Hard Week

This week was full. Really full. Full of goals and thoughts, needs and demands, and...hindrances. Full of showing up. Full of forgiving. Full of the routine, and full of the unusual.

Not every week is full of the unusual. Woooh, thank you Jesus for that! When there is unusual pressing and stretching it’s good to remember your whole health disciplines. Not the disciplines you’re trying to make disciplines, but the ones you have traction with, the ones secured into your foundation. The disciplines you value enough that you’ve fought to practice them over and over again. And now they’re present, they exist in the substance of your life.

When life has full segments (short or long) it can be helpful to pause on aspiring toward new disciplines and instead focus on practicing well the disciplines already established in your foundation. When we prioritize stewardship-fullness isn’t allowed to cause loss of discipline.

This week, I needed to pursue some of my newer whole health disciplines at a lower intensity level. Redirecting my energy to practice well the disciplines already in my foundation. This commitment would return as support to me in the midst of the difficulty last week included.

I noted some of the whole health adjustments that were made:

•I needed one morning without an alarm set. This turned into 9 hours of sleep!!
•I needed to eat a salad every day.
•I needed extra vitamin C.
•I needed to lean in and hug and kiss my children more.
•I needed worship music playing while in solitude, instead of books, teachings, phone calls, or silence.
•I needed to do heavy organization in the night hours to prepare for my demanding days.
•I needed to recognize the change and celebrate the new.
•I needed to lay in my bed when my children napped.
•I needed to progress through this sequence: accept, be honest, forgive, grieve.
•I needed to wear my glasses in most cases and let the minor correction go a long way against the fatigue I was facing.
•I needed to drink as much water as possible.
•I needed to take communion and make exchange with Jesus by faith in prayer.
•I needed to walk into the other room during intense moments with my children to breathe deeply, talk to God, and recommit to love.
•I needed to speak out loud even as my voice choked on tears.
•I needed to let my out loud sharing rest in the unresolve without trying to package it up.
•I needed to put myself in others’ shoes.
•I needed extra healthy fats and omega-3’s for brain health.
•I needed to use doTERRA Frankincense daily for extra cellular support.
•I needed to roll out my back, neck and shoulders on my foam roller multiple times/day.
•I needed to continually recommit to my place of initiative and let others take theirs.
•I needed to fight in prayer and in public for my sons destinies.
•I needed to bear down and invest in the smaller percentage of complex, time and thought-intensive tasks that would yield the larger impact. [80/20 Rule]
•I needed to cry.
•I needed to talk to God about stressors, problems, and unanswered questions.
•I needed to posture myself to hear everything God wanted to say to me.
•I needed to create margin to progress in my soul from problem to possibility, from frustration to character, from revelation to articulation, and from to application to contribution. This progress makes my problems purposeful!
•I needed to be gentle with myself when I went into that margin to make problems purposeful and couldn’t be fruitful.
•I needed to whole-heartedly receive encouragement from others.

One thing I am committed to is honoring myself as God’s beloved daughter and handiwork. I steward what I honor. And so, I make necessary personal adjustments without shame. While continually letting go when ideals are crushed.

Are you with me?

Who knows about your hard weeks? Tell someone.