Redeem - January 2024
Spirit - You know you are right. The argument would end if being right wasn’t what you were arguing for. But you want to win. Stand down - Let that ego deflate. Take the boxing gloves off, no TKO today. Stand down -Ego is never satiated. Ego demands damage be done, always. Fight for what matters - love. Create Love, be an inventor. Stand down - Trust your spirit whispering to you - grace, mercy, forgiveness. The true victor. Open your arms wide, lean in, ask for a hug.
Mind - Tish Harrison Warren in her book, Prayer in the Night (https://tishharrisonwarren.com/prayer-in-the-night) shares, (P.133) “Since birth we have been nurtured on the logic of consumerism that pain can be erased or at least filled through enough consumption.” Our consumer minds fire off those neurons ridding ourselves of any discomfort experienced. Boredom and silence can also be painful (Body and mind will submit to pain if there is a pay-off - gym, studying). Redeem our minds of singular consumer mindset. Engaging spirit questions, ‘what if my life is good right now? Consumer brain robs our mind of listening, of not looking for a pay off. I invite you to redeem your mind from consumer mentality in all exchanges, especially those human ones where service, selflessness, humility, grace, mercy can transform you in ways you cannot do by ensuring you are comfortable.
Body - Consumer Bodies. Garbage in=Garbage out. Out bodies inform us every day we are created for real, natural, non-synthetic, organic nutrition. We are learning more and more about how our second brain - the gut interacts with our brains in more than alerting us we are hungry or full. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-brain-gut-connection Garbage in = garbage out needs to include the needy body eating unhealthy leaves behind. I love the car analogy as my husband and I know first-hand the effects of tending to oil changes, tune-ups and cleanings and not upon our vehicles. Sluggy means sluggy and sometimes a shorter vehicle life. Redeem your body - nourish it. Grow a garden; a herb garden; choose that beautiful color; eat a bean or two; eat meat from a reliable source (have a hunter in the family or know an organic farmer?).
Christian - Consumer mind’s fed “You deserve only the best”, “Why wait, get it today?” and “Demand better” massage our self-preserving ego, What’s In It For Me (WIFM) brain at the behest of our spirit. These messages ignite feelings of being slighted if we wait or don’t get what we want. “Maybe you are not worth it” is given room to grow. Developing who we are spiritually is about practicing thoughts and activities that do not feed selfishness and materialism. Practicing thoughts of benign intent, serving others, and evaluating ‘needs versus want‘ help to nurture and connect you to our Creator, enriching who you are today and beyond. Redeem your capacity to be more than ego and desire by 1. inquiring who are you if not satisfied, 2. listening to God (might require silence) and 3. investing yourself into someone/something that is more than you.
