I'm enjoying God's reminders that life's not all about me.
Last night I watched “Idol Gives Back”. I listened to the heart breaking stories of individuals all around the world with tears streaming down my face. I guess I have just become more aware of others as I’ve grown older and especially since becoming a mother.
I want to change the world, but I’m just one girl and sometimes I feel like a drip in the ocean. To borrow from Yael Naim “See I’m a young soul in this very strange world.” And what a strange world this is. People are sick and dying of preventable causes in Africa, there are motherless and homeless children all around the world, and even here in our own country there are people starving. Yet at the same time MTV is producing shows like “Teen Cribs” and women all over the United States are tuning out the world’s problems as they tune in to “Desperate Housewives”.
Something is very wrong. I am pointing the finger directly at myself here. The world is sick, and yet even though I know all of these things I somehow find a way to block them out most days. They seem worlds away from me and my immediate concerns of “Brooke won’t stop crying” or “I want a bigger house”. I think at times the problems are too big to face and I just don’t want to face them. They are giants and I am not even David. I’m the pebble that David used in his sling shot. The giant that demands immediate attention is a very dangerous one. It is the giant of a selfish mindset. I have to beat him in order to take on the other giants our world is facing. It is a struggle every day to live outside of myself and look at the big picture of what is going on in this world, but slowly I am attempting to kill the selfish monster that lives inside the chamber walls of my heart. The good news is I do not have to do it on my own. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. (Phil 4:13)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Proof that God Exists
Someone once asked me how I know God exists. I can boldly answer that question.
How do I know God exists? Because I feel him in every fiber of my being. I breathe him in with every breath. My pulse quickens at the mention of His name. He gives joy to my soul and is the very essence of who I am. While I cannot force you to believe, I can tell you I know confidently and without a doubt that He is.
My past only further confirms what my heart tells me. I have lived both with Him and without Him. The difference in the two lifestyles screams that God is real. When I chose to include Him in my journey He lit my path. When I shut Him out the days were dark. I have seen Him do miracles with my own eyes.
Beth Moore says it best...
"In my estimation, atheism demands far more faith than theism, so I have never been significantly tempted to disbelieve in the existence of God. The evidence in His favor is overwhelming. I wouldn't have the energy for the endless rationalizations demanded to explain existence without Him. Genesis 1:1 begins with "in the beginning God created..." Those who believe in a godless universe thus far can't even find a beginning to base their belief system upon. Psalm 14:1 says, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'"
Beth continues on...
"Godless philosophies have not been my temptation. In my life experience the most dangerously influential opinions have been those held by intellectuals and scholars who profess Christianity but deny the veracity and present power of the Bible. To many, the Godhead exist, but they are not exactly who Scripture say they are. Neither do they do what Scripture says they can do. The obvious brilliance of these scholars supported by a convincing list of degrees tempts those who wanted to believe God's Word to feel gullible and ignorant. The unspoken indictment is, "How could you be stupid enough to believe that?" Translation: "Did God really say...?" (Like the serpent in the garden.) Like Eve, we want to feel smart, so we end up making the stupidest decision of our lives. NOTHING is more ignorant than choosing man's intelligence over God's."
Counseling and Religion
The (very liberal) counseling program I am currently in teaches us that if a client asks about our spiritual or religious beliefs we answer them with something like:
"It seems important to you to know what my spiritual life is like. I do not feel comfortabale discussing that within the therapy relationship, but I can assure you my beliefs will not interfere in our sessions and together we can walk the path of self discovery."
That is a great text book response, but there is just one problem; my beliefs will interfere with the counseling process. There is no seperating my beliefs from me and if a client is in the room with me, my beliefs are in the room too. While I would never judge a client with different views, or try to force my values on them, I cannot say I would be a completely blank slate.
I think asking a therapist to be completely blank is unreasonable. I can be nonjudgmental, open minded, and empathic, but I will not give up my faith in the name of "good therapy". Why? Jesus was and is the epitome of "good therapy" and I will always take His route vs. mankind's.
"It seems important to you to know what my spiritual life is like. I do not feel comfortabale discussing that within the therapy relationship, but I can assure you my beliefs will not interfere in our sessions and together we can walk the path of self discovery."
That is a great text book response, but there is just one problem; my beliefs will interfere with the counseling process. There is no seperating my beliefs from me and if a client is in the room with me, my beliefs are in the room too. While I would never judge a client with different views, or try to force my values on them, I cannot say I would be a completely blank slate.
I think asking a therapist to be completely blank is unreasonable. I can be nonjudgmental, open minded, and empathic, but I will not give up my faith in the name of "good therapy". Why? Jesus was and is the epitome of "good therapy" and I will always take His route vs. mankind's.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Psychological Keys to Weight Loss
With summer on the way, a lot of my friends and family have been asking me what I did to lose the baby weight and how I maintain my weight now.
When I was doing my undergraduate degree I was getting a bachelors in Psychology and minoring in Nutrition. I cannot count the number of times someone would ask me, “how do those two things relate?” My answer was always, “how do they not??”
Everything we choose to eat we choose for a reason. Whether it’s a comfort food, a health food, something that reminds us of tradition, or any other slew of reasons. There is always a psychological back drop to why we eat what we eat and when we eat it! (Speaking of food, that was a mouthful!)
With that in mind, I compiled five of the most important things to keep in mind when trying to lose or maintain a healthy weight. Combine these tips with a little nutrition education and you will be well on your way!
1.Do not fall into the all or nothing trap. This is where, for example, you put yourself on a diet that says “no sweets”. You then go to a party, eat a cookie, and feel so guilty about the one cookie that you finish off a cheesecake and swing by McDonalds to pick up a Big Mac on your way home. All or nothing mentality is never helpful. If you eat something you didn’t want to eat, take a deep breath and let it go. Don’t let what you’ve eaten determine what you will eat next.
2.There are no “bad foods”. This thought process of good and bad foods will make you lose your mind. It causes you to be psychologically tempted to eat the “bad foods” because we all want what we can’t have. There is good food and better food, but no bad foods. Nothing is off limits. Everything in moderation.
3.You have to want it. You must want weight loss more than excess food. Note I say EXCESS food. You can still have food, just not in excess.
4.Have patience. You did not get to the weight you are in two weeks and you won’t lose the weight in two weeks either. Aim for a 2 lbs weight loss a week at the most. The slower you lose the weight, the easier it is to keep it off…and trust me, weight loss is a day at the spa compared to weight maintenance.
5.Walk. If you do no other physical exercise, walk. Walking will burn some calories, but more importantly it refreshes you psychologically and gives you energy to take care of yourself. A walk will put you in a better frame of mind to take care of yourself as a whole.
Take it from me. Last summer I looked like this...
and this summer I’ll be rocking a two piece with this physique...
(Okay okay, I had some help in the weight loss department by doing a little something called having a baby.)
When I was doing my undergraduate degree I was getting a bachelors in Psychology and minoring in Nutrition. I cannot count the number of times someone would ask me, “how do those two things relate?” My answer was always, “how do they not??”
Everything we choose to eat we choose for a reason. Whether it’s a comfort food, a health food, something that reminds us of tradition, or any other slew of reasons. There is always a psychological back drop to why we eat what we eat and when we eat it! (Speaking of food, that was a mouthful!)
With that in mind, I compiled five of the most important things to keep in mind when trying to lose or maintain a healthy weight. Combine these tips with a little nutrition education and you will be well on your way!
1.Do not fall into the all or nothing trap. This is where, for example, you put yourself on a diet that says “no sweets”. You then go to a party, eat a cookie, and feel so guilty about the one cookie that you finish off a cheesecake and swing by McDonalds to pick up a Big Mac on your way home. All or nothing mentality is never helpful. If you eat something you didn’t want to eat, take a deep breath and let it go. Don’t let what you’ve eaten determine what you will eat next.
2.There are no “bad foods”. This thought process of good and bad foods will make you lose your mind. It causes you to be psychologically tempted to eat the “bad foods” because we all want what we can’t have. There is good food and better food, but no bad foods. Nothing is off limits. Everything in moderation.
3.You have to want it. You must want weight loss more than excess food. Note I say EXCESS food. You can still have food, just not in excess.
4.Have patience. You did not get to the weight you are in two weeks and you won’t lose the weight in two weeks either. Aim for a 2 lbs weight loss a week at the most. The slower you lose the weight, the easier it is to keep it off…and trust me, weight loss is a day at the spa compared to weight maintenance.
5.Walk. If you do no other physical exercise, walk. Walking will burn some calories, but more importantly it refreshes you psychologically and gives you energy to take care of yourself. A walk will put you in a better frame of mind to take care of yourself as a whole.
Take it from me. Last summer I looked like this...
and this summer I’ll be rocking a two piece with this physique...
(Okay okay, I had some help in the weight loss department by doing a little something called having a baby.)
Sunday, April 4, 2010
What Our Dreams Mean (Part II)
In my last post I talked about the importance of dreams. I did want to mention that many of us have disturbing dreams. This does not mean we are disturbed. The subconscious does its best to piece together moments and memories to form a story that communicates to us a deeper meaning, but it is often not a perfect portrayal.
Sometimes we dream we are gaining a ton of weight, and sure enough we have a baby on the way. (This of course represents anxiety about the weight gain and possibly feeling out of control about becoming a parent as well.) Other times things are less obvious. We dream we are riding on the back of a pig running through the dessert and then Reggie Bush shows up dressed like an Egyptian and tells us to stop speeding. This one may be a bit harder to interpret. I encourage you, no matter how strange your dreams, to analyze them either yourself or through a professional therapist/psychologist. (I love dream analyzing with my clients). You just may be on a path to self discovery. When you dream your subconscious is trying to tell you something. Now you just have to decide, are you going to listen?
Sometimes we dream we are gaining a ton of weight, and sure enough we have a baby on the way. (This of course represents anxiety about the weight gain and possibly feeling out of control about becoming a parent as well.) Other times things are less obvious. We dream we are riding on the back of a pig running through the dessert and then Reggie Bush shows up dressed like an Egyptian and tells us to stop speeding. This one may be a bit harder to interpret. I encourage you, no matter how strange your dreams, to analyze them either yourself or through a professional therapist/psychologist. (I love dream analyzing with my clients). You just may be on a path to self discovery. When you dream your subconscious is trying to tell you something. Now you just have to decide, are you going to listen?
What Our Dreams Mean (Part I)
Dream interpretation sounds a bit new-agey and a little old-agey in a biblical sense too. In reality it’s perfectly relevant to the here and now.
I think any of us who have taken an introductory Psychology class are familiar with Freud, the “Father of Psychology.” He gets a bad wrap these days for the way he gave everything a sexual tone, and he probably did over sexualize in some aspects, but if we are honest here the man was a genius. Briefly, his most popular theory involved the personality being broken into the Id, the Ego, and the Superego.
Basically, the Id wants what it wants and it wants it now. The Id is the spoiled, tantrum-throwing five year old inside of all of us. The Ego has the job of meeting the needs of the Id but also balancing out what is acceptable in society. If the Id wants to run around naked, the Ego says, “now listen Id, we may get arrested for this. Let’s put on some underwear at least.” The Superego is our moral center. The superego says, “hey guys, let’s just keep all of our clothes on. There is no need to expose our body.”
So back to dreams. According to Freud, when we sleep our Superego and our Ego are also sleeping. Instead of suppressing the thoughts of our Id, the two Egos are snoring away. Because our guard is down, our subconscious thoughts, wants, desires, and fears are allowed to surface and present in the way of dreams. I believe we can learn a lot about who we are and what we want through our dreams. I don’t necessarily follow the interpretation school that says “a baby represents the future”, etc. but I do believe if we analyze our dreams we can find deeper and relevant meaning.
I think any of us who have taken an introductory Psychology class are familiar with Freud, the “Father of Psychology.” He gets a bad wrap these days for the way he gave everything a sexual tone, and he probably did over sexualize in some aspects, but if we are honest here the man was a genius. Briefly, his most popular theory involved the personality being broken into the Id, the Ego, and the Superego.
Basically, the Id wants what it wants and it wants it now. The Id is the spoiled, tantrum-throwing five year old inside of all of us. The Ego has the job of meeting the needs of the Id but also balancing out what is acceptable in society. If the Id wants to run around naked, the Ego says, “now listen Id, we may get arrested for this. Let’s put on some underwear at least.” The Superego is our moral center. The superego says, “hey guys, let’s just keep all of our clothes on. There is no need to expose our body.”
So back to dreams. According to Freud, when we sleep our Superego and our Ego are also sleeping. Instead of suppressing the thoughts of our Id, the two Egos are snoring away. Because our guard is down, our subconscious thoughts, wants, desires, and fears are allowed to surface and present in the way of dreams. I believe we can learn a lot about who we are and what we want through our dreams. I don’t necessarily follow the interpretation school that says “a baby represents the future”, etc. but I do believe if we analyze our dreams we can find deeper and relevant meaning.
The End
I don’t know why we don’t face death more as a culture. Okay I do know why. Death is a strange and scary horse. It’s scary to us because none of us has ever experienced it, yet we know we all will at some point. Sometimes death sweeps in and steals someone away, and that scares us too. Life brings an array of different experiences to different people at different times, but two things in life are certain; we were all born and we will all die. My point is that we really need to talk about it because it will happen, I promise you that.
Death is on my mind today for two reasons. The first is that, of course, it is Easter. This is a beautiful day that commemorates when my savior was raised from the dead, thus conquering the grave…the very thing we fear! We do not have to fear death at all because He has promised when death comes knocking, He will be right there with us and we will not face it alone.
The second thing that has me thinking about death today is that I learned this afternoon a girl I grew up with had passed away. She was 25. Her life was cut very short and this was just a reminder to me of how very finite our lives are. We are reminded over and over that life is short. “Each man's life is but a breath” (Psalm 35:9) and “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14) To me this only motivates me to truly live each day to the fullest. It is so very easy to get wrapped up in wants or the daily grind or a number of other things we face here on earth, but we must keep are hearts fixed on eternity. We are on this earth for such a very short time that we must work fast and furiously to accomplish our purpose. If you do not know your purpose, well for the love of all that is good please go out and find it. Yes, I believe with all my heart that we all serve a unique purpose.
Because I do not want to leave you depressed on this beautiful Easter evening, please know that when those of us who have accepted Jesus into our hearts leave this earth we go to a place more breathtaking than any earthly site and sit joyfully in the golden presence of our maker eternally. Hello?? No more hurt and pain….and probably ice cream too? I believe Jentezen Franklin said it best when he said, “Do not grieve for me when it is time for me to go, for my last breath on earth will be my first breath in heaven!”
Death is on my mind today for two reasons. The first is that, of course, it is Easter. This is a beautiful day that commemorates when my savior was raised from the dead, thus conquering the grave…the very thing we fear! We do not have to fear death at all because He has promised when death comes knocking, He will be right there with us and we will not face it alone.
The second thing that has me thinking about death today is that I learned this afternoon a girl I grew up with had passed away. She was 25. Her life was cut very short and this was just a reminder to me of how very finite our lives are. We are reminded over and over that life is short. “Each man's life is but a breath” (Psalm 35:9) and “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14) To me this only motivates me to truly live each day to the fullest. It is so very easy to get wrapped up in wants or the daily grind or a number of other things we face here on earth, but we must keep are hearts fixed on eternity. We are on this earth for such a very short time that we must work fast and furiously to accomplish our purpose. If you do not know your purpose, well for the love of all that is good please go out and find it. Yes, I believe with all my heart that we all serve a unique purpose.
Because I do not want to leave you depressed on this beautiful Easter evening, please know that when those of us who have accepted Jesus into our hearts leave this earth we go to a place more breathtaking than any earthly site and sit joyfully in the golden presence of our maker eternally. Hello?? No more hurt and pain….and probably ice cream too? I believe Jentezen Franklin said it best when he said, “Do not grieve for me when it is time for me to go, for my last breath on earth will be my first breath in heaven!”
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