STRONG SPIRIT

What makes a Strong Spirit? First let’s point out what is believed “to make” up our spirit. “Housed” within our spirit is the Intuition, Our conscience and the ability to commune with ourselves, others and God (more on that later). Our spirit becomes strong when we take the time to engage in Spiritual Development. Becoming stronger spiritually is a lifelong process and requires consistency and patience. And what I love about “feeding” my spirit, is that a little can go a long way. One part of becoming stronger spiritually is the regular practice of Meditation. This topic will be discussed more in future blogs but the simplest most effective way to meditate is to concentrate on the breath. Just sitting in a quiet space, turning your attention inward toward your breath for as few as 3-5 minutes, has been scientifically proven to be beneficial. The heart rate slows with the breath, but most importantly, so do our chaotic thoughts. Once we begin to slow our breathing, we give ourselves a chance to “catch our breath,” or what I like to say, “catch up with myself.” Remember it is not necessary for you to go to a cave somewhere in order to experience peace, all you need is a quiet space and 3-5 minutes. You and your purpose are worth it!!

PEACEFUL SOUL

Although we have a measure of understanding of the soul, understanding by itself does not necessarily mean we can have “peace of mind” or peace in our soul. The soul is made up of, basically, our mind, will and emotions, and all are connected to our thoughts. In the beginning, it’s important to understand that we are not necessarily our thoughts, in the beginning, because sometimes thoughts can enter in the form of suggestions from our environment, negative  people, our current circumstances & the Enemy etc. What makes them permanent is the “space” we give them day after day. Nourishing our soul involves cultivating peaceful thoughts and taking the time to confirm those words so that they can get into our spirit and once there, control what we think. I know at times it can feel like peace will never come, but what I have learned is that sometimes you have to “fight” for your inner peace, and this can happen by becoming aware of what we are thinking. When you feel those thoughts of anger, anxiety or sadness arise write them down. It could be something that happened or failed to happen long ago or just yesterday but be persistent with being aware, and you will notice that you have more peace. Lao Tzu, the great Chinese philosopher said” “If you are depressed you are living in the past if you are anxious you are living in the future, if you are at peace, you are living in the present.” You deserve Peace!!!

HEALTHY BODY

We get this one, don’t we?? 😁 At least we get it when it’s not healthy, right? But the point of Strong Spirit & Peaceful Soul is when they are in operation, they bring a truly Healthy Body. Although good optimum nutrition and having a physically fit body is a part of it, for the moment, I am reminded of what we don’t see, that wears down our bodies. I am pondering what had caused me to become 25-30 lbs overweight in the first place  and in the second place, why it was so excruciatingly, difficult to reduce the weight. The answer was in me having a strong spirit and possessing a peaceful soul. I was stressed…very stressed ( we will go into why in the future), but that 24/7 stress load was my main reason for not being able to gain some type of balance. I had dangerously, high blood pressure & had become prediabetic because I was stressed. So, what we don’t see are chemicals that are released (like Cortisol) in our body that, over time can hinder our mood, cause us to get depressed, and not be able to sleep-just to name a few. My point at the beginning was having a “truly Healthy Body.” Some have the appearance of health on the outside but are unhealthy on the inside. Some people workout everyday but are miserable with their life. Again, fitness is important but releasing the “emotional weight” on the body is much more important. In fact, it has been proven that our digestion is hindered if we eat while we are stressed, so even if the food is  good for you, your body may not be able to process the meal properly. Developing a strong spirit will bring a peaceful soul then a truly healthy body will be easier to achieve and/or maintain.