Happy September! I feel like it was just yesterday that I was planning and writing about the content I’d be sharing this year, and now here we are, wrapping up the last quarter of the year! I’ve been brainstorming content I’d like to share with you all in 2020, and I’m excited about what’s in store! Writing and putting my thoughts down where I can see them is not only therapeutic for me, but also one of the ways I grow and learn the most! I’m open to suggestions if there is any specific type of content you’d like to see on my blog or on social media!
This year, I’ve been focusing on creating content around the core values my practice is built on. These three values are vitality, wholeness, and freedom. If you’d like to read about vitality, you can visit that blog post here, and if you’d like to read about wholeness, you can do so here.
A quick review of why vitality is an important value in my practice: we live in a broken world, which means that we will inevitably experience brokenness in our lives. As a threat to our sense of vitality, or being alive, brokenness can take various forms, be it through anxiety, depression, strained relationships, physical illness, etc. Engaging what it means to live a full, abundant life combats the threat that brokenness poses by sustaining us in the midst of darkness and reconnecting us to who we are and who we were made to be. God created us to be in a relationship with Him, to find our ultimate joy, peace, rest, and life in Him. This is, to me, the ultimate definition of vitality. The verse that inspired the name of my practice is from Jesus’ words in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
How does wholeness manifest itself in my work with my clients? Instead of focusing on one aspect of health and well-being, we focus on multiple aspects, physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, relational, etc., and how they impact each other. I also think of the idea of “progress, not perfection” and acceptance of imperfections and difficult emotions – all of the things that make up who we are. When God created us, He endowed us with many of the characteristics that He Himself has. For this reason, I believe it’s important for us to acknowledge and accept these characteristics not only to live in accordance with who God has made us to be, but also to understand a more intimate picture of who He is and how much He loves us.
And finally, freedom…when you hear the term “freedom,” what comes to your mind? Maybe this sounds cheesy, but honestly, I imagine spinning around in a large open field! I think of being unencumbered, surrounded by openness, space, pursuing who I am, and not being boxed in by others’ expectations, or even my own. The dictionary defines freedom as: “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint; absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government; the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.”
So, why is freedom important to me? Just as I believe God wants us to find life in Him, and that He has made us who we are, I believe that He wants us to experience the freedom that comes from knowing Him and also the freedom to be who He has made us to be. There are a lot of Scripture passages that talk about the freedom God wants us to experience through knowing Him. The apostle Paul writes in Galatians 5:1: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” He also writes in Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” What are the expectations, beliefs, thought patterns, behaviors, etc. that keep us from experiencing this freedom? That keep us enslaved? From knowing true freedom in Christ? How are these impacting our relationships, our mental health, our view of ourselves, and keep us from living lives of purpose and meaning even in the midst of suffering? This is what I hope to explore within the context of freedom this quarter.
What kind of content can you expect over the next three months? I’ll be addressing how our own internal experiences can keep us from experiencing freedom, particularly when it comes to anxiety, comparison, and fear of rejection. I’ll also be addressing ways to cope when we feel our freedom being impinged upon in relationships, including during arguments, “dead-end” relationships, and toxic friendships.
Again, thank you for reading, for following along on social media, and joining me in the journey to living an abundant life! I’m so thankful for the opportunities God has provided, including the amazing clients and followers He’s put in my path!
