Do nine applications have the ability to change your life? What if the number was seven or even fifteen? Is there a magic number? In my first book, I unknowingly used nine with the final reflection on the outcome. My workbook purposely has nine as well as the book I am currently working on.
Do you have any rockstar friends? These are the people who I think of who are always engaged in exercise, healthy eating, mental and/or spiritual wellness. It is ritualistic for them. Not in a bad way. They just don’t ever seem to lose focus.
Do you bulk at change? Are you weary of new trends or new year resolutions? Does a diet feel so temporary that you would rather not even engage in the first place? Is the idea of going to a counselor unsettling because it has the same feel as trends or temporary fixes?
If that is what you think, then I get it, because I do too at times. What happens when your back is up against the wall? Does the way you look at dieting change if your doctor gives you disturbing news? Does church or spiritual care look different if you’re lacking hope?
I am well aware that I have asked a large number of questions in this blog, but I have one more? Why does it seem like we wait until a pivotal moment to make healthy changes? We all have habits. Which means that you most likely understand that to change them it can take a while. This is one of the reasons why I wait. I love hard work (to an extent). I love feeling good or looking healthy. I just really don’t want to commit myself to this kind of regiment. I have seen people lose weight and get healthy only to put it back on in a year (heck, I’m one of those people). I have seen people leave behind unhealthy relationships just to reengage in another one. I often feel as if there is no guarantee in all this hard work I am being asked to do.
In transformation there is no set number of actions or days that it takes someone. That is true for any type of change. I chose nine applications because it connects to the armor of God in Ephesians 6. Those are just the beginning steps. Like exercise, the fitness plan does not lessen as you gain strength. In making soul changes, it is the same. You will see a difference, but the final shift does not occur until one day when you are not even noticing. It’s when you look in the mirror or respond to a situation and recognize that you are no longer dealing with old habits. What you see instead is a lifestyle change.
This is where I often get stuck. It is this serious tension in me. I know I justify it with the lack of guarantees but pushing against that is the fact that not making the change is harming me.
It is the tug of war between logic and truth. If I am worried over my weight and every time I think about it, I feel stress, why do I not do something? If I constantly get frustrated with myself for buying processed food, why do I keep doing it? If I feel groggy and slow because I need more water, why don’t I drink more? If I am worried about my soul, why do I sleep in on Sundays? Again, I think I might know why?
When I tell people I am a Spiritual Mentor, I think it leaves that same unclear thought lingering in their minds that the starting point of change leaves. Sometimes, I wonder if I should say, Soul Mentor? Remember the poem, Footprints in the Sand? As you read it, you realize that God has picked the person up in the middle of their pain and carried them through the heaviest of burdens, but for the rest of the time, they walk side by side. The journey describes my role, but it also determines the starting point for all of us.
Sand is most commonly found in deserts or along the edge of water. To get to that point we must step off one path unto another one. But just like this poem, that should occur in tandem with someone else. Life is not meant to be done alone. Today’s blog is about beginning. There is no practical exercise to try alone because my hope is that today you take that first step out of the grass onto the sand as you partner with someone to journey along the shore or in the desert with you. If you have found your way to this blog, ask yourself why? Was it an error or providence? Depending on the answer, you might want this information: https://calendly.com/monicaswank. All consultations are free.
-blessings
Monica Swank 