Happy Sunday! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
In continuation with my "Spirituality Sunday Series", here are some of my biggest spiritual takeaways from this past week:
Meditation:
At work we have been working closely with Dr. Judson Brewer. He is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who has studied addiction for over twenty years, and he is an expert in mindfulness and meditation. My team has been doing a book club for Dr. Brewer's book "The Craving Mind", and this week we debriefed chapter 5. This specific chapter referred to meditation a lot, which definitely aligns with what I've been working on to support my spirituality. Here is a quote that really resonated with me:
Page 111 of "The Craving Mind": In a sense, if we try to control a situation (or our lives), we have to work hard at doing something to get the results we want. In contrast, we can relax into an attitude that is more like a dance with the object, simply being with it as the situation unfolds, no striving or struggling necessary, as we get out of our own way and rest in an awareness of what is happening moment to moment.
I don't know about you, but I can definitely relate to trying to control things which often gets in my way. While reading this I immediately got a flashback of my cheerleading and dance days. We would practice our routines and skills until they just became a part of muscle memory, however when it came to competition time, I would sometimes overthink it, which led to anxiety and messing up the routine. What I am realizing now is that I was trying to be in control; I was overthinking and getting in my head; and in return I was struggling. We all have probably faced at least one situation where we got in our own way. Next time you are feeling this way, I would encourage you to consider taking a step back; doing some deep breathing; affirming yourself by saying " I am" or "I can"; and turning to Him for support and guidance.
"Jesus Always" Daily Devotional by Sarah Young:
Page 25: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"-Philippians 4:13 NKJV...."Whenever you feel inadequate for the task ahead, stop and think about your resources. I, your Strength, and infinite: I never run out of anything. So when you work in collaboration with Me, don't set limits on what you expect to accomplish. I will give you what you need to keep moving forward, step by step. You may not reach the goal as quickly as you'd like, but you will get there in my perfect timing. Refuse to be discouraged by delays or detours. Instead, trust that I know what I'm doing, and just take the next step. Perseverance and trust in Me make a potent combination!"
This passage made me reflect on my career goals. My first job out of college was far from glamorous and often I felt down and defeated, but then I came across an opening for a health coach position at Sharecare. I immediately liked this job much more than my previous one, and now I have moved into another role that I feel even more fulfilled with. I truly believe God was guiding me down this path, and this passage was a friendly reminder that it may take time, but it is up to us to work and collaborate with Him. If we can do this, anything is possible! Next time you are feeling inadequate or that you can't complete a task, consider turning to Him to provide you the resources you need, and try to be patient with the process.
"I Heard God Laugh" by Matthew Kelly:
Page 41: The Prayer Process: This chapter provided an outline to support us with making prayer more of a daily habit. Here are the steps to take for the "prayer process":
Gratitude: Begin by thanking God in a personal dialogue for whatever you are most grateful for today.
Awareness: Revisit the times in the past twenty-four hours when you were and were not the best version of yourself. Talk to God about these situations and what you learned from them.
Significant Moments: Identify something you experienced today and explore what God might be trying to say to you through that event (or person).
Peace: Ask God to forgive you for any wrong you have committed (against yourself, another person, or him), and to fill you with a deep and abiding peace.
Freedom: Speak with God about how he is inviting you to change your life, so that you can experience the freedom to be the best version of yourself.
Others: Lift up to God anyone you feel called to pray for today, asking God to bless and guide them.
Finish by praying the Our Father.
I tend to practice gratitude and praying for others, however I haven't incorporated much of the awareness; significant moments; peace; and freedom aspects. These items really resonated with me, because I feel like they encourage prayer to be more of a deeper conversation with God; a way to increase our awareness; and time to reflect on what we can do better. This could really support us with being the best version of ourselves. This week I encourage you to consider trying prayer at least one time per day to support you with making prayer a habit and part of your daily routine.
Thank you for stopping by! I hope you found this valuable, and have a healthy and happy rest of your Sunday!
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