Storms are bound to roll through your life, but God will stop at nothing to offer you hope, inspiration and answers that help you navigate even the darkest of storms. Today, I'm sharing two stories about instances of hope that God provided in my life and someone else's (and how happiness is dampened by fear).
How to Find a Lasting Source of Satisfaction
I am a self-proclaimed pleasure seeker. Food became my main source of pleasure to escape a world that felt uncomfortable, difficult and scary—a world I didn’t know how to cope with.
I ate to numb the anxiety and the depression when I either felt too much or didn’t feel at all (and wanted to feel something). I ate to avoid the very big calling that loomed ahead. I ate to run from my intense inner world. I ate to bring a sense of pleasure that masked the harsh reality around me.
I have always required significant meaning in my life; I am wired to seek below surface level. I searched for a very long time to bring a quality to my life that surpassed the everyday monotony of life and revealed the magic that exists beyond the worldly facade. I yearned with an insatiable appetite for a deep sense of spirituality, to feel loved and to know I am loved. And that appetite was filled with food, that is, until I found God.
{Video} The Power of Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a tricky thing yet it holds incredible power to transform our lives. Left untouched, the negative feelings we harbor will pervade our very existence with the low vibration caused by bitterness.
Waiting for the perpetrator to apologize or even acknowledge their responsibility is handing them the key to our wellbeing (as if it's their right to affect us adversely). When we decide to take back our key, we use the power of forgiveness to set ourselves free.
God, Lead the Way
Yesterday, I was reminded with such crystal-clear evidence that God is always leading the way to our dreams. While touring a new co-working space for women in Phoenix, Hera Hub, I was introduced to a woman who is an answer to my prayers.
Little did I know that by showing up for a tour (which I nearly cancelled), I'd be connected to the woman who will help me fulfill one of my biggest dreams: to work with kiddos who have endured trauma.
This got me thinking of the attempts we make to plan our lives down to every little detail and set long-term goals (all of which are important). Joseph Campbell's quote speaks so eloquently to this point:
"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
When we have the entire vision for our life mapped out in our mind, it is a sure sign that our Ego is at work (using its favorite tool: control).
Quite often the vision we have in our mind is directly linked to the dreams placed on our heart; if we stick so closely to the plan (and every detail we've attached to it), we aren't remaining open to the nudges that God uses to guide us in a certain direction.