Dealing with multiple family issues in varying depths of negative physical & emotional drama, I keep hearing the message…. “When you starve your spirit, the body compensates.”

Or in most instances, over compensates.

Illness, weight issues, depression, addictions; many times these are all physical and emotional symptoms of a starving spirit.

The Bible teaches us that “a merry heart does good like medicine” (Prov. 17:22).

Proverbs 15:13 tells us, “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”

Bible believing Christian or not, there are medical studies that substantiate this idea. But forget medical proof for a moment and think about the people in your life who are ill.

What does their countenance (face, attitude, actions) reveal to you?

Are they upbeat and positive or “down in the mouth”?

Are they the picture of health (acceptable weight, tolerable or manageable level of physical ailments, sensible/rational attitudes, realistic/practical actions) or just the opposite?

Now I’m not going to try and convince you that every person who has been a victim of physical or mental abuse or who has contracted an illness of some sort is merely suffering because they neglect nurturing their spiritual life. I know many devout spiritual beings who suffer diseases.

Nor am I making light of either.

I merely want to point out that feeding and nurturing your spirit is one way to get your physical and emotional well-being on the mend. When the spirit is healthy, many times the body follows.

So how do we get from starving to nurturing our spirit?

Often a simple shift in perception from “woes me” to gratitude can start you on your way to spiritual health. Forgiveness also plays a huge part in this.

“I’ve forgiven but I can’t forget” is a cop out.

I know that sounds harsh but Scripture tells us to speak the truth in love and sometimes love has to be gentle but firm and sometimes the truth hurts; hence the term ‘tough love’.

The Bible tells us that God remembers not our sins, yet we tend to wallow in those perpetrated against us and/or cling to guilt and self-condemnation for those we committed against others.

If God, who is holy and just forgets our sins, who are we, to hold onto those memories and rehash our pain and anger, or disappointment and self pity?

Here’s the rub: As long as you feel and act the victim, you can not live a victorious life!

To put it another way: You can’t have a positive, healthy life (spiritual or otherwise) if you have a negative outlook.

Oh and if you think you are “only being realistic,” think again.

You are hurting no one but YOURSELF when you drag the past into the present and project it into your future.

“But it hurts so much…the pain is so deep….”

Then STOP focusing on it! Focus on today and the good present in your life right now.

Now that I’ve given you something to ponder, here are some ideas and resources….

• Prayer, fasting, and meditation are all proven methods to regain and optimize health and are as important to your overall well-being as diet and exercise.

• Read your Bible! Highlight Scriptures on health and wellness, depression and forgiveness, etc. Or better yet, pick up a copy of God’s Promises, The Tongue a Creative Force by Charles Capps or You’ll Get Through This by Max Lucado.

• Start and maintain an attitude of gratitude.  The Magic by Rhonda Byrne breaks this concept down to expressing gratitude for the simplest things! She also offers a “gratitude journal.” Success coach and author, Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul books) also has a gratitude journal as do numerous authors!

• Read some of the books listed in my post What You Don’t Control, Controls YOU!

• Read and do the exercises in Marianne Williamson’s A Course in Weight Loss. This wonderful resource gets to the heart of the matter with practical yet very personal ways to connect with and nurture your spirit.
• Implement energy work such as EFT/Tapping
• Work with a Life Coach or Therapist

​These are just a few examples but I promise, as you get started feeding your spirit, you’ll see and feel a difference in your overall condition and discover more ways to enforce the new, happier, healthier you.

Something to think about...
*Image by Gizelle from Pixabay*

When I received an email from Hay House that the book E3 was on sale, I grabbed it and commenced to reading right away.

I absolutely adore Pam Grout's writing! She explains spiritual and Law of Attraction concepts with depth and humor in this and her previous book, E2 (squared).

Both books have experiments for the reader to prove the authenticity of the Law of Attraction. One in E3 (#3 I think) Pam lists 8 things to intend to see and be on the lookout for. One was a toy from childhood and another was your favorite song from highschool.

I couldn't even think of a "favorite" song from highschool or toy from childhood so I set the intention and decided to stay open for some of the other signs... A belly laugh, beachball, and couple other things.

The belly laugh was easy to come by from watching AFV and other funny shows. Then, I noticed The Jungle Book was coming on TV and that brought back SO many memories from childhood. I remembered reading the book, watching the animated version, listening to the album (yeah, vinyl that's how old I am LOL!) and dancing around to the "Bear/Bare Necessities."

I took that as my sign and happily and gratefully watched the movie version with a real human actor as Mowgli.

If you are a fan of LOA literature, these two books should be in your repertoire. Both are filled with rainbows (knowledge) based on the author's and others' experieces, nuggets of gold (wisdom), and invite you to dream big and co-create your reality with God.

One of my favorite lines from E3 is, "Something amazingly awesome is going to happen to me today." I've added that to my daily affirmations.

From E2, "Align yourself with God consciousness and you can bring about truth in material form. What you think, you create." This quote is attributed to Peter Caddy of Findhorn - a place I'd love to visit!

I can't recommend Pam Grout's books enough especially for those who want proof LOA is real and how it works.

Until next time, take care and happy creating!
PamT

We all want it, dream of the perfect world, imagine what heaven on earth would look like, would feel like… would BE.

In his famous song, Imagine, John Lennon tried to capture heaven on earth as “all people living in peace, sharing the world and the world living as one.”

Skeptics and pessimists tell us it’ll never happen! Theologians tell us heaven is some place “out there” from which we originated and one day will return. Even Jesus said, “In this world you’ll have trials and tribulations.”

HE also taught us to pray that God’s will be done “on earth as it is in heaven.”

What does that mean? Is it possible for us to have or experience heaven on earth? Will we only experience heaven when our mortal body dies and our spirit returns from which it came? Or possibly when Jesus returns?

As mentioned in “About this Blog,” I’ve been on a spiritual quest for most of my life. I read voraciously books by spiritual leaders of our time…. Max Lucado (Just like Jesus), Marianne Williamson (A Return to Love), Dr. Wayne Dyer (A Spiritual Solution to Every Problem), Neale Donald Walsch (Conversations with God)… and all of them offer hope that yes, we can experience heaven on earth!

Romans 14:17 tells us that the kingdom of God (heaven) is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Luke 17:21 tells us in the Amplified Bible that the kingdom of God (heaven) is within and around us!

So how do we experience heaven on earth?

Simple – by choosing LOVE.

1st John 4:16 tells us that God is love and he who dwells in love, dwells in God and God in him.

The Bible exhorts us to “seek and pursue peace.” (Psalm 34:14).

In the gospel of John, chapter 15, Jesus tells us over and over to remain in LOVE.

If Jesus the risen Christ dwells in us, if the Holy Spirit of God dwells in us, if God who is love abides in us—why then can’t we simply, think, do and be love? Is it possible to do this and if so, HOW?

How do we go from where we are (spiritually and emotionally) and what we’ve been taught (fear, hatred, prejudice), to feeling, experiencing and being pure, unconditional love?

By remembering that love is a choice, a decision and at any time and in any given circumstance you can choose a loving response.

But…but…but…HOW?

How do we manifest so much love in our hearts, minds and souls that it becomes our first response instead of an afterthought? How do we feel so much love in ourselves so that it overflows into the lives of others?

By basking in the love of God for you and sharing that love with others, you become a vessel of Love.

You become a vessel for God.

And you become more like Jesus.

Every time we choose love over hate, peace and joy over stress and strife, gratitude over greed, blessing over cursing, forgiveness and grace in lieu of revenge and retribution, we experience a little more of heaven on earth.

Easier said than done you think?

Depends on how bad you want it.

Something to think about!

Meditation Challenge: Take a moment several times today, close your eyes, breath deep and simply repeat (out loud if possible) the words… “I love you.” Allow those words to rise within you, stir up your emotions, and embrace the wonder of how that feels. Then go about your day with those feelings pushing you. When challenging circumstances arise, take a love break and repeat this process. I promise you’ll have a better day all around!

​When we hear the word love, we usually equate it with the emotions that represent our thoughts of what love should feel like. Those sweet sensations that make our heart swell, mind whirl and lips smile. But in all honesty, this is where we mess up!

In the society we’ve created, love is a four letter word with little or no substance. And yet, in all of the literature I’ve read over the years by various teachers and leaders in the spiritual revolution…the awakening of the souls of the world… LOVE is the highest and purest emotion one can feel, experience, and become.

A Course in Miracles is based on the principle that there are two core emotions: Love and Fear. Therefore anything not based in love is a result of fear.

The Bible tells us that Love is….patient, kind, long-suffering, not rude or boastful, it believes all things, endures all things. Love never fails and that perfect love casts out fear. Paul exhorts us to “pursue love” and that no matter what we do for others (or even ourselves) – if we’re not doing it from a heart of love, it profits us nothing! We are told to abide (remain, continue, or stay in a state of) faith, hope and love but the greatest is LOVE.

Think about this for a moment!

I’ve heard many people say love is not passive but an “active agent of change.”

Here’s the rub…

Love is a choice.

So how do we become a vessel of pure, perfect, divine love?

By choosing loving thoughts… love over hate, calm over chaos, peace over stress, forgiveness over judgment. By letting go of our vain imaginations of what love is or should be based on what it should feel like, and by allowing love to rise up within us and control our thoughts-control us-instead of us trying to control it and others by using love as an excuse, a bribe, or a reward. Love is not nor should be a condition by which we measure someone’s actions. By practicing love, we experience and become love.

One of the quickest paths to love is forgiveness. The most powerful prayers you can utter is… “I love you, I forgive you and I release you to God.”

 “But you don’t know what he/she/they’ve done to me!”

If Jesus can love and forgive from the cross, who are we to do less?

Something to think about...
PamT