Thursday, May 26, 2011

Healing

Emotional healing, spiritual healing. It's a long road, let me tell you. It's not a straight road, either. There are lots of curves and hills. Whew! It's exhausting.

I went to Books-A-Million when they were having their clearance and bought a book called You're All That - Understanding God's Design for Your Life by Paula White. I've learned a couple of lessons from that book that I'd like to share with you:

Lesson 1) The Bible says that all things work together for good for those who love God and choose to put themselves in alignment with his purposes. Therefore, you can choose to believe that everything that happens to you is a factor in creating your ultimate good. You can choose to be happy in a situation or circumstance, even a dire or undesirable circumstance. Why? Because you aren't drawing your happiness from the event or situation itself, but rather, you are drawing happiness from your belief that God is always at work and that He will create something good for you.

Lesson 2) Ask God to help you think in new ways, to feel new feelings. Ask God to fill you with His presence so that you will not react in anger, fear, worry, or doubt, but rather, with His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and mercy.

Lesson 3) One of my high school friends posted this link yesterday on facebook. I clicked on it this morning, but didn't have time to read it before going to work. I left the tab open so I'd remember to read it when I got home. When I came home, I was feeling sad and discouraged. (One of those uphill passages on the long road to healing.) When I sat down at the computer I found that tab I'd left open. I started reading. As I got to the last third of it, peace and comfort poured over me like water washing away the dirt of the day. I'm so thankful it was here waiting on me when I got home. I sure needed it.

What lessons have you learned lately?