of me.</div>
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Healing leads me to be the new creation I already am.</div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is Day 3 post in my </span><b style="background-color: white;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white;">series</span><span style="background-color: white;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">#write31Days</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">I am also linking up with the Five Minute Friday community over <a href="http://katemotaung.com/2014/10/02/five-minute-friday-and-a-giveaway-day-3-new/">HERE</a>. Today's words was: New</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-43298616127427451972014-10-02T07:30:00.000-04:002014-10-02T10:29:08.535-04:00Pain Is The Price (31 days of Healing in Him)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm a side sleeper, with my arm reaching up under the pillow. Atleast once a night my arm falls asleep and I wake from slumber so I can rub it back to feeling again.<br />
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It's an uncomfortable process, persuading the blood to rush out to my fingertips again. <b>In order to go from numbness to feeling there is pain.</b><br />
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Sometimes that prickly pins and needles feeling makes me wonder if leaving it deadened might be better. But I know it has to go through this process of reawakening.<br />
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When given a choice, in life, wouldn't most of us pick the path with the least suffering? As if it was actually up to us.<br />
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I don't like to suffer. Pain feels bad. It makes me feel uneasy, out of control, and irritable.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What if I told you that, "pain is the price of healing" (</b>Vironika Tugaleva<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i>The Love Mindset)</i>?</span></span><br />
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It doesn't surprise me, then, that people would avoid healing because of it. That people would rather medicate or numb themselves then feel pain.<br />
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<b>Numbing denial played a huge part in why it took so long to start my process of healing.</b> The <a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/2012/05/when-memories-haunt-you.html">memories were too much</a> (or at least I thought they were). I felt very alone and ill equipped to handle their onslaught. So I pushed them away until they lurked at the edges of my reality. They teased me there, but they never stayed away for long.<br />
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So if healing hurts, why do it?<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Pain is a pesky part of being
human. I've learned it feels like a stab wound to the heart, something I wish
we could all do without, in our lives here. Pain is a sudden hurt that can't be
escaped.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But then I have also learned that because of pain, I can feel the
beauty, tenderness, and freedom of healing. Pain feels like a fast stab wound
to the heart. But then healing feels like the wind against your face when you
are spreading your wings and flying through the air! We may not have wings
growing out of our backs, but healing is the closest thing that will give us
that wind against our faces.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">~ C. JoyBell C.</span></div>
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At some point the "stab wound to the heart" got too difficult to bear. I started to hemorrhage and it seeped out into my life, into my relationships. I wasn't alright and I couldn't hide it anymore.</div>
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<b>The price of healing may be pain, but it's temporary to the sweet relief, peace, and freedom God can do in a surrendered life.</b></div>
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There is hope for healing in each one of our lives. It will look different, feel different, and have a different time table, but if you trust Him with that pain, He will be faithful to heal and redeem it.</div>
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And by God's grace may we all feel the wind against our faces.</div>
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<i style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">This is Day 2 in my </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">31 days of Healing in Him </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">series</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">#write31Days</span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932167218093238141.post-42663265934497628382014-10-01T13:28:00.000-04:002014-10-01T13:31:04.983-04:00The Things That Get In The Way (31 Days of Healing in Him)When I was a teenager, I loved to pour over maps and guidebooks, plotting my family's next summer adventure. I would plan the route, the places of interest, and each campground we would stay at each night. It was the itinerary that got me excited — the anticipation knowing what each day would potentially hold.<br />
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There was security in "the plan." I've never really been a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of girl.<br />
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I didn't know then that my tendency for needing a plan would become the cause of much disappointment. <b>Because life doesn't do what it's told.</b> It doesn't conform to my agenda.<br />
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My whole life I compensated, set goals, and tried to accomplish, all the while <b>I was quietly stuffing away the things that didn't fit</b>. As author Brene' Brown writes, these are the "things that get in the way" and I hid them because I didn't know how to deal with them.<br />
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I was 24 when I made an appointment with my first counselor. Over ten years later, counseling is still a huge part of my life.<br />
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<b>There was a time when I thought healing was a goal that could be reached.</b> That one day, with enough work, it would be done. I would somehow arrive.<br />
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If the last ten years have taught me anything it's that you will never "arrive." Though I don't want you to read that and lose hope. Because the arrival will come — when we meet God and our Healer, Redeemer, Great Physician's hands are wrapped around us.<br />
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But until that day, and I know it might sound cliche', <b>healing is a process — of unfolding, learning, breaking, healing, surrendering. </b><br />
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Please join me in this<b> 31 day series called Healing in Him</b> as I share thoughts, insights, and parts of my journey of healing.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">This is the first post in a series, called </span><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">31 days of Healing in Him</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">. You can find </span><a href="http://www.ahearteninglife.com/p/31-days-of-healing-in-him.html" style="background-color: white; color: #445d10; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">all the posts in this series here</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">, updated each day in October. </span></i><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">Category: Inspirational & Faith </i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">#write31Days</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149522025015502860noreply@blogger.com1