Got a (Spiritual) Pulse? An excerpt from ‘Souls Like Stars’
When was the last time you felt alive? I mean, really alive. I mean, really alive. Free to be the person you have always envisioned and hoped you could be. Free to be the person that you know deep down in your heart you are.
If you are feeling less than alive (or if you are wondering, “Do I even have a pulse?!”), then it’s time for a spiritual check-up. Let me explain why.
The essence of who you are, who you were created to be, and the seeds of your divine purpose and destiny reside in your spirit. Yes, you have a spirit!
Merriam-Webster defines the word spirit as that “vital principle” that “animates” and “brings life” to a being. Your spirit is eternal, and what enlivens you – it is that which gives you life with a capital “L.”
Regardless of your beliefs, you have a spiritual pulse.
God created you with a body, soul, and spirit, and His divine order sets up our human spirit as the head of our being with our soul (which I define as the compilation of your mind, your will, and your emotions) and our bodies, as secondary to the spirit. Your spirit brings life to your body and soul. This is because our spirits are eternal. When the body and soul cease to exist, your spirit lives on.
Eating disorders, addictions, and mood problems all take a toll on our ability to be truly free and to feel fully alive. Therefore, they take a toll on the human spirit. When an individual is in the throes of an eating disorder or addiction, this causes the divine order to be “out of whack.” The drives of these disorders seek to usurp the power of the spirit, the functions of the body, and an individual’s thoughts, emotions, and ability to make choices.
Additionally, if you have grown up in an environment that has not nurtured your spirit, or in an environment that overvalued or over-nurtured some other aspect of your being (for example, your mind) to neglect the different aspects of your being, or if you have been exposed to an environment that was toxic to any part of your being – your sense of freedom and capacity to feel and live fully alive can become seriously compromised.
Taking your Spiritual Pulse
There are three primary ways our spirits respond when spiritual health is compromised:
1. A “captive spirit”
When a disorder like an addiction or an eating disorder thrives and threatens to upset the divine order, it can begin to “rule” over your soul and spirit. That’s why I call this a captive spirit. As this occurs, you live less and less out of the essence of who you are and begin to look more and more like the disease that holds you captive.
An individual struggling with substance abuse, for example, may long to feel alive, and the abuse or addictions have become superficial substitutes. Often, this individual has unknowingly functioned with a “slumbering spirit” or an “orphan spirit” for years. In their attempts to “enliven” themselves, they look to drugs, alcohol, compulsive behaviors, etc.
2. A “slumbering spirit”
Suppose you have grown up in an environment that has not nurtured your spirit or in an environment that overvalued or over-nurtured some aspect of your being due to the neglect of your spirit. In that case, you may experience what is called a slumbering spirit. It’s like your spirit hibernated due to lack of nurture, strengthening, or under-development.
Alternatively, trauma, such as physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, neglect, or abandonment, can also contribute to a slumbering spirit. This is especially the case when the individual has repressed emotions or disassociates from the harmful effects of the trauma or toxic environment.
3. An “orphan spirit”
Finally, someone with an “orphan spirit” has wounds that come from deep feelings of emotional abandonment.
Individuals with an orphan spirit struggle to trust or receive from relationships. They have essentially closed their hearts off to others, even those they are seemingly close to. They do this out of fear of being hurt. They struggle to believe that their emotional and relational needs could ever be genuinely met in relationships.
As a result, they tend to be overly self-reliant and hide from God. This type of wounded spirit also struggles the most to feel connected with God. They may be angry with God, feel God is angry with them, or not believe they are worthy of His full attention or love. While someone with an orphan spirit may appear fiercely independent, this independence covers hurt and pain.
But there is Hope!
You were created to be a free spirit. Once you have taken your spiritual pulse, here are some practical ways to begin the journey toward hope.
Liberate and Empower:
Individuals with a captive spirit struggle to connect with life.
The only connection they have is with their addiction or disorder. If you are struggling with a captive spirit, it is essential to understand how the addiction or eating disorder has taken your spirit captive.
Admitting this is a decisive step, and making decisions that will strengthen your recovery, instead of choices that only strengthen the power of the addiction, is key. The journey involves giving your spirit a voice to restore proper alignment of your spirit being in control of your mind and body instead of the addiction being in control.
Just like in the movie “Shawshank Redemption,” individuals coming out from under the captivity of their disorder struggle at first with re-engaging in life (the good and the bad) and what it means to be truly free and feel empowered without the addiction or disorder.
True freedom is always spiritual. It has something to do with your innermost being, which cannot be chained, handcuffed, or put into a jail. OSHO
Caged birds accept each other, but flight is what they long for. TENNESSEE WILLIAMS
Awaken and Nurture:
Individuals with a slumbering spirit struggle the most to connect with themselves.
They have lost sight of what they think, feel, and want out of their lives. If you struggle with a slumbering spirit, you have an underdeveloped, “malnourished” spirit. Do all you can to engage the spirit and have a healthy relationship with yourself by learning to identify and respond to your thoughts, feelings, and needs healthily. Once again, connecting with your spirit and God through prayer, scripture reading, music, art, and the outdoors is important. Do things that you used to do as a child – play, dream, explore!
The free man is he who does not fear to go to the end of his thought. LEON BLUM
Restore and Strengthen:
Individuals with an orphan spirit struggle to connect with others.
The orphan spirit needs to identify and heal their emotional wounds and exchange the lies they have come to believe about themselves and relationships that have contributed to the lack of trust in relationships, pessimistic outlook towards life, and disconnect with God. Prayer, scripture reading, music, arts, and nature are also important here, and orphans are encouraged to learn how to connect with their spirits while learning to connect with and build a healthy and nurturing community around them.
The truth shall make you free. JESUS
Born to be a Free Spirit
Your spirit is most activated and at its strongest during those times in which you feel most alive and free. This will give you insight into what is unique to you in helping to liberate and empower, awaken and nurture, and restore and strengthen your spirit.
Learn about and respond to the truth about your true identity and destiny as a child of God because …You were born to be a free spirit!
———
The Way You See It
As a psychologist, I'm trained to administer the infamous Rorschach Inkblot Test. I hand a person a card and ask, "What might this be? Help me to see it the way you see it."
While the test is simple, what it reveals is profound. It allows me to see into your personality, what you perceive, and how you interpret information through the lens of the world inside you. It reveals your blindspots, emotional and relational vulnerabilities, and how you make meaning out of nothing.
This test reminds me that we all have a unique way of interacting with the world. It helps me to understand how I see and to value how someone else sees. "What might this be?” I see a butterfly. You see a footprint? “Help me to see it the way you see it." What a profound statement. What a mature and honoring posture.
So the next time you are frustrated with someone who doesn't see things the way you see them, Stop, take a breath, and then ask, "Help me to see it the way you see it."
Power in the Unveiling
“And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power.”
This prayer from the book of Ephesians describes an amazing truth. The unlimited riches of God’s glory and favor are present within you just waiting to be unveiled. Before any unveiling however, their exists a preparatory phase. In this time of preparation there is no movement forward, instead, a kind of potential energy is brewing as we eagerly wait. and are fueled by a deeper spiritual awareness—we are created for more!
Physics 101
In physics, potential energy can be defined as the energy created by the object’s stresses within itself. In the above verse the apostle Paul explains that when we position ourselves to allow God to unveil the glory and favor already within us, we experience an inner stress relative to our position and relation to God. I believe this stress is reflective of a deeper knowing inside us all—the kingdom of God is in our midst. And for those who are passionate, we experience this inner stress paradoxically and most especially when all is well (i.e status quo).
In Physics, potential energy can also be defined as the energy possessed by an object by virtue of its relationship to other objects. This form has the potential to change the state of other objects around it. When we become more conscious of the presence of the Divine, God is provoked by our desire for more and in turn we are enlivened by God’s power from within. His presence taps into and uncovers the potential power present in us.
This unveiling is not for the faint of heart. It requires passion and a supernatural strength to be able to take hold of its power. Jesus described John the Baptist as one of the passionate ones in Matthew 11:12 where he said, “the realm of heaven’s kingdom is bursting forth, and passionate people have taken hold of its power”.
Like an arrow drawn back in its bow by a marksman, when God draws us to himself we are propelled forward and further than we’ve ever gone. In the twinkle of an eye everything changes as we move out of the season of potential energy and experience the kingdom’s kinetic energy. It is the moment when all the work he is dong deep in us finds its expression in a new and even more purpose-filled way.
“For every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.”
Recognizing that we live in a heavenly kingdom that is ever-expanding, passionate people hitch a ride on the kinetic power of God’s kingdom which is forcefully advancing. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. God’s flood carries and empowers us with a supernatural grace and power to cause an effect on those around us.
The Science & Power of Your Heart Brain
(This blog is adapted from one I wrote back in 2012. The principles in it continue to be powerful and something I use everyday with myself and my clients. Enjoy!)
Have you ever stopped to consider the phrases we use to refer to the part of our body that generates our physical pulse … the heart? You can listen to your heart and know your heart, discern the heart of a matter or have a change of heart. You can be careful to guard your heart, and avoid having it broken or stolen, and then when you are with someone you love, you may give it away. You can do something to your heart’s content or halfheartedly if you decide your heart’s not in it. Or, you can pour your heart out while having a heart to heart talk. You can be known as a heartthrob, a sweetheart, or a cold-hearted heart-breaker. You can know by heart, lead from your heart, or make a fashion statement and wear it on a sleeve.
Researchers have uncovered some interesting facts that appear to be in line with how we as individuals, our popular culture, poets, songwriters, and the proverbs of old, speak of the heart. More than a simple pump, scientists have described the heart as a highly complex system with a functional “brain.” The “heart brain” (nervous system) actually enables it to learn, remember, and make functional decisions independent of the brain’s cerebral cortex.
In other words, we do in fact “know things by heart” and the things that we know by heart cannot be ascertained via our heads. The heart actually communicates information to the brain that influences how we perceive, think, and process emotions! The information that the heart communicates to the brain and throughout the body is sent via electromagnetic signals.
While the brain only emits an electromagnetic field of about an inch, the heart’s electromagnetic field radiates five to 12 feet and permeates every cell of the body. The heart’s electromagnetic field is charged with your emotions and what radiates out can affect and potentially be discerned by others (or even animals) and affects the social climate around us.
So while you can’t read someone’s mind, you can read their heart!
In addition to affecting the emotional climate within and around us, heart brain science has proven that when we focus on strong positive emotions, like love, this has powerfully positive effects on:
· emotional balance
· synchronization of multiple systems within the body
· increased parasympathetic activity (calming response)
· harmonious functioning
· physical health and vitality.
Be Still My Beating Heart – What’s Love Got to Do with It?
When you are sad, depressed, or anxious there is also truth in the phrase(s) feeling “heartsick” or “heartbroken.” The body has several responses to depression and anxiety including muscle tension, agitation or retardation, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, etc.
One of the best ways you can practically affect your emotional health is by addressing the connection between your physical heart and emotional health through heart rhythm biofeedback. Biofeedback is a process that helps to increase conscious awareness of the body’s reaction to stress so you can train yourself to relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety.
A great way to address the connection between your physical heart and physical/emotional health is through a simple focus and breathing exercise designed to increase what scientists call our “heart’s coherence.” When you engage in this exercise in as little as five minutes a day, the heart rhythm reaches a coherence state which is ideal for experiencing physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Step one involves heart focus. This is where you actually guide your attention to your heart.
Step two is heart breathing. Focus on your breath and imagine breathing in and out of your heart.
Step three is the most important of them all – heart feeling. This involves focusing on or recalling a time when you felt a positive emotion like feeling loved. The goal is to re-experience that love in the current moment. This combined with heart focus and heart breathing can greatly improve your overall mental health and physical well-being.
A Hindu in a Honda
Revelation often presents itself in a rather sneaky fashion. It leaves sticky notes for you-- high and low in people, places, and things. Then when you least expect it, and perhaps in the most unlikely package, your epiphany happens.
Recently, mine came in the form of my 65-year-old Uber driver, Deepak. A Hindu immigrant from India, Deepak and I talked about many things on that 40-minute drive from my parents home in the suburbs of NYC to LGA. We covered career, family, destiny, relationships, the meaning of life, travel and God. It was probably his pioneer immigrant spirit, the way he spoke with an accent, and his deep love and experience with travel that reminded me of my own father. Now deceased, he was a Christian immigrant from Egypt. He too had an innate love for travel that compelled him to see more countries than most people know exist outside of their humble worlds.
For my dad and Deepak, America was not just another destination in their many travels. It was their destiny-nation. “Your destiny comes with an ease and yet requires movement. Do not let it pass you by,” Deepak said. “Be thoughtful. God has a plan for you.” I smiled and replied, “Yes, I will be sure to set several dates with Destiny where we can sit and talk and plan.”
And as we reflected on the times we followed our hearts in comparison to the times we didn’t, we agreed. There is the (dis)ease of following what expectations are put on you and there is the ease of carving your personal path because it’s congruent with your destiny.
As we pulled up to the terminal and began our heartfelt goodbyes we mutually honored what we had seen in each other and blessed the other’s tomorrow’s. He genuinely and lovingly said, “You feel like family!”
Dad and I shared these same deep things ... in spirit. I say “in spirit" because somehow in that short goodbye with Deepak I learned that we really are all connected. Somehow as I felt this connection on a deep level with a man that only reminded me of my dad, it helped me see something I had overlooked. The knowing that came as I talked to Deepak brought to my conscious mind what I wasn’t conscious of while my father was still alive; and therein lies the sticky note. I got the note, I read it and I felt it. “We are all connected” even through space and time, and life and death. The question is how conscious are you in that connection.
In the last couple of years as I find myself a business traveler with many homes and many I call family, there are times I have felt like I have no home and no family. A second sticky note dropped. This time on the airplane — "Family is about proximity of the heart". Deepak chose to open his heart to me during that short drive and I responded in kind and opened mine. I experience family when I live with an open heart.
“We will meet again!" he emphatically proclaimed as I gathered my things to leave his Honda. I immediately felt a twinge of discomfort. "This was an unexpectedly beautiful and deeply touching conversation. We went to deep places, but see you again? We aren’t family Deepak, you’re just my Uber driver and I am just your passenger," I thought. And as I write these words just an hour later on the plane to Chicago this is what I have been shown. Deepak and I are family and in my family there is an Uber driver.
After the flight, I stepped into another cab to take the drive to the home I affectionately call “the place I receive my mail.” This time I was expectant. What wonderful message would I find in this one? You’ll never guess what my cabbie said to me in the midst of our initial friendly chit-chat about the weather and traffic. "Margaret, we are all connected."
“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. ”
A Fly on the Wall at the Areopagis
Psychological disillusionment occurs when a belief central to one’s identity appears to be false. It is the painful feeling that arises from a discovery that something is not what it was anticipated to be. Encountering disillusionment in our life or the world around us is inevitable. How we respond to disillusionment is pivotal.
The story of Paul at the Areopagus is a model for professionals, ministers, and lay people seeking to bring God's light to their field of practice and metron (Acts 17). The scripture begins by telling us that Paul temporarily stopped in Athens to await his companions who were to join him on the rest of his journey. Like the current zietgeist, upon arrival to the scene spirituality is all the buzz. Paul discovers that this learned city is filled with idols and his “spirit is stirred in him” (vs.16). When he sees the idol dedicated "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD" Paul's initial discouragement is quickly replaced with recognition of the Athenians' hunger and active search for spiritual things.
Psychological disillusionment in my life and practice has become a valued signal. When we encounter it in ourselves, those we serve, or the world around us often therein lies a hunger for more. With that hunger for more is the seed of an underlying faith that “the more” is possible. Disillusionment when understood and interpreted in this light is a gift! It is the gift that provokes us to enter into the consummate dialogue with the unknown God. As we encounter those aspects of Him that were previously unknown to us we grow in intimacy with the God who has more for us.
“Disillusionment is the gift that provokes us to enter into the consummate dialogue with the unknown God.”
Paul is stirred in his spirit and abandons the next leg of his journey to stay in Athens and join the dialogue. Like Paul, instead of being fearful, paralyzed, or even frustrated by what we see around us, let us be provoked. If left unprovoked, then the fear of darkness may cause us to become nearsighted, farsighted, or completely blinded to what God is doing. Instead, we can partner with Him to support the atmosphere needed to germinate these seeds of faith in ourselves, in others, and in the field of psychology.
Daniel is another biblical example for us. Daniel was called to serve a king who was looking for God in all the wrong places. He looked to sorcery and witchcraft and yet Daniel humbly loved and served His king. God gave Daniel everything he needed to be raised up to influence in the midst of this kingdom. The Lord supernaturally downloaded “knowledge, understanding, all types of learning and of literature” to Daniel as he used him to influence the influential of that day (Daniel 1:17). God even gave Daniel the ability to interpret the king’s God-given dreams. Like the apostle Paul, Daniel did not focus on the darkness. Instead he choose to bring the light.
Jeremiah, another prophet replied to the spiritual questions of his day with this, "This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls" (Jeremiah 6:16).
So let us stand and start looking. Let’s start asking and walking. Then with a New Testament eye towards the future, let’s start proclaiming as Paul did.
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”
The Science of Hope
The most intriguing piece of advice I ever received as a counselor in training came from one of my favorite professors in graduate school. He told me,
“In the very first session always give them a little magic.”
Magic. Now that’s an interesting choice of words coming from a scholar-practicitioner. The more I thought about it, the more the idea excited me.
Magic messes with your head.
It messes with the impossible by making it appear possible.
When in crisis, despair, struggling with insurmountable problems, or even the daunting task of navigating or creating change in our self or life situation, a little magic could go a long way.
So, I will let you in on a little secret. The magic that he was talking about, the magic we all need in our lives is actually not so magical at all. It is something much more powerful than magic and it is quite real. It is the power and science of hope. It’s the voice of hope in an otherwise hopeless situation that either whispers or shouts --anything is possible.
Researchers in the field of positive psychology have posited that hope is the single most important feeling state. Individuals who have significant levels of hope are more physically healthy and less susceptible to disease. They perform better academically and athletically. In fact, elite athletes score exceptionally high on psychological measures of hope indicating that raw talent, grit, or even optimism without hope is insufficient when pursing difficult goals.
Research also indicates hope is positively correlated with self-esteem and healthier relationships. Hope increases the sense of meaning in life and identification and realization of goals and dreams even in the midst of adversity. Individuals with high hope set loftier goals and are more likely to realize them. That’s because hope is a better predictor of success than intelligence or innate ability alone.
Psychologists define hope as the overall perception that goals can be met. There are two factors that work together to optimize hope. The first factor is the quality of thoughts related to your goal or situation. A person with high hope has thoughts that are positive and embody the old adage, nothing is impossible. Individuals with high hope are not unrealistic but they are also not pessimistic. They set the bar high knowing what seems impossible today may be possible tomorrow as they set forth towards their goal with a positive attitude.
The second factor involves coming up with multiple pathways to achieve the same goal. This is embodied by the adage, if at first you don’t succeed try, try again. Except, Individuals with high hope take this to the next level. They recognize that there are multiple paths to a goal and don’t give up when one or more paths fail. They recognize that trial and error is essential.
The science of hope is not only "magical" but essential to wholeness and recovery. Harness the science of hope in your life by connecting with the dreams and goals that you have for a healthier, more meaningful and successful life.
Coming Soon: Part II in this blog series on hope. Stay tuned.
Wait for it ...
Urban Dictionary describes the all too popular "wait for it" as a sentence enhancing phrase used to illustrate the epicness of an object/situation/event. Epicness. Is that even a word? No doubt it's another UD concoction but surly the word I would use to describe what lies next for those brave enough to ask God the hard questions.
The Urban Dictionary describes the all too popular "wait for it" as
- a sentence enhancing phrase used to illustrate the epicness of an object/situation/event -
Epicness. Is that even a word? No doubt it's another UD concoction but surely the word I would use to describe what lies next for those brave enough to ask God the hard questions.
In Habakkuk, an obscure little book with an obscure sounding name, the prophet by the same name grapples with some difficult questions. In the beginning of the book the cry of his heart is for justice as he reflects on all of the world's injustices -- even those found in the recesses of his own heart. The things he cries out against: iniquity, trouble, strife, contention, the powerlessness of the law to sustain justice, and the like are surely all the same things we cry out for and are overwhelmed by today. He is close with God and God is close with him. We know this because Habakkuk does not hold back. He lays it all on the line for God to hear in a myriad of whys and whens.
“Why God do you allow these horrible things and when will you do something about it?”
Habakkuk then tells God that like a dutiful watchman he will sit high on the ramparts and be on alert day and night keeping watch for His reply. God's response to Habakkuk?
Wait for it ...
I will do epic things.
Things that "you would not believe if you were told."
So, we cry out. Cry out with your whole heart. Then, set your heart's eyes high, high above the circumstances below. For it's only when we get above earthly circumstances that we can have eyes to see and ears to hear the reply. Wait for it. It's going to be epic.
“The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; it will surely come”
Hunting for Hope in God's Promises
Easter time is filled with fun memories from my childhood – sunrise service, pretty dresses worn with lace-rimmed socks and patent leather shoes, baskets lovingly prepared and waiting for us in the living room on Easter morning, big family gatherings and of course, the infamous city-wide Easter egg hunt.
I really loved the egg hunt. It was always held at the sprawling lawn in the center of town. Every inch of grass was filled with candy and as a little person it seemed to stretch on for miles. Dozens of children would restlessly gather behind a chalk line, then at the sound of the horn, race towards the lawn.
The funny thing was, in all the years we as children attended the Easter egg hunts, I never came home with a single piece of candy. Why you ask? Well, hidden somewhere on that sprawling lawn was a single golden egg and whoever found that egg was promised a grand prize. For whatever reason, I always chose to go after the golden egg even though I came home every year empty-handed (and then would try to scrounge some candy from my little brother whose pockets and basket were always bursting at the seams).
The hope of something greater was what I was after. I was after the one thing. I was after the prize. Philippians 3:13 says this:
“I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
This Scripture reminds us that no matter what struggle we may or may not be facing in the present moment, we can keep our focus on the “one thing” and the assurance of His heavenly promises to us.
Two thousand years ago our Creator, out of love, sent His son to bear the burdens of this life that no human could possibly bear. He loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die so that we might live. Why would Jesus want to come to this earth to die, you might ask? The answer is simple. He came to die for the one thing. He came to die for the prize and you are that prize.
Easter is about new life. It is about believing in the impossible and seeing the impossible happen. It’s about bearing the grief of Good Friday because Sunday is coming.
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”
Roadtrip: Destination Destiny
Highways. I love them. I love the freedom to drive in the direction of my destination without traffic lights, stop signs, or detours. They are by far the quickest most efficient way to get where you want to go. There is only one problem. They can be long. Depending on the destination, highways can be long and uninteresting.
“God, are we there yet?”
A few years ago I was yearning for insight regarding a particular area of my life. I wanted to know. Is there a divine destination in all of this? Did I miss the exit? And if not, why does it seem like there is no end in sight? Like many of us get, I was inpatient, tired and frustrated. I just wanted to know. God, are we there yet?
God gave me the metaphor of a highway that day and I will never forget what He said to me -- Destiny is like a highway. Stay on that highway if you want to get to your purposed destination. Exits are always an option. However, you can spend days, months, or even years at an inviting exit only to realize detours are costly.
Grace provides the strength needed to continue on the path no matter how long and discouraging it may appear. Not only that, grace provides everything we need for the journey. Everything. Thereby making exits on the highway of destiny obsolete.
“We can spend days, months, or even years at an exit only to realize detours are costly. ”
So I have choices. I can impatiently and incessantly question in my heart the path God has chosen and settle for an exit along the way. Or, I can sit back and enjoy it with all of its twists and turns, surprises, and grace.
Grace be with you all.
Hebrews 13:25
“Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert...”
Thin Places & Interior Spaces
There is a Celtic saying that heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in the thin places that distance is even smaller. The ancient Celts believed a thin place was an earthly location where there is little to no boundary between heaven and earth. It is a special place where one can easily and undeniably sense the presence of God.
I will never forget my first experience sitting with a client and entering into a thin place. I came out of the session that day thinking, “I was just standing on holy ground.” The presence of God was tangible in the room as Father God gently and lovingly ministered to her soul. The power of His touch in that fifty-minute session was undeniable and I left with a profound sense of awe and gratitude for how He cares for troubled hearts. The experience left me with the question. Can my counseling room become a thin place?
“In order to be aware of that conscious union with God, it is necessary that everything be removed that hides that consciousness and - dims the knowledge of God.”
What was interesting about this experience was that it occurred during a time in my professional life in which I was the least seasoned. I was fresh out of my doctoral program and had minimal experience. I did my best to bring everything I learned into my practice but mostly, in those beginning days, I prayed. I prayed because I was acutely aware of my inexperience. I learned a valuable lesson in those early days, to never neglect the most powerful form of healing and personal transformation – a personal encounter with God.
When our attention and affection is turned toward God, the heart becomes a thin place. II Corinthians 3 speaks of a veil that can cover the heart but whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away (vs. 16). Wounds, lies, and past traumas are the thread and material that make up the veil that covers the heart. Ushering clients into the presence of the Lord unveils the heart and brings freedom for “where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (vs. 17). When the heart is unveiled and able to interact with the living God face-to-face, transformation occurs.
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
Transformation occurs in the face-to-face encounter between the client and the Wonderful Counselor. When God is invited into the process in an intentional and active way, miraculous healing occurs. It occurs because you are accessing His power to heal and to transform, and you are inviting Him to do the work (I Thessalonians 5:23).
How I Spent the First Day of 2015
What did you do on the first day of 2015? I will share with you what I did on mine.
I woke up with no real plan past making and drinking my morning coffee. But, as the morning went on, I decided to do some organizing, sorting, and purging of the old. Not glamorous or drenched with meaning, purpose, or resolution mind you but it felt necessary nonetheless.
In the midst of the clutter (that is always created by the act of decluttering), I decided to take a break to pay some bills online when panic hijacked my first day of 2015 and brought my day's goals to a halt. After a frantic search, I realized I had lost my wallet with all of my cash, cards, etc.
So for the better part of January 1, 2015, ironically, I found myself reliving and retracing the steps of the last day of 2014. Peace finally returned when with bated breath I heard the saleswoman on the other end of the line say,
"Yes, we have your wallet. You can come pick it up at the information booth."
Thank. You. Jesus.
As I drove the 23 miles to the specialty market where I left my wallet the day before and the 23 miles back, I felt feelings of gratitude and relief. I also had plenty of time to think but my thoughts were a little different. I kept thinking about how my carelessness on the last day of the old year dictated how I spent my first day of the new year.
A year of RESTORATION
But early in the morning on January 2, 2015 as I write this, I find myself having a completely different take on it all. It's like God is showing me a replay of yesterday's events. It's the director's cut and His voice is in the background giving me the play by play. Showing me that the last day and first day are microcosms of the last year and coming year.
I want to share with you what I am hearing for 2015 because I feel like it's for me but that it may also be for you.
- This is the time you will identify and reclaim what was lost.
- As you reclaim what was lost you will discover a renewed ability and freedom to move forward as well as gain the needed information/direction you long for to guide you towards the future.
- God is with you! (For kicks I decided to look up the biblical significance of the number 23. The common theme around this number is one of the most amazing promises in the scripture. See Psalm 23; Exodus 23:23; Jeremiah 23:23; Matthew 1:23).
"You are with me." (Psalm 23:4)
Happy New Year,
Margaret