REAL LIFE

LIFE right now is about
love
rest
relationships (people and even dogs)
caring
being present (in the moment)
focusing
letting go
communicating well
difficult conversations
past
present
future

So much, right?
Do i have to explain?
I wonder if these words resonate with you?
Each word can contain a story, an explanation. My blog would be full. Like my mind is full. 100% full. I have to delete or do something with the thoughts.

Maybe you may not know this about me, but for the past twenty years I have been recovering from thinking too much. At times when I am really thriving and I'm really doing well keeping up with my thoughts, giving them to God, really giving them to God and leaving them. You know like a normal person taking in a thought and doing something with it right away. I picture a thought coming in my brain and then it goes in the right file on the shelf (staying on the shelf unless guided by God to take open it up again). It's pretty good. My desk is clear (my mind) and i'm flowing. Love that! Do you know what I mean. I have written before about flowing, being in the moment, if something comes my way I just really am relying on God and handling it well. I hope you know what i am talking about. Did you catch what I said a few sentences back? I wrote "like a normal person". i take it back now. I am normal. We all are. We have different factors that make us process thoughts differently. It's not beneficial for me to say i'm "abnormal." It is more beneficial to say "I am a child loved by God led by the Holy Spirit and I am doing the best I can. Really?"

So right now I have to be more intentional with my thoughts. A month from now I may not have to.
I have to pause and laugh. Every time I go to a Weight Watchers meeting I get the jump start I need to realize using the word "diet" verses lifestyle does no good. That the stories in my head about food may not be the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You know when you say to yourself "well I cheated I ate to much, i give up." i have always thought I could take what the weight watcher coach says and their materials and apply it to my thought life it would slim down my thinking. Get it, slim down! I truly have experienced freedom and know not to give up and tomorrow will be another day. But the approach to take control of your body is the same with the mind. It's what you feed it. Feed-food and thought, get it?

Getting back to the word "recovery". I use to get up and give a talk and say I'M HEALED from anxiety. But now I think the better word is recovering from too much thinking. It is a process. Some days I'm patting myself on the back and other days I'm making my lists of thoughts and intentionally going through them one at a time. You get it, right? A year may go by I'm flowing. At other times it's a couple of months, days, minutes, seconds and then I have to do a thought check list. It just depends.

So today my reflection is this.
Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS again I say rejoice. Paul wrote this.
Even in the midst of being shipwrecked three times. beaten, starving, having high tangible needs and the worst being wrongly accused and imprisoned. STOP! Can you reread that list. He rejoiced despite of his pain. Bring it on today I say. Give me some of Paul's soul food.

Here's his soul food:
1. God took Paul, a christian murdering man, knocked him off of his high horse and helped him become a LIFESAVER.
2.  The more Paul learned about Jesus, the more he experienced His love. Deep experiences and spending time with Jesus did that.
3.  He focused on living this life with Christ and got to the place of stating "well, if I die i gain more life.

He rejoiced! He FULLY was all in. You know when you get engaged, hopefully you are fully declaring your love and you're in!

So for today maybe you get what i am saying and you want to rejoice like i do. Here's what i'm gonna do.
pray
giving each of my things on the list to God.
i am going to cut off conversations in my head that are warped, imaginative, impulsive, loose,, my emotional and stop it! God help me! Amen.
remember my soul food:
just a few.
1. a month ago i was in palm springs enjoy God's creation and God reminded me of His promise to stand by me no matter what. He did this with a sky display of rainbows that blew me away. It was supernatural and it was a soul food for me.
2. Multiple times God wakes me up with a song on my heart. i have it journaled. i'm talking about even a country song i had not heard for years. out of the blue. it jolts my thoughts in a new direction for the day. Did I emphasize multiple times.
3.  On some pretty glim days i meet random people in the grocery story, cafe or one time (get this) in a mattress store (the sales person noticed i was jolted, asked me if I was ok and proceeded to pray over me).
Need I go on with the list. If you need soul food go to Acts 2 or 4 it may help.
I remember just the other day I was struggling in a relationship, thankfully i prayed and ran to find some comfort from the Lord. i read this (if I had enough time i would tell you have i ended reading 3 John 1) "Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. From reading that I dropped my head and the only way i could respond was confession of how i had not been imitating God. After an exchange with God i felt forgiven. My message in my head that day. Love and relationships are so important to God. Don't run from that relationship. Restore it, learn from it, be vulnerable, humble.....i had the desire to do it and i rejoiced in the midst!

I keep going on tangents. This is real life. i'm being real. how about you? i don't know what will hit you in this article but maybe you want to comment back and be vulnerable too!

Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Rejoicing!
Elaine

Just an encouraging edition. Please open your mind to soul food. If you are saying i don't have a soul food list. that stuff does not happen to me. that is all good for you Elaine. i ask you to consider asking God for help, for experiences, for guidance...then...wait...look...talk...ask questions...expect something.