March Update
Hey friend,
Happy Women’s History Month! I Hope March has started off well for you. How’s this pollen treatin’ ya?! It has come out fully and it’s been beautiful to see bees(the true connectors of the world) buzzin’ around.
March, oh March has been an interesting month, to say the least. What I mean: yes I have made the lists, allowed myself grace, and still feel unsettled. Within the last few weeks it has been a blessing: going to the Jill Scott concert with my sister( we had A TIME!!) attending the Hope Conference with Sarah Jakes Roberts and Dr. Anita Phillips( Check out her sermon on Christianity and mental health below) with friends. In all, this newsletter has been lagging behind my self-proclaimed goal of the 1st week of the month. I know it’s the middle now…grace, please? Attending the concert was a beautiful full circle of sisterhood; my sister and Jill had plenty of moments that night; forever grateful. Now Dr. Anita Phillips, hope you all learn about her and her mission in Christ. She is one of the catalysts for this newsletter; the first time I witnessed someone talking about mental health in the church using more than prayer in combination with psychology. Please don’t get me wrong, Prayer will FOREVER change things. It is with spiritual prayer and the natural work ( James 2: 16) that we thrive.
Dr. Anita in her Good Ground sermon discusses the parallels of mental health in the bible using Adam and Eve, the different types of ground for seeds, and Jonah. This month I’ve seen how the different “grounds” have shown up in my life that my brother brought to my attention. Which one do you ask? Scorched ground, and taking things personally have caused an attitude that blocks opportunities. I was shocked! Not me lol, but I do wear my emotions on my sleeves and it’s not for everyone (Guard your heart right). Jonah was blessed by God(even with shelter from the sun in the beginning) and his own attitude caused him to have to be in the blazing sun, then to be trapped in a big fish for days AND still have to do what God asked. As a quiet question to yourself, which ground are you cultivating; even unknowingly?
After speaking with a friend about my delay she mentioned that I may be overthinking and need to focus on what’s happening now( be present). How many of you have seen a goal, got moving then hit a wall, and stopped working on the goal? My real question is, what do you do to get back on track or at least put one foot on the ground again?? I would love to hear your responses, email me!!
For me, it is normally listening to a sermon ( Sarah Jakes Roberts: Girl Get up) while cleaning up my space. Did that work this time? No, it was praying for strength and having a short conversation with a friend that helped this time. It is the people that God puts in your life that send reminders when you can not see them yourselves. Hope you caught that: prayer(spiritual) and a trusted conversation (natural) action.
Y’all, this email turned into a mental health check-in and hope you take some time to check in with yourself. Living in Harmony’s goal is to show real-life ways to live in harmony with God. I don’t have it right but will continue to strive to get better and hope you all do that too. This season has been one of building community. Community is important; your community does not have to be large, get your 1-3 people that check on each other. My prayer is this is the start or continuation of the community for you; email is always open!
