by Lucy Shaw, Special to The New Tri-State Defender
Welcome back to Radical Prosperity #2!
Right after my last article, I had to make some big life changes. I have been busy creating and sustaining hope in my own life while maintaining my commitment to do the same for others.
I have re-opened my Health Retreat in Huntingdon, TN. That was a massive undertaking and I am proud of the results. The Retreat Center is called ‘SELAH!’
This word, SELAH, is found at the end of many Psalms and is thought to mean pause and pay attention. The purpose of our center is to allow visitors to intentionally pause and pay attention to how they are doing life in spirit, soul and body.
Last time, in this space, I introduced the Ketogenic Lifestyle, a way of eating and doing life that is very restorative for many people, especially those suffering from fatigue, arthritis, cancer, heart disease and certain types of dementia. I just finished teaching a 7-week online class and will offer another one in July.
The most profound question that we have to ask ourselves before choosing to make big changes in our eating, working and doing life is WHY? This requires that we take a SELAH break…pause, pay attention to your peace of mind, your health, your spiritual well-being and your relationships. Where are you feeling pain, discontent, discord or longing?
Some people don’t find a big enough “why?” to move forward with discipline and frequently fail. Failing hurts, so to ease the hurt we find other people or circumstances to blame. But, when God has something for you to pay attention to, the pain that you inflict on yourself will show up again and again. We are truly fearfully and wonderfully made.
The body is so awesome that it will give you warning after warning of its need to be cared for! The warnings show up as pain, stiffness, disease, irritability, fatigue, memory loss and so on. I have met people with great big “why’s” like cancer, impending stroke, debilitating joint diseases who still could not make dietary changes. This is because we need to know that our bodies are our servants, but are intimately linked to our feelings, thinking and believing.
If your doctor has told you that changing your diet can help you lose weight, reduce your medication, walk better, think better or lots of other good reasons to change, here is a way to firm up your decision to do so. To help you out, I want to give you a little assignment.
Remembering Why:
Dig deep and list the top 5 things that motivate your reasons to change your health.
After this is complete, go into listing what will change in your life if/when your goals are reached? For example, “What would change in your life if you had more energy?” I like to tell my clients to list three things in each of these categories:
* My physical activity and stamina
* My relationships
* My work
In the meantime, here is a fun, healthy dessert for the summer that can be made in a jiffy. Put in the freezer for three hours and enjoy!
(Feel free to share your list of “why?” with me at [email protected]. I would also like to hear what it felt like to actually do this exercise in intentionality! I will feature some of your answers in the next article!)
