Hello ladies….
Have you ever felt a deep loss of joy? Have ever experienced stress to the point that you didn’t feel you could go on? Have you ever been so sick that it was difficult to even get out of bed? This doesn’t look like Joyful Beauty, does it?
Well, I’ve been there as recently as last week! I want to share with you about my journey and the way that God restored my joy and gave me renewed hope for the future. Over the past three weeks I experienced the MAJOR crud from an infection and a antibiotic. I was pain for 10 days from the top of head to the tips of my toes. I ran a steady fever during the day and night. I was weak and in a total fog. Just plain miserable!!!
During this journey I couldn’t work on any of my projects, like this blog, or go to my part time job. One day I just cried out to the Lord and said ,”help me”! The next day I was able to watch a little T.V. I found one of my favorite shows that always includes a segment on healing. The story that day placed the emphasis on “thankfulness” and claiming a thankful heart for what God is already doing for me. I proclaimed thankfulness for God’s healing of my body starting with my mind, then my spirit, and then my body. A few days later I went to the doctor and got on a different medication and with 24-48 hours my fever broke, my constant headache was gone, my body aches left, and I could sleep through the night again! Best of all I was joyful again!!!
But here are the nuggets of TRUTH that I found.
- Stress can be deadly! Part of the reason I became sick was due to my eating habits over the holiday season. Lots of SUGAR, which can make your body toxic. I began a new part time job that involved a lot physical energy and lifting which I hadn’t been doing for a long while. Just being busy with activities and a sleep schedule that is off.
- Stress Reliever: I began cutting back on all processed sugar. I’ve eliminated bread, pasta, cookies, cake, candy, soft drinks, etc. I replaced them with green smoothies that include kale, spinach, and other greens. I added in fruit that has healing benefits, water, and almond or coconut milk. I cut back on afternoon snacks and coffee. I began reading my Bible again and writing in my journal.
- Share Your Journey: The God impressed on my heart that I might not be alone in my personal struggle of stress, health problems, poor choices, and unhealthy habits. He gently revealed to me that there may be other women who are struggling the same as me. Although I’m not entirely sure where this may lead, I believe that God has a plan in place to guide us on a focused journey of finding nuggets of truth that are stepping stones to Joy-filled beauty from the inside out! So over the next several months I will share with you some nuggets of HOPE (my “one word” for 2015), JOY, FAITH, TRUST, and of course BEAUTY!!!
Don’t worry, I’ll still write fun articles about fashion tips, shopping ideas, make up and skin care suggestions for you to follow! I hope this encourages you to know that I want to serve you more than just from outside! Here is a scripture that I’ve claimed for 2015, its Romans 15:13 Go check it out!
Hmm! I need to do more of number 2. Less processed sugar in my diet.