Anew...

Anew...

It's that time of year again.

The parties and binging are almost over, and now one switches lanes to assess and amend the indiscriminate and unwise consumption, excessive behaviors, and multi-level damage due to the last few months or longer.

While some joyfully anticipate the New Year with vigor and eager expectancy heralding a venue of boundless options, novel opportunities, and self-improvements, there are those who cringe and dread its arrival similarly to the cataclysmic fortitude of an annihilating tsunami demolishing their deeply entrenched indulgent patterns and leaving them awash and unplacated.

It needn't be such a polarized aptitude.

The pendulum swings both ways, revving in one direction only to be thrust back with as much angst and bravado to the sender.

There is a pervasive sense of all-or-nothing with the middle ground never considered.

The more stringent we are with ourselves, the more anxious and stressed we will be, which can streamline many of us straight to the very predilections we are hoping to abandon.

No action or inertia is inconsequential.

The first day of January is the arbitrary hallmark when we are encouraged to pick up a magnifying glass and pinpoint every miniscule deformity, unwanted attribute, and unsatisfying body part.

The unforgiving and impossible adage: a new year, a new you, falsely becomes an inescapable crock that purports that no shortcoming is too trivial to be vilified and reconstructed.

We pledge to be better, try harder, stick to new and probably unsustainable guidelines, but all this pressure can dampen the best intentions.

Even though these resolutions are formulated for an idyllic outcome, this annual self-minimizing routine can be frustrating and overwhelming, setting up one for failure by overload and exhaustion.

Huffing and puffing to perfection by running that extra mile and partaking in that advanced cardio class until you drop is not the answer.

No date in January holds magical powers to transform your body, finances, or relationships.

As long as we condone external approval, we will never measure up.

The competition is steep and mercilessly anchored in materialism, always expecting and demanding more.

The world behests long-term starving of the body, exercising endlessly, overcommitting, giving up alcohol - hello Dry January.

With so many proposals and goals to live up to, it's no wonder we admit defeat.

It shouldn't be this difficult.

Instead of fantasizing about a new you, embrace the you God created in His marvelous image.

The only thing that requires an alteration is your attitude so that it focuses on the Lord.

He not only knows what is best for you but can guide you on your path.

Surrender, my friend.

Not to the naughty inclinations that titillate and add to the distractions but to God.

Welcome Him into your life with all its messiness, chaos, and imperfection.

The Soul knows what the body needs but most of us are calibrated in secular and temporal mode and deficient in inner contemplation.

Ancient wisdom cited to sit still with a clear mind to commune with God and listen to His Word as this leads to veritable insights and remedies.

Another sage stipulation throughout the millennia was fasting regularly as a staple for wellness and religious obligations.

It was not utilized to lose weight for beautification or to impose punishment but to cleanse and clear the body of wastes and toxins, so your vessel can commune with and is more attune to the Lord's messages.

Unlike pricey gym memberships or exorbitant high-profile diets that drain your wallet and spirit, these two proposals have null monetary cost, and might even save some funds with intermittent fasting.

You will be richer, cleansed, less stressed, and this will grant you JOY.

Not artificial, shallow, self-inflating joy but rather, unincumbered, free-spirited, self-confident, Light emanating JOY that will disseminate outward fashioning you as the source.

Now more than ever is the time to spread God's Wonderous preeminence, because if you need it, it's likely others do too.

Joy is found within.

Whatever it is you seek, the solution is God. Happy New Year!

~"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God," Philippians 4:6. ~

HEaling Link® will meet Tuesday, January 2, 2024 @ 7:30pm via Zoom. For more information, please contact Jackie: HEalingLink03@gmail.com Isn't it time to get Linked?