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*

*Originally published as Pamela's Ponderings ©Oct. 2013

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

As I sit here and ponder what to share with you today, I am reminded of the old adage, “Life is what you make it.”

If you are a firm believer in the Law of Attraction, then this statement is true in a very literal sense. (Uh, oh, many of you tuned out with the mention of LOA – thinking I’m going off on a new age, mumbo jumbo tangent, but bear with me LOL!)

The Law of Attraction states that what you focus on, you attract into your life. Not necessarily the same thing, but similar situations and circumstances that keep you trapped in that cycle of living - whether good or bad.


​The Bible says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, therefore he is.”

Given these two examples, could there be some truth in that old adage? Can we really make life be what we want it to be, what we wish to experience?

“If these statements are true,” you may wonder, “then why is my life such a mess?”

After all, you didn’t ask to be born into the family you have, or don’t have. You didn’t ask for the layoff or divorce, illness or death that knocked you down, rocked your world, and trampled your faith into the dirt.

We all know those folks who are living examples of the old Hee Haw song about gloom, despair, and misery but what makes them different from others who have suffered a similar (or worse) fate?

Why is it that some can wallow in the negativity of their life for years while others simply deal with it, let it go and move on? Now I’m not saying that those who have the ability to move on don’t suffer. Far from the truth that is!

What I am saying is that they choose a different path–a way of thinking and behaving that brings peace and joy into their lives despite the circumstances.

If you talk to many people you’ll begin to realize one of the things that separate the winners from the whiners is the words of their mouth and meditation of their heart (mind).

In other words, their stinkin’ thinkin’.

Here’s a clue: If you want to change your life, you must change your thoughts and then change your words!

Even the bible backs this up with scriptures like… “I put before you life and death, therefore choose life,” and “the power of life and death are in the tongue, and he that indulgeth in it shall eat the fruit thereof,” oh and let’s not forget “you reap what you sow.”

Jesus said that it is not what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him, but what comes out of it.

We’ve all heard the saying, “you can’t live a positive life with a negative attitude” and that is so true! If whatever “it” is that happened to make you so miserable transpired years ago – Get Over It Already!

Now I know that sounds harsh but be honest….Do YOU like being around a dark, nasty cloud all the time?

I know I don’t. No matter how much I love or care for someone, after a while it gets old hearing the same old poor, pitiful me stories.

We all have experiences in our lives that are far from blissful. Sometimes I look back and wonder how I ever made it through some of the circumstances that threatened to get and keep me down. I’m not better than the next person, so I guess what makes me different is that I chose to rise above those things, to think and speak victory over my life instead of wallow in a victim mentality.

Here’s the good news…You Can Too!
​
Something to think about…..
Inspirational with an Edge! ™

*Originally published as Pamela's Ponderings © July 2017