I just had the most amazing revelation! When we blame other people, events, or things for causing our problems, we are saying that we have no control over what is happening to us. When we rely on outside sources to keep us safe and “fix” us, we are also saying that we are powerless to help ourselves.
I could say that I am overweight because there are so many preservatives in foods that inflame my body; thus, slowing my metabolism down and making it difficult to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. The reality is that I am in charge of what I put in my mouth. I am not powerless. I am just not taking responsibility for my own choices and seeing that I do have options. I am not a victim of the world around me. I take responsibility for what is happening to me. When I do this, I have just reclaimed my power to make a change. AMEN!
I used to get really bad nightmares. I blamed it on seeing or hearing horrible things in the world or on TV. Though these things may have been the source of my nightmares, they sure weren’t taking them away. Even when I avoided hearing or seeing anything violent, I still had nightmares. I took charge and remembered what Jesus did for us. He laid his life down because he loved us so very much. So anything that was causing me fear or harm in my dreams, I showed it loved and said “Whatever you need to do, I give you my life for your peace”. “Thy will be done” Matthew 6:9-10. Amazingly, when I started doing this, the things that scared me in my dreams were powerless. There was nothing they could do to frighten me because I gave them my heart. My nightmares ended.
I have recently embarked on the Voyage to HEAL and was amazed that I was forgetting to start my day doing the grounding meditation. I wrote the Voyage to HEAL with God’s guidance telling me what was necessary to heal; yet, here I was not giving myself the time to do a 2-minute meditation in the morning! Rather than blaming lack of time, too much to do, or I already know it so I don’t have to listen to it, I took responsibility. To create a new habit, I needed to make the effort to integrate it into my morning routine. So, the last 5 mornings, when I get out of bed, I turn the meditation on and ground myself. I am in charge. I want to make a change. So, at this moment, I will take responsibility for what is going on in my life.
There are so many things we can so easily give our power away to, but we do not have to do this. Take charge and see the power that God has placed inside of you and has over you to help you through anything.
If you want your life to get better, then take responsibility for what is happening around you.
~ Your Inner Guide
Voyage to HEAL Weekly Focus
Stretch: Since this week’s focus is on Chapter 6 of the Voyage to HEAL, let’s do a neck stretch. Place your hands over your heart on your bare skin and apply a very gentle pressure in and down. Now, tilt your head away from your hands feeling a wonderful stretch along the side of your neck up to your jaw. You are stretching a powerful muscle call the sternocleidomastoid muscle. Repeat this stretch on the opposite side as well.
Exercise: When you have a stiff neck, sometimes you need to turn the muscles on to retrain them to quiet down. This is done by turning your head away from the side that hurts, placing your hand on the outside or inside of your jaw, and gently rotate your head pushing against your hand for 8 seconds. You will see this demonstrated in the video below with my hand on the inside of my jaw. Also, try this with your hand on the outside and see which feels better to you. Do this at least 5 times and you will notice more range of motion in the opposite direction. Give it a try and see what happens. Remember that anytime the body is weak, it will gain stability through tension. Tension doesn’t turn on and off at will, it requires strength to replace the tension. This is a great exercise to strengthen the muscles of your neck to prevent neck stiffness and pain from instability.
Habitual change: Do you rest your head on your hands frequently? Not the best postural option. Try to vary your posture and not rest your head on your hands.
Enlightened Perspective: I take responsibility for what is going on around me. I am in charge.
Journaling Option: Where do you need to take responsibility and stop blaming others or relying on an outside source to “fix” something?
This week’s blog post directly correlates with week 6 of the Voyage to HEAL, Forgiveness of Others. Jesus didn’t blame us or hate us for killing him on the cross. He forgave us and went on loving us more than ever. May we unite and all feel the peace and love that flows through us from our Lord Jesus Christ. Let peace flow through you and unto me and out to every heart you touch. Come start your Voyage to HEAL.
Godspeed on your Voyage to HEAL.
Love,
Jocelyn