The fireplace warmed the cozy restaurant that cold evening. My hubby and I sat at a round table with three of our grandkids positioned right in front of the bar. The idea of having a glass of wine was tempting me, could it be a sign that I was meant to have that glass of wine in order to help me relax and unwind?
This wasn’t how the day was supposed to go. I had committed to start my new year clean eating & had restarted my exercise routine the day before. For me, clean eating consists of no sugar, which of course includes wine, and I eat a mostly plant based diet. My exercise routine looks like moving my body twice a day, with either a walk, weights, yoga or even a ride on my stationary bike.
But my best laid plans had taken a turn when the grandkids’ school was canceled and we received an SOS call for help because our daughter had to be at work. As expected the day was busy and by the time dinner came, the kids were tired and so were we. So, we decided that we would stop for dinner before bringing them home. As we looked over the menu trying to get everyone’s order straight I felt the urge come, the wine was calling my name. It spoke to me of relaxation and calm and how I could really use a glass at this moment.
I thought about this, and felt the urge to order a glass of wine. Shmego started talking “What’s the big deal right?” “After all, the day was hectic, the kids had a great day and I’m ready to relax.” But then I was met with another thought… “how unfair it is that other people can have a glass or more and not stay up all night. It’s so annoying and stupid that my body is so sensitive.”
Changing our habits isn’t easy. We can encourage ourselves to get into a mindset while creating our desired plan. It can feel so good to think of how we will feel and look when we are on the other side of our goal.
The problem arises when we shift our focus away from God and set out on our own. You see we were never meant to do this alone. We are meant to do this…life with God at the forefront.
Temptation is Satan’s way of seducing, controlling and tricking us. He uses our sensitivities against us. Our minds wander into his trickery and we feel powerless over the thing that calls our name. We want that glass of wine or dessert or whatever your particular weakness is. But we can also choose to rely on God, we are given free will; we can either sink into Satan’s lies and false promises or we can pray and God will provide us a life raft.
But lead us not into temptation ~ Mathew 6:13
The wine was calling me, and my body felt tense, uncertain and weak, so I called God. I instantly felt his presence, I saw Him in my grandchildren’s smiles and heard him in their laughter. The one cue in that I’ve learned to trust is that my body knows truth, this is true for each of us. Your body knows, it’s the mind that gets conjumbled.
God’s love and grace filled me. The weakness I felt dissipated instantly and I no longer was tempted to go against myself.
But Jesus said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
God provides strength where we are weak.
I know life isn’t easy and I also know whatever you might be struggling with right now, God can handle. He wants us to come to him when we feel weak, when life is hard and our thoughts are challenging us.
I have found solace with having a daily Spiritual Practice where the focus is on my relationship with God.
Jesus taught us how to find: The Answer To Prayers
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks the door will be opened.” ~ Matthew 7:7-8
Let’s talk more about upleveling your Spiritual Practice and the importance of having God in the forefront.
There are tools and methods that have been mapped out for us in the Bible. When we use these we are honoring our Holy origins. Our Spiritual Practice is a daily ritual that consists of praise, gratitude and love.
Let’s break this down a bit more:
A ritual is an intentional spiritually related action that you partake in. We choose our intention and in choosing that which is above all else, meaning God, we are invested in our soul and in fulfilling our legacy. That is our gift from God. To serve love to others in some way shape or form. Being it through a generational healing, forgiveness of wrongdoing, a karmic healing, or through sharing love and peace our soul is taking action to fulfill what it has come to this life to evolve.
The challenge arises when we are met with an opposing energy that literally stops us in our tracks. This can show up as resistance, procrastination and even denial.
It is crucial then that our Spiritual Practice be on the top of our priority list. Our worries can be temporary when we are in union with God. Only love can purify our hearts and shift the course of our life.
And look, a new routine can trip us up, just like it did with me the other day.
Because whenever we are faced with something that opposes the energy we are used to experiencing we feel something new and those new feelings come in and send an alarm to our brain that there is something foreign happening. This is when our Shmego guy comes forward and fuels our fears, self doubts and inner criticism.
This is one reason why we attempt to start new things and end up stopping them so quickly.
The good news is that there is hope.
It has to do with the rewiring of our brain and our subconscious mind. Here’s how it works: the repetition of our Spiritual Practice paired with our intention is what will create a good feeling in our mind and in our body. This will in turn teach our subconscious that our new Daily Rituals make us feel good, and support our alignment to continue the new action until it becomes a habit.
For example, as with last week, this week’s Prayer and Spiritual Assignment are meant to be repeated daily. Allowing that good feeling that you chose during last week’s assignment to be in the forefront of your mind. This is what the Angels show is how we integrate the feeling into our bodies. Remembering how good it feels to feel your feeling is your goal while you do your “you work” this week. As you will see with this week’s Assignment, smiling is a wonderful way to increase the vibration of the feeling.
Prayer: This week we are reflecting on how Jesus taught us how to pray during his Sermon on the Mount. Say and contemplate the Our Father each day as you wake and in the evening before you close your eyes.
9 Pray then like this:“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
~ Matthew 5:9-15
Spiritual Assignment: Gratitude with remembrance. This is a tool I created a few years ago when I was battling with self esteem and anxiety
that were trauma induced. What makes this powerful for trauma related issues is that the body feels good while the mind is grateful.
Remember earlier when I said the body knows truth, that means the feelings you hold in your body will outweigh the thoughts or in this case you will feel good and your brain will create new neural pathways.
Step 1: Start with sitting still in a quiet place.
Step 2: Bring to mind a familiar memory where you were happy, smiling and filled with joy. If you don’t have one that comes to you, create it by first choosing a feeling you want to have, then close your eyes and imagine seeing yourself in your mind’s eye smiling, laughing and feeling that feeling. Perfect, hold that and move on to the next step.
Step 3: Hold your good feeling in your heart, inviting more of the feeling to fill your entire body. Stay here until you feel full of the goodness of your feeling.
Step 4: Bring to mind what you are grateful to God for at this moment. With each item of gratitude, hold it still within the energy of your heart, inviting the feeling to merge with your gratitude.
Step 5: Sit in peace, saying Thank you God. Repeat as many times as desired.
Step 6: When you feel ready, place your hands in prayer position in front of your heart and bow in reverence to God and yourself.
This week’s Spiritual Assignment is truly a game changer for when we are feeling out of sorts, have low energy, or are feeling anxious or depressed. It’s something I practice everyday to remember that God actually wishes for me to feel good and to trust his loving guidance over fear’s lies.
Let me know by leaving a comment below on how this week’s Spiritual Assignment works for you!
