The post I’m about to share with you is much different than my traditional blog posts on intuitive eating, self-care, relationships, etc. The upcoming post is on spirituality.

It’s more of a reflection from my own spiritual life. I shared it on Instagram and got quite a few requests to turn it into a blog post so you could refer back to it.

Before we get started I’d like to share that I am a Christian. Meaning, I believe in Jesus Christ. That said, everyone is welcome here. Everyone is welcome to have their own beliefs. We’re all a family.

This post comes from my Christian beliefs (I became a Christian at the age of 18) and a verse from the Bible that jumped out at me at the beginning of this year. I wrote about that verse in this blog post too.

Okay, now that we know we’re all welcome here and that we’re all family, let’s jump in. Love you all!

This year I chose the words “ROOTS” and “BRIGHT” for my words of the year. At first, I was going to just choose bright. Then I came across the following verse and felt a pull to make it my verse for 2019.

“Let your ROOTS grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on HIm. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Col 2:7

Last night (as I was waiting for my new phone to update) I was staring at my computer and this verse popped out at me. I have it written on a dark pink sticky note right there on my iMac.

I typed it out onto the notes section of my computer. 

“Let your ROOTS grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Col 2:7

Then I broke it down word by word (the major words that jumped out at me). I wanted to dive into this more, while I sat and waited for my phone to restore.

Once I had all of these words written out I looked up the definitions of each. I picked the definitions that I felt most hit home for this verse.

ROOTS: the part of a plant which attaches it to the ground or to a support [God], typically underground, conveying water and nourishment to the rest of the plant [our bodies] via numerous branches and fibers [fruits of the Spirit].

+ GROW: progress to maturity

+ FAITH: complete trust or confidence in someone or something

+ STRONG: not easily disturbed, upset, or affected

+ OVERFLOW: be so full that the contents go over or extend above the sides (like this vase analogy)

+ THANKFUL: expressing gratitude and relief

= BRIGHT: giving an appearance of cheerful liveliness.

I say that this all equals “BRIGHT” (ness) is because to me, living a life of trust, strength and gratitude… no matter what… is absolutely BRIGHT. In fact, it’s BEAMING.

The definitions that spoke to me most where “thankful” (expressing gratitude and *relief*) and “faith” (complete trust or confidence in someone or something). 

To be thankful and to have faith means that when something doesn’t go as I thought it should, I am still to have faith (complete trust) and even to be thankful (express gratitude and *relief*). The Bible tells us that in everything we are to be thankful. So in everything express gratitude and even relief?

It’s easy to be thankful when things feel great. When all goes according to plan. When Marco and I are blissing out, getting along great. When I’m having a blast. When I get a new, incredible client who is *exactly* who I want to work with. When my business hits a new milestone.

But…

What about when I have a Discovery Session with a woman I *love* and she says no? I’m supposed to feel relief? When Marco and I are disagreeing, I’m supposed to express relief? THIS challenges me.

“…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

DANG. DANG. DANG.

So good. So challenging. So something I want to practice because I can feel the benefits of this attitude washing over me.

When the client says YES, be thankful, this is Gods will for me.

When the client says NO, be thankful, for this is Gods will for me.

When Marco and I are blissing out, be thankful, for this is Gods will for us.

When Marco and I are NOT blissing out (haha), be thankful, for there is purpose in this and this TOO is Gods will.

Challenging? YES. Helpful and life changing? Also yes.

To take this WAY deeper and go to one of the hardest experiences of my lifetime, losing my mom to cancer… UGH. This is so vulnerable to write to the entire world… but even on the day she went to heaven, there was relief.

Relief and thankfulness that she got to go home to Jesus. To me, this WAS perfect healing. She no longer had to deal with the pain she was experiencing on earth.

While I experienced relief for her, I also experienced grief in missing her. And this, I believe God knows. He knows that we can experience grief and mourning while also being thankful. While also trusting him.

He knows that we will work toward change, work toward love, work toward creating a better world around us, while also being thankful for what we’re learning and the courage our circumstances grow in us.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

My ultimate takeaway from this: When our ROOTS grow down into God, this gives nourishment to the rest of our body and we progress to maturity, which strengthens our faith (gives us complete confidence) so that is it not easily disturbed or affected. Instead, we become so full that our “fullness” spills over. From here, we express gratitude and relief in our everyday lives. The way this looks on the outside (the fruits) is cheerful liveliness. WOAH.

Since going through these words and definitions a few days ago… that word *relief* is what I’m pondering the MOST. The more I reflect on how this thought could be fruitful, the most I recognize it’s goodness.

So there you go. There’s my private, home study, shared with you. These are the things that go on behind the scenes when I journal, pray, and spend time with God randomly at night while my iPhone updates.

I hope you enjoyed that private share! Ultimately, I didn’t share this post for you to agree with it. I shared it because it’s a part of me – a part of my truth and what’s speaking to me.

If it resonates and speaks to you too, wonderful. If it doesn’t and the sole purpose you kept reading was to learn more about what goes on in my heart, thanks for that too. Once again, we’re all family.