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This is an article I came across in a magazine called “Christian Counseling Connection. I thought it was very good and wanted to share it with you. It is written by John Trent.
Heart Health You know, of course, that February, with Valentine's Day, is a month where people focus on the heart. However, did you know it is also chosen each year as heart disease awareness month? I think there is a real connection between the two! In fact, I witnessed this in the lives of two friends. The first person faced a physical problem with his circulation. The first indication came from a shortness of breath....then his coloring changed. Before he knew it, he was at the doctor's office and then in surgery. There was an all-out attempt to keep the blood moving – and therefore “life.” The second person had just lost his marriage. As I spoke with him, guess what had slowed, and then stopped, in the two years before his wife left? Yes, communication...the life-blood of our most important relationships. Medical experts know that our hearts pump roughly 1,800 gallons of blood through 62,000 miles of vessels in the human body every day! So with even a minor constriction, we are often motivated to get help, like my first friend did. Yet, years had gone by with communication problems in my other friend's marriage, and each day their heart-related difficulties became more pronounced. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for “life” carries both these ideas. The word, “life” or chai, literally means “movement.” Once example or “word picture” of this is blood moving through the body! This is why the “shedding of blood” is such a problem – it stops life! I will come back to my two friends in a moment but, first, here are three things I urge you to consider in helping others – and yourself – keep those communication lines flowing unhindered. “I can always go back to sleep...” I learned a tremendous lesson about keeping communication “flowing” when I was in high school. I grew up in a single parent home. My mother had rheumatoid arthritis, which meant way too much pain and medicine. As a result, my mom went to bed really early each night. Of course, during my senior year in high school, her physical challenges did not stop my twin brother, Jeff, and me from doing something every weekend. Almost every Saturday night, we would get home around midnight from our dates or goofing off with friends. I am not sure exactly how it started, but when we would get home, we would walk down the hallway in the pitch dark to Mom's bedroom and flop down on her bed, one twin on each side, and gently shake her until she was awake. Then, right there in the dark, we would begin telling her about our dates or what we had been doing that night...sharing with her our dreams and goals. We were just so busy during the week that there never seemed like enough time to really talk. However, those midnight conversations with our mom became something we treasured...until one night. It dawned on Jeff and me after months of waking her up that maybe she would prefer not to be disturbed at midnight! After all, she had to go to work in the morning while we slept in. So when Jeff and I brought that up to her, I will never forget her reply. In the dark she said, “You can wake me up anytime. I can always go back to sleep. But I won't always have you boys around to talk to.” Her response brings me to the first thing that keeps communication “circulating.” There must be a willingness to communicate when the OTHER person is ready to talk. I know that is difficult sometimes. In my own marriage, I am a night person and my wife is a morning person. Even though we have different schedules, I cannot begin to tell you how many early morning conversations we have had over the years, in large part, because of what I learned from my mother. Be available to talk when the other person wants to share. It's “heart” healthy. Really SEE the person you are talking to.... There is a powerful verse in Proverbs 15:30. It begins, “The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart....” Take a quick test of your conversations at home. Do you really “look” at the person (your spouse, your child) you are talking too...or are you talking from behind a book, while looking at the television, driving, or doing any of a hundred other things? Try this to keep the circulation moving. At least once a day, really stop and look “eye-to-eye” with your spouse, child or friend during a conversation. Now, “brighten” your eyes like you are glad to see them and happy to hear what they have to say. Not so dramatically that you scare them, but “brighten” your eyes nonetheless. Watch how something as small as really stopping to look at a person can increase your understanding, caring and commitment. Do not let a meal go by without asking a loved one five question...... Closing in on four million miles – all domestic – with American Airlines means I travel a lot. I am on the “A list” with Southwest, so I eat many meals at restaurants on the road, alone. I never cease to be amazed by how many couples sitting near me never say a word to each other during the entire meal. So here is your heart-healthy tip: Before sitting down for a meal, set a goal to ask your loved ones at least two questions prior to the bread or appetizer arriving. And before the main course and desserts are cleared, make sure you have asked at least five questions about their day. Ask what is going on in their lives....what important thing they are doing.....or what they are feeling, hoping for, or worried about. And don't worry about them asking you anything back. Take the initiative in leading the conversation, and then listen and watch the communication start to flow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My first friend (mentioned above) went to the doctor the minute he noticed he might be having a “circulatory” problem. He now has a stent, which corrected the problem and has given him more life and energy than ever – his future is bright. My other friend slowly chose to stop the conversation in his marriage. He did not ask questions, did not have bright eyes, and was not open to listening to his wife when she wanted to talk, yet he was shocked when the relationship stopped. May we counsel and coach people to keep choosing “life” and movement – like our LORD does through His Spirit and Word. And may we model those “heart-healthy” choices with our loved ones as well. Again I wanted to state that this was written by John Trent, Ph. D. He has a Blog and website, www.TheBlessing.com  Sit still, my Daughter I thought my first post should explain the title of my blog and the reason behind it. As you can guess the theme is waiting. Waiting; everyone hates it, yet everyone has to do it at some point! People wait for all kinds of things: children, promotions, answered prayers, marriage, fulfilled dreams or on someone. My question is how are we waiting; what is our attitude while we are waiting? Do we complain throughout the entire waiting period or spend our time wishing is would soon be over. Do we compare ourselves to others and say “Look at them, they don't have to wait as long as I do!”; or are we biting our nails and completely worried over the whole situation? I entitled my blog “Sit still, my Daughter” which is taken from Ruth 3:18. This verse stuck out to me one day as I was reading the passage. Naomi had just been told that while Ruth's visit with Boaz was successful there was one glitch and it was not minor! Ruth had just risked everything and laid her hopes and dreams out there for everyone to see. She asked Boaz to be her kinsman redeemer(basically she asked him to marry her!), a man she greatly respected and loved deeply. Yet here heart must have trembled when Boaz told her he was not first in line to redeem her. There was a chance she would have to marry another! I can not help but wonder what thoughts were churning around in her mind as she walked home in the early morning light. Feelings of fear and worry may have begun to creep into her heart as she prepared to tell Naomi what had happened. Her voice probably trembled slightly as she recounted it all to Naomi; when she finished her mother in law had some profound words of wisdom to offer her daughter in law: “Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.” Naomi had confidence in the character of Boaz and knew he would handle it wisely and without delay. And indeed Naomi's words rang true; before the day was out all that Ruth had dreamed and waited for came true! But first she waited. There are several examples in the Bible of people who waited: Sarah ~ She waited for a son. Though she made the mistake of not waiting with Hagar; she learned a valuable lesson and afterword waited patiently on the LORD and was rewarded! Joseph ~ He waited on God to fulfill the dreams he had given him. Though everyone around him had their dreams fulfilled almost immediately; Joseph waited 20 years to see his fulfilled. Yet the waiting period was vital training for the completion of his dreams. David ~ He waited to become the king of Israel, whom God had anointed him to be. But while he waited he endured many hardships(both physical and emotional) yet because of that waiting period we have many wonderful and comforting Psalms which we gain strength from. I believe David knew what he was talking about when he wrote them! Daniel ~ He waited for answered prayer. When the messenger finally did arrive he shared with Daniel the reason for the delay and made sure to tell him that God had heard his prayer the first time Daniel uttered it! These people, whom we like to call hero's, were really ordinary people who had one common thread: They waited on God. They realized that to wait on God is to show your trust in Him and believe His word completely. When you do this you are blessed with rest and are worry free! There are a couple of verses in the Psalms on waiting: Psalm 37:7 ~ “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to past.” Psalm 37:34 ~ “Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inheirt the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.” Notice the verse from Ruth again, “Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.” Why was Naomi so confident? Because she knew the character of Boaz. How can we wait and sit still? Because we know the character of our God. He loves us(Jer. 31:3) and will always work all things for good(Rom8:28) Waiting is never easy but it is a necessary part to our spiritual growth. By waiting we learn patience, trust and gain confidence in the character of our God. Did I mention that there are also rewards to those who wait? Notice the verse found in Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles: they shall run, and not be weary: and they shall walk, and not faint.” My desire with this blog is to encourage, and strengthen each one of you as we seek to become more like our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. The times we are waiting are the perfect opportunities for us to grow in our relationship with our God and seek to know Him better. I am so thankful to my God for His word, the strength and promises I find there and that there is no shadow of turning in His character! I would like to close with one more verse from Psalm. “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm 27:14 |
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Sarah GraceI am just an ordinary girl who is loved by an extraordinary God and I seek to love others the same way. I love to bake, read, do puzzles, watch Hallmark movies, and go shopping with my mom! This blog was created as a place where I could share some thoughts that the Lord has shown me and to be an encouragement to others who desire to know Him in a deeper way. My prayer is to learn to sit still and trust God with my future. Archives
December 2023
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