Do you have a major problem in your life? Something that you just can't seem to shake?
Maybe it's somebody you need to forgive. Maybe it's dealing with stuff from your childhood. Maybe it's adjusting to marriage and the seflishness that you're both showing! Maybe it's dealing with difficult in-laws.
We all have rough stuff in our lives. The question is what we do with it.
When I was a teenager my big struggle was with forgiving my father for leaving us. I prayed over that a lot, and read tons of books on healing. Some told me to write a letter and burn it. So I did. Others told me to write a letter and bury it. So I did. Others said I should send it. So I did.
And all the while, I was asking, "Have I forgiven him?". And everytime there was an altar call I came forward out of conviction that I hadn't forgiven him yet. I would think I had, and then it would come back!
It got really bad when my children were born, because it brought up a lot of resentment and hurt. And whenever Dad would visit (which was extremely rarely) I would have stomachaches for weeks before. It was not a pretty picture.
And I prayed and I prayed and I prayed.
Then a few years went by when I didn't see him. We moved to another town and I was busy setting up my house. I went to a women's Bible study and I delved into studying the Bible. I started teaching. I started writing.
And one day Dad called to say he was dropping in for a few hours. And he did. And he left. And my stomach didn't hurt.
And I thought, how could that be? I wasn't praying about forgiving him at all! How could I be healed?
And then I realized, maybe that's why I'm not hurting anymore. Because I hadn't been praying about it. I had simply been praying. I had been focusing on God, not on my problems, and in the process God changed me on the inside. He became bigger; my problems became smaller.
I truly believe that is a spiritual truth: Whatever you focus on expands. So are you focusing on God, or on your hurts and problems?
Here's a video clip of me talking about this:
(It's part of the Extreme Makeover DVD I sell, which is also a component in my Retreat To Go package. The Retreat to Go has all the stuff you need to plan a great women's retreat, even if you can't afford to hire a speaker! Everything is already done for you, and you just watch the DVDs! You can find out more here.)
So what are you going to focus on today?
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Labels: forgiveness, healing, videos |
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