In chapter 4 he starts to get into some of the exercises that he talks you through in the CD. None of the exercises are anything unusual. They seem to be all about just grounding you and reconnecting you with your body. He talks about how trauma causes us to disconnect with our bodies and we can feel very uncomfortable in our own skin. He says that we need to reestablish the connection with our bodies and befriend our bodies again.
He tells us that we need to focus on the sensations in the body an not on intense emotions. He says that we need to be aware of any emotional reaction that we may have as we are doing the exercises, but we need to pay attention to how we experience the emotions in our bodies sensations. He says that before trauma you are not overwhelmed by your feelings, but after trauma, feelings can be completely overwhelming.
He reinforces again that these exercises are all about rebuilding the connection with our bodies because trauma is all about a loss of connection. The main idea in practicing these exercises is for you to begin to feel your skin and your muscles as boundaries holding and containing your sensations and feelings. I am not going to go into too much detail with the exercises because I can't do them justice and I have really been to busy to give them the time and attention that I need to while I am in school so I'll just recommend the book and CD to everyone. Some of the exercises may seem a little cheesy and silly but I can see how they can be helpful.
He goes into quite a bit of detail about the "felt sense". He says that even if we are not consciously aware of it, the felt sense is telling you how you feel at any given moment. It is relaying the overall experience of the organism, rather than interpreting what is happening from the individual parts. Perhaps the best way to describe the felt sense is to say that it is the experience of being in a living body that understands the nuances of its environment by way of its responses to that environment.
The physical (external) senses of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste are elements that contribute only a portion of the information that builds a foundation for the felt sense. Other important data are derived from our bodies internal awareness - the positions it takes, the tensions it has, the movements it makes, its temperature, etc. Our felt sense can be influenced and changed by our thoughts, but it is not a thought. Emotions contribute to the felt sense, but they play a less important role than most people believe.
The feelings we experience are typically much more subtle than we can convey in language. The felt sense is so integral to our nature that we can take it for granted to the point of not even realizing that it exists until we attend to it. To the degree that we experience the felt sense as ever shifting and are able to embrace this constant flow, we will move out of trauma to life.
When people enter a new situation they focus their attention on the new event. Traumatized people tend to be riveted on their past traumas; new situations are connected to and constricted by that past event. The key to changing is staying with the sensation until it changes. That is the nature of all sensation.
Traumatized people, generally, have become fearful of their own aggression. They begin to emerge from immobility and suppress this life saving response which then can throw them back into paralysis. This keeps them from reengaging in life. Often traumatized people feel nothing or they feel rage, and this is often expressed in inappropriate ways. By experiencing aggression in healthy ways a person can begin to give way to a healthier middle ground between numbness and rage.
That is all I am going to share about chapter 4. It is really packed with a lot of information and I feel like I just need to tell people to get their own copies of this book. As valuable as I can see that it can be, I feel bad that I haven't given the exercises more time and attention. If nothing else it has just been good to be aware of the reactions my body has when it feels threatened or overwhelmed and it also helps me to understand other people's reactions to me. I am finishing up my accounting degree and I am in a really tough class that is taking up every second of my free time. I keep saying that I am going to focus on this more when I finish up. I hope that is the case.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Healing Trauma (chapter 3)
Chapter three goes into how trauma affects the body. He starts by explaining that the thing that sets us apart from animals is the rational part of our brain. We need to understand this because he goes on to explain that prey animals have their lives threatened all the time but they are rarely traumatized. They have the ability to shake off life threatening encounters, and go on with their lives as if nothing happened.
The effects of trauma are a natural phenomenon in all animals but the problem happens when the process of shaking off this frozen energy doesn't happen. The effects of trauma can stay in our bodies with long term psychological effects if we don't recognize them and learn to release them. Peter Levine says that methods that don't focus on enabling people to reconnect with their bodies have limited success.
So what happens in our bodies when we are threatened? One of three things, we prepare for fight, flight, or we freeze. Sometimes we go through all three of those stages. Our bodies mobilize vast amounts of energy to escape or they become overwhelmed and freeze so we can play dead which also numbs us so we do not feel pain. This extra strength comes from a large increase of blood into the muscles, and the release of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline.
If the message to release this built up energy is never given, the brain continues to release high levels of adrenaline and cortisol, and the body holds on to this ramped up high energy state. Unless we find a way to release this excess energy, our bodies will continue to respond as if it were in pain or helpless long after we have recovered from any physical injury. So what prevents this release of energy? Why can't we release this energy as animals do?
Humans use the immobility response, or frozen energy regularly when we are injured or feel overwhelmed. Unlike the animal world we have trouble returning to normal after being in this state. The feelings that we need to steer ourselves back to the present become numbed out. This is the key. Dr. Levine believes that this is the primary factor in avoiding being traumatized. If animals do not release their frozen energy they will die. Humans rarely die from trauma, but if they do not resolve it their lives can be severely diminished by its effects. Some people describe their lives as "living death".
Dr. Levine believes that we have the ability to shake off this frozen energy just like animals do and sometimes we just need appropriate guidance to shake off the effects of overwhelming events and return to our lives using the exact same procedures that animals use. Trauma is primarily physiological. It happens initially to our bodies and our instincts and then it spreads to our minds, emotions and spirits.
If we were animals and didn't have a rational part of our brain we would move out of our immobility response without a second thought. We as humans can be frightened by the intensity of our own energy and latent aggression and we brace ourselves against the power of these sensations. This bracing prevents the discharge of energy to restore normal functioning. Undischarged energy is stored in the nervous system, setting the stage for the formation of the symptoms of trauma.
While we are frozen, any movement is frightening and chaotic. As we begin to release this energy we will feel less threatened and overwhelmed by life. As we move from fixity to flow, we experience coherency, reconnection with life, more peace and we are no longer trapped by the events of the past, some of which we may not even remember.
That part was really encouraging for me. I thought I had to make a list of all the ways in which I may have experienced trauma in my life, but the reality is that we don't need to remember what happened, we just need to recognize the symptoms of trauma in our lives and learn to release it. The effects of trauma are stored as fragmentary experiences in our bodies not in the rational parts of our brains.
The release of energy can be dramatic and visible, or subtle and quiet. It can be intense shivering or the slightest sense of inner trembling. Afterwards, you may notice that things fall into place more easily or that you are calmer and relaxed. Things that once upset you will not bother you as much and you may be less critical of yourself, or you may experience a deepening of your sense of well being.
The changes can also be more dramatic. Chronic pain can disappear, you may be able to do things you've never tried, your relationships with others may become freer and easier. You may feel a surge of passion and personal power. When trauma heals, shift happens. Then he wishes us the best of luck in our own personal healing journey.
The effects of trauma are a natural phenomenon in all animals but the problem happens when the process of shaking off this frozen energy doesn't happen. The effects of trauma can stay in our bodies with long term psychological effects if we don't recognize them and learn to release them. Peter Levine says that methods that don't focus on enabling people to reconnect with their bodies have limited success.
So what happens in our bodies when we are threatened? One of three things, we prepare for fight, flight, or we freeze. Sometimes we go through all three of those stages. Our bodies mobilize vast amounts of energy to escape or they become overwhelmed and freeze so we can play dead which also numbs us so we do not feel pain. This extra strength comes from a large increase of blood into the muscles, and the release of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline.
If the message to release this built up energy is never given, the brain continues to release high levels of adrenaline and cortisol, and the body holds on to this ramped up high energy state. Unless we find a way to release this excess energy, our bodies will continue to respond as if it were in pain or helpless long after we have recovered from any physical injury. So what prevents this release of energy? Why can't we release this energy as animals do?
Humans use the immobility response, or frozen energy regularly when we are injured or feel overwhelmed. Unlike the animal world we have trouble returning to normal after being in this state. The feelings that we need to steer ourselves back to the present become numbed out. This is the key. Dr. Levine believes that this is the primary factor in avoiding being traumatized. If animals do not release their frozen energy they will die. Humans rarely die from trauma, but if they do not resolve it their lives can be severely diminished by its effects. Some people describe their lives as "living death".
Dr. Levine believes that we have the ability to shake off this frozen energy just like animals do and sometimes we just need appropriate guidance to shake off the effects of overwhelming events and return to our lives using the exact same procedures that animals use. Trauma is primarily physiological. It happens initially to our bodies and our instincts and then it spreads to our minds, emotions and spirits.
If we were animals and didn't have a rational part of our brain we would move out of our immobility response without a second thought. We as humans can be frightened by the intensity of our own energy and latent aggression and we brace ourselves against the power of these sensations. This bracing prevents the discharge of energy to restore normal functioning. Undischarged energy is stored in the nervous system, setting the stage for the formation of the symptoms of trauma.
While we are frozen, any movement is frightening and chaotic. As we begin to release this energy we will feel less threatened and overwhelmed by life. As we move from fixity to flow, we experience coherency, reconnection with life, more peace and we are no longer trapped by the events of the past, some of which we may not even remember.
That part was really encouraging for me. I thought I had to make a list of all the ways in which I may have experienced trauma in my life, but the reality is that we don't need to remember what happened, we just need to recognize the symptoms of trauma in our lives and learn to release it. The effects of trauma are stored as fragmentary experiences in our bodies not in the rational parts of our brains.
The release of energy can be dramatic and visible, or subtle and quiet. It can be intense shivering or the slightest sense of inner trembling. Afterwards, you may notice that things fall into place more easily or that you are calmer and relaxed. Things that once upset you will not bother you as much and you may be less critical of yourself, or you may experience a deepening of your sense of well being.
The changes can also be more dramatic. Chronic pain can disappear, you may be able to do things you've never tried, your relationships with others may become freer and easier. You may feel a surge of passion and personal power. When trauma heals, shift happens. Then he wishes us the best of luck in our own personal healing journey.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Healing Trauma (chapter 2)
Dr. Levine begins chapter 2 by defining trauma in greater depth. People can be traumatized by any event they perceive to be life threatening. It does not matter if the event is actually life threatening, the only thing that matters is the person's perception of the threat and an incapacity to deal with it. He shares examples of war, abuse, violence and catastrophic illnesses but then he shares less obvious causes like car accidents, medical procedures, minor injuries, natural disasters, extreme temperatures, loud noises and birth for both mother and child. He mentions that even the thought of some of these things may cause us to have a physiological response.
He goes on to explain some of the responses we may have to trauma that we may not be aware of, that all reside under the umbrella of anxiety. He says, "It is very important to understand that the nervousness or anxiousness, or almost any response you might have, has to do with the arousal or activation of the energy you experience during the original overwhelming event. When you are threatened your body instinctively generates a lot of energy to help you defend yourself against the threat. This is the energy we work with in healing trauma, so we need to be aware of it."
He said that when we feel these feelings it is our body telling us that something isn't right. This something needs our attention and if these feelings aren't dealt with they will develop into the symptoms of trauma. He gives the example that the symptoms of the flu go away in a few days. The effects of trauma do not. Then he goes into greater detail of these symptoms he is referring to.
Hyperarousal- Increased heart rate, sweating, difficulty breathing, cold sweats, tingling, muscular tensions, repetitious thoughts, racing mind and worry.
Constriction- A narrowing of perceptions that allows us to focus on the threat. It alters a person's breathing, muscle tone, and posture to promote efficiency and strength. Blood vessels in the organs constrict so that more energy is available to the muscles which are tensed to take on defensive action. At the same time our digestive system is inhibited, we may also feel numb and shut down.
Disassociation and denial- In trauma disassociation and denial seem to be a favored means of enabling a person to endure experiences that are at the moment beyond endurance. When a traumatic event happens we may act as if nothing happened because the emotions that come with truly acknowledging the situation are too painful to deal with.
Helplessness, Immobility and freezing- This is not the ordinary sense of helplessness, it is the sense of being collapsed, immobilized and utterly helpless. It is not a perception, belief, or a trick of the imagination. It is real.
He then gives a long list of symptoms of trauma in the body. Here they are, hypervigilance, flashbacks, sensitivity to light and sound, hyperactivity, exaggerated emotional and startle responses, nightmares, mood swings, shame, lack of self worth, inability to deal with stress, sleepiness, panic attacks, mental blankness, avoidance behavior, attraction to danger, addictive behaviors, exaggerated or diminished sexual activity, amnesia or forgetfulness, inability to love, nurture and bond with other individuals, fear of dying, self-mutilation, loss of sustaining beliefs (spiritual, religious, interpersonal), excessive shyness, diminished emotional response, inability to make commitments, chronic fatigue or low energy, immune problems, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, asthma, skin disorders, digestive problems, severe PMS, depression and feelings of impending doom, feelings of detachment, alienation and isolation, reduced ability to formulate plans.
To heal ourselves he says we need to trust the messages our bodies are giving us, listen to these calls, increase the awareness of our bodies, and use these messages to begin to heal our traumas. Our bodies are sending us messages that healing needs to happen.
He goes on to explain some of the responses we may have to trauma that we may not be aware of, that all reside under the umbrella of anxiety. He says, "It is very important to understand that the nervousness or anxiousness, or almost any response you might have, has to do with the arousal or activation of the energy you experience during the original overwhelming event. When you are threatened your body instinctively generates a lot of energy to help you defend yourself against the threat. This is the energy we work with in healing trauma, so we need to be aware of it."
He said that when we feel these feelings it is our body telling us that something isn't right. This something needs our attention and if these feelings aren't dealt with they will develop into the symptoms of trauma. He gives the example that the symptoms of the flu go away in a few days. The effects of trauma do not. Then he goes into greater detail of these symptoms he is referring to.
Hyperarousal- Increased heart rate, sweating, difficulty breathing, cold sweats, tingling, muscular tensions, repetitious thoughts, racing mind and worry.
Constriction- A narrowing of perceptions that allows us to focus on the threat. It alters a person's breathing, muscle tone, and posture to promote efficiency and strength. Blood vessels in the organs constrict so that more energy is available to the muscles which are tensed to take on defensive action. At the same time our digestive system is inhibited, we may also feel numb and shut down.
Disassociation and denial- In trauma disassociation and denial seem to be a favored means of enabling a person to endure experiences that are at the moment beyond endurance. When a traumatic event happens we may act as if nothing happened because the emotions that come with truly acknowledging the situation are too painful to deal with.
Helplessness, Immobility and freezing- This is not the ordinary sense of helplessness, it is the sense of being collapsed, immobilized and utterly helpless. It is not a perception, belief, or a trick of the imagination. It is real.
He then gives a long list of symptoms of trauma in the body. Here they are, hypervigilance, flashbacks, sensitivity to light and sound, hyperactivity, exaggerated emotional and startle responses, nightmares, mood swings, shame, lack of self worth, inability to deal with stress, sleepiness, panic attacks, mental blankness, avoidance behavior, attraction to danger, addictive behaviors, exaggerated or diminished sexual activity, amnesia or forgetfulness, inability to love, nurture and bond with other individuals, fear of dying, self-mutilation, loss of sustaining beliefs (spiritual, religious, interpersonal), excessive shyness, diminished emotional response, inability to make commitments, chronic fatigue or low energy, immune problems, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, asthma, skin disorders, digestive problems, severe PMS, depression and feelings of impending doom, feelings of detachment, alienation and isolation, reduced ability to formulate plans.
To heal ourselves he says we need to trust the messages our bodies are giving us, listen to these calls, increase the awareness of our bodies, and use these messages to begin to heal our traumas. Our bodies are sending us messages that healing needs to happen.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
The Randy Mystery
I have been helping out with the special needs mutual road show the last few months and I was warned to be careful around Randy. Apparently he likes to hit on girls and has been in trouble for touching them inappropriately. Right after I got the warning he came right up to me and told me that I looked just like Kristen Stewart. He said that he hoped we could be friends. I had to secretly capture this picture of him tonight.
The mystery comes in where he seems to know things about my childhood. He asked me if I lived in University Village Student Family Housing. He said that he remembered me. I asked when he was born and he is about 6 years younger than me so he would have been in the 1st grade when I was in the 6th grade.
I asked my siblings if they remembered any kids named Randy from our childhood and they said no and it must have been a lucky coincidence. Well I saw him again tonight and sure enough, he came to talk to me first chance he got and he asked me what bus number I rode in elementary school. He said, "Was it 110?" I said I had no idea, then he was asking me who my bus driver was. At first I didn't know but then he said, "Was Fred your bus driver?"
OMGosh! Fred totally was my bus driver. He was this Asian man with false front teeth that he would pop out at random times and then pop them back in as if nothing unusual happened. If you called him out on it he would deny having dentures. I knew Fred well because as 5th and 6th graders, my friend Courtney and I got to be the bus monitors and make sure that all the kids on the bus behaved. Fred just loved to laugh and joke around with his Asian accent. That man was always smiling and laughing.
Randy started to ask me if I knew various 80s songs and then he would sing them to me. He went on an on about how he loves the 80s. I wonder if he is some sort of savant. Who can remember their childhood bus number from 25 years ago??? The only other thing I can figure is that he had some sort of brain injury and he only remembers his childhood. Such a mystery. Well next week is the road show so maybe I will never see Randy again, but he still has my brain turning.
I keep wondering if he is one of the kids I babysat while living in the Village, but I can't think of his name. That kid was a terror. He always wanted to play fight but he showed no mercy. He once took his plastic sword and stabbed me in the stomach so hard that I wondered if he did some real damage. I always had to really question how bad I wanted a few bucks because I usually regretted accepting the job.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Healing Trauma (chapter 1)
My brother in law kept telling me that I needed to read the book "Healing Trauma" by Peter Levine. I put him off for two months feeling like I was too busy with school to read it. I also felt like I had not suffered from trauma so it wasn't going to apply to me.
He kept insisting and finally I got it as an e-book from the library. As I started to read it I realized that I needed to buy it because it was starting to look like it could be helpful for me and I also wanted to get the CD that normally accompanies the book. I have already recommended it to a couple of people that I think it could help as well.
Peter Levine has spent most of his career studying how trauma affects the body. He says that the unresolved effects of trauma can be devastating. It affects our habits and outlook on life that can lead to addictions and poor decisions. It takes a toll on our relationships and family life. It can trigger pain, symptoms and disease.
So what is trauma? Well I thought that a person had to go through a war or be physically or sexually abused to qualify as a trauma victim but that isn't the case. He claims that trauma is the most avoided, ignored, denied, misunderstood and untreated cause of human suffering. He says that it does not need to stem from a major catastrophe. People can be overwhelmed by what we see as ordinary events. We become traumatized when our ability to respond to a perceived threat is in some way overwhelmed.
Trauma is about loss of connection with ourselves, our bodies, our families, others and the world around us. This loss of connection can be hard to recognize because it doesn't happen all at once. It happens over time and we adapt to these changes over time. These are the hidden effects of trauma, the ones we keep to ourselves. We just perceive that something isn't right, without being fully aware of what is happening. These are manifest in the gradual undermining of our self-esteem, self-confidence, feelings of wellbeing and our connection to life. Our choices become limited as we avoid certain feelings, people, situations and places. The result is a loss of freedom, vitality and the fulfillment of our dreams.
Dr. Levine believes that humans are built to overcome the effects of trauma. As we overcome the effects of trauma we can undergo a spiritual transformation and realize our dreams.
Peter Levine has spent most of his career studying how trauma affects the body. He says that the unresolved effects of trauma can be devastating. It affects our habits and outlook on life that can lead to addictions and poor decisions. It takes a toll on our relationships and family life. It can trigger pain, symptoms and disease.
So what is trauma? Well I thought that a person had to go through a war or be physically or sexually abused to qualify as a trauma victim but that isn't the case. He claims that trauma is the most avoided, ignored, denied, misunderstood and untreated cause of human suffering. He says that it does not need to stem from a major catastrophe. People can be overwhelmed by what we see as ordinary events. We become traumatized when our ability to respond to a perceived threat is in some way overwhelmed.
Trauma is about loss of connection with ourselves, our bodies, our families, others and the world around us. This loss of connection can be hard to recognize because it doesn't happen all at once. It happens over time and we adapt to these changes over time. These are the hidden effects of trauma, the ones we keep to ourselves. We just perceive that something isn't right, without being fully aware of what is happening. These are manifest in the gradual undermining of our self-esteem, self-confidence, feelings of wellbeing and our connection to life. Our choices become limited as we avoid certain feelings, people, situations and places. The result is a loss of freedom, vitality and the fulfillment of our dreams.
Dr. Levine believes that humans are built to overcome the effects of trauma. As we overcome the effects of trauma we can undergo a spiritual transformation and realize our dreams.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Joseph Smith Papers
We had a Spring Workshop at work last week and we had a guy names Steve Harper come and speak to us from the Church History Department. He had been working on the Joseph Smith Papers and had a few interesting things to say. He was a pretty dry speaker mostly because he just stood upfront and read his remarks. He jokingly said he tried to be a seminary teacher but the students hated him and he hated the students so he found himself in the Church History Department.
When he finished he opened it up for questions and he said a few things that I found interesting. People were interested in his connection to the Master Masons who claim that they have the original temple ceremony from the time of Christ. He said that our temple ceremony was not a microwaved version of the Mason's practices. He said that many men were Masons at that time and he said for a witness of the difference you should look to a quote from Heber J. Grant who would have been very familiar with the Mason's practices and who was also endowed in our temple. After his endowment he said in effect, I was endowed with power from on high, signifying that what he experienced in his endowment was very different from what he experienced with the Masons.
There were also some questions about how the temple ceremony has changed over time. When he answered this question he wanted to impress upon us that everything the Lord does among us has a human fingerprint on it. Just like the brother of Jared who had God light the stones for their journey across the ocean. He allows us to prepare lessons in the best way we see fit. He does not usually say, "This is the way it HAS to be done." This definitely helped me understand how our temple ceremony could have changed over time. There are messages we should be getting in the temple ceremony through words and symbols and there could certainly be different routes to get us there. He also spoke about how when we receive revelation it comes through to us very clearly but we can not always translate that revelation into our imperfect fallen language for others to understand.
When he finished he opened it up for questions and he said a few things that I found interesting. People were interested in his connection to the Master Masons who claim that they have the original temple ceremony from the time of Christ. He said that our temple ceremony was not a microwaved version of the Mason's practices. He said that many men were Masons at that time and he said for a witness of the difference you should look to a quote from Heber J. Grant who would have been very familiar with the Mason's practices and who was also endowed in our temple. After his endowment he said in effect, I was endowed with power from on high, signifying that what he experienced in his endowment was very different from what he experienced with the Masons.
There were also some questions about how the temple ceremony has changed over time. When he answered this question he wanted to impress upon us that everything the Lord does among us has a human fingerprint on it. Just like the brother of Jared who had God light the stones for their journey across the ocean. He allows us to prepare lessons in the best way we see fit. He does not usually say, "This is the way it HAS to be done." This definitely helped me understand how our temple ceremony could have changed over time. There are messages we should be getting in the temple ceremony through words and symbols and there could certainly be different routes to get us there. He also spoke about how when we receive revelation it comes through to us very clearly but we can not always translate that revelation into our imperfect fallen language for others to understand.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Power of Fasting
I have just been reminded the last couple of months of the power of fasting. I do not enjoy fasting. It is quite difficult for me. Sometimes my blood sugar feels really low and I can get shaky and I often get headaches and stomach cramps. However, It seems like I have received very clear direction and answers to prayers as I have fasted for two specific things over the last few months.
Last month I was fasting about a specific topic and I opened up my scriptures and it just seemed like the words on the page were speaking to me very directly. This experience eased all of my anxiety on the topic.
Then just today I had been fasting and the Relief Society lesson was on the exact topic that I was fasting about and some resources came into my hands that also helped me with that same thing as well.
I love these verses from Isaiah 58...
I just felt like I needed to take a moment to be grateful for the opportunity we have to make sacrifices to our Father in Heaven and how he can provide us with great blessings as we are obedient and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. This isn't always the case and perhaps some would say that it is all just a coincidence but I can see Gods hand in it.
Last month I was fasting about a specific topic and I opened up my scriptures and it just seemed like the words on the page were speaking to me very directly. This experience eased all of my anxiety on the topic.
Then just today I had been fasting and the Relief Society lesson was on the exact topic that I was fasting about and some resources came into my hands that also helped me with that same thing as well.
I love these verses from Isaiah 58...
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8 ¶Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.
9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
I just felt like I needed to take a moment to be grateful for the opportunity we have to make sacrifices to our Father in Heaven and how he can provide us with great blessings as we are obedient and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. This isn't always the case and perhaps some would say that it is all just a coincidence but I can see Gods hand in it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
