As you addressed your specific clutter category this past week, did any of the symbols for CHG # 5, like the caution ribbon, a blinking yellow light, or the sunflower, remind you to embrace the change or set the goal that is needed so you can lessen your clutter and find healing? What thoughts or feelings did the symbolism evoke in you?
Maybe the topic of confronting was
more of an attention getter for you than the symbolism. If so, how did it bring about change for you or influence
you in your goal setting? Perhaps God’s
plans for you, based on Jeremiah 29:11, or the song called The
Basics of Life, helped you to move
from that mind set of hopelessness or disaster to a place of hope. It can be so hard to give up behaviors that
are not healthy for us because at least we know they are familiar and
predictable. And when we do attempt to
make changes, we often try to reason our way out of those cluttered behaviors
rather than praying about them.
As we
wrap things up with CHG # 5, I want to reinforce how the word patience is very dependent
upon us making a conscientious decision to slow ourselves down (CHG #1). So I thought it might be helpful if I gave some
examples of how our impatience increases our specific clutter categories, as represented
in the MMESS PR acronym. I will then
give some suggestions on how to lessen that clutter:
♥ Mental - I change my mind so much that
I get all caught up in the activity of change, consequently, nothing gets resolved. I am exhausted, angry, and without peace. So, I will patiently
ask God for the plan that I need and learn to
trust Him and His plan.
♥ Material - I am so overwhelmed by my
stuff, and I am the one who has permitted it to come in. So, I will patiently confront myself in learning how to say, “No thank you.”
♥ Emotional - I am always feeling dumped
on and misused. So, I will patiently nurture myself by withdrawing
from people who disrespect me and take advantage of me.
♥ Situational - I can get obsessed with
the busyness of everything – shopping, working, driving, and texting. So, I
will patiently
focus on doing one activity at a time and I will ask God to help me become more
aware of the patterns that can weigh me down.
♥ Spiritual - I am consistently thinking
about and verbalizing my desire to no longer live. So, I will patiently meditate on Jeremiah 29:11
and provide myself with the sleep and diet
that will enhance my well being. As long
as God gives me breath, I need to believe that He has a purpose for my
life.
♥ Physical - I over consume all kinds of things and then I do not
feel good physically, emotionally, or psychologically. So, I will patiently consider the thoughts and feelings that drive me to
indulge, and then harm me, and I will seek the support I need.
♥ Relational – I am always striving to be
loved and accepted. It is wearing me
thin. So, I will patiently remind myself that
being worthy of love and acceptance is based on how God alone loves me, and not
what I do or who I am.
Change is about growing and
learning, and with change, growing and learning also
takes place. We need to be ready mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically,
and then we often need that
information to be repeated and reviewed in order for change
to actually happen.
If you have been committed to reading this teaching blog,
then you have been in the process of changing,
growing, and learning. As you continue
to change, grow, and learn, be patient with yourself. It takes 31 days to establish a new habit and
for it to become a part of you. The Lord
used the Book of Proverbs to teach me this.
Proverbs has 31 chapters and it is also known as the Book of Wisdom. There is truly simplicity and wisdom in how
God uses the Bible to teach us. The 31
chapters in Proverbs symbolizes the 31 days it takes for us to develop a new
habit.
1 Corinthians 13:4 tells us
that love is patient and kind. Being patient is
characteristic of love, so let’s practice being more patient
with ourselves and with one another.
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