Healing

Ever ask yourself "Why Me?" Seems like everyone around you has a great life, why not you.

Life is a journey filled with highs and lows, a rollercoaster of challenges that often leave us wondering, "Why me?" We all face trials and tribulations that test our strength, resilience, and faith. It's normal to focus on the immediate pain and hardship, but have you ever considered that God allows us to go through some challenges to learn and grow? Not as punishment, but that you are ready to learn more. You will never feel ready, and most will rock our world to the very fiber of our soul.

Think about those who have battled sickness and emerged victorious. They may have wondered why they had to endure such a painful experience, but in the end, they discovered the power of hope, the importance of cherishing every moment, and the strength of their spirit. Their trial taught them resilience, gratitude, and the preciousness of life. Their impact on others was more than they realized. Remember when you were in the hospital or sick in bed? You are still here, it could have been worse.

Car accidents are another example of life's challenges. Surviving a crash may make one question the purpose of such a traumatic event within God's influence. Again, through this ordeal, individuals often find a deeper appreciation for the gift of life. They realize that life can change in an instant and that every day is a blessing. Remember when you had a harrowing accident of some kind? You are still here, it could have been worse.

Hunger and poverty are seen throughout the world. A person struggling to make ends meet may question why they have to endure such hardships when others around them don't. They discover humility, compassion, and the value of hard work. A new appreciation for the abundance we often take for granted. Remember when you had a desperate need? You are still here, it could have been worse.

These and countless other trials are examples that things could always be worse. God's mercy often shields us from even greater suffering. Think of the person who lost their job and faced financial ruin, only to find a new path that led to a more fulfilling career. The setback turned out to be a stepping stone to greater opportunities. They learned the importance of adaptability and the resilience of the human spirit. By learning from our trials we are doing what God intended.

Sometimes the worse does happen. We don't know God's will. We do all we can in faith and leave the rest in His hands and perspective. The pain we experience is not in vain; it is a crucial part of our personal development. To humbly turn our focus on grateful rememberance and caring support from others and God.

He never gives us more than we can handle, as painful as it is. Many trials feel unbearable at first and most are never forgotten. These hardships help us appreciate the good times and teach us to be more compassionate, understanding, and grateful. We learn that we are never alone and that God's mercy shines through, guiding us towards a brighter future. In this life and the next.

When we find ourselves asking, "Why me?", it's important to remember that God allows us to experience some pain so that we may learn from it. Our trials teach us resilience, gratitude, humility, and the value of life's precious moments. They help us appreciate the good times and remind us that things could have been worse. God's mercy often saves us or others from more significant suffering, and we emerge from each trial stronger and wiser than before. It may take a lifetime, but that is why we are here.

The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.

The fact God had been preparing me for this event months in advance, shows foresight and love for all His children.

I remember when the video game Pong was released on the Atari 2600 game console. I was amazed our family could play an arcade game on the same TV I watched Star Trek... in my house. Many years later, my new wife and I played three games together on the PlayStation. There were two open-world puzzle games and one car racing game. My wife was the brain behind most puzzle-solving and I valiantly protected her by smashing things. I could win racing sometimes when I taunted "Don't mess up!" as we both tried to find the exact speed and turn angle to win the race. I became obsessed with finding the best driving line. Slow down just enough to not blow past the curve, and come in tight at the best angle to power out of the corner. I initially was not very good, but after a couple of months, I won a few races fairly.

As we were getting ready for bed late one night, my wife had a medical emergency. I quickly called my brother to get the local hospital ready as I was running out the door carrying her.

We lived in a log cabin in the woods, a few miles from any paved road. It was dark with not many street lights until approaching the main town. This was my first house...not sure what I was thinking. The hospital was at least 40 minutes away on a good day. In my first season at the cabin, I drove into a ditch on these same dirt roads. Time was crucial, so I went as fast as possible. Here is where God took the wheel. I could see the racing lines from my game clearly in my mind. I high-beamed my lights and attacked each corner from dirt to asphalt the same way I practiced for months on the racing game. Our child was coming three months early, in the car. I reached the hospital in about 15 minutes with the hospital staff already outside ready to give the emergency care needed. We made it just in time! He had been preparing me for this single event all along.

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Sometimes you need to let God take the wheel.

We pray for miracles, but ultimately it is God's will to decide.

Our child arrived three months prematurely. Through divine grace, we managed to reach the town hospital and later transfer to the city's NICU. Every day was uncertain news. A phrase we heard repeatedly was "Two steps forward, one step back." About 6 weeks in, the head nurse delivered some distressing news: our child had an enlarged heart, diagnosed as cardiomyopathy. Blood was being redirected from other vital organs to the heart, signaling the end of life in a few hours. She informed us that they had reached out to an infant heart specialist, the only one in the state. But he was two hours away.

Devastated, we retreated to a quiet corner for prayer. We bared our souls to God, ending with, "Our child is now in Your hands." I immediately called my brother to come to the hospital. The head nurse briefly cleared the room, allowing my brother and me to administer a healing blessing. Then, we anxiously awaited the arrival of the heart specialist.

One hour after the blessing, the heart specialist wheeled in a bulky sonogram machine. Accompanied by the head nurse and the nursing staff, he approached our baby. After conducting a few scans, he asked loudly, "Is this the right baby?" To which they all confirmed, "Yes." He then calmly stated, "I see no signs of cardiomyopathy. The heart looks normal." We were all overjoyed.

The head nurse walked over with a smile and said, "Looks like your prayer worked."

It wasn't me or my brother. It was God's will. Thank you, God. Thank you.

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

The safest place to be is in the center of God's will.

This healing experiment was only to last a week. The results were definitely inspired by God. There was no way I would have guessed it would work so well.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or nutritionist. Ask God for inspiration and always listen to your body. If it does not feel right, don't continue.

A few years back before the "Pandemic", I had a bad case of the flu. I was lying in bed just praying I would make it to the next Tylenol. The next day at the doctor, we saw one lung was almost completely infected. There was talk about admitting me into the hospital. Instead, I was given antibiotics and on the mend soon enough. But I was getting sick and tired of being sick about every month or two. Either from my family, seasonal conditions, other sick people, etc. I felt it was time to make a drastic change. Normally, I eat whatever comfort food is available. That is what couches are for. I thought about a workout program, but that seemed like too much work. I did not want to just keep battling sickness - but get rid of it. Enough is enough.

I listening to my body. I would get sick more often when I ate a bunch of meat, starchy stuff, and sugar. Everything I like. Eat a bunch of herbs and salad? No thanks! Also, I did not know how to cook. When I tried to cook, nobody ate it, even me. I felt inspired to search YouTube on how bodybuilders build muscle without eating meat. The common term was "Vegan". I was amazed at all the types of protein-rich plant-based meals I saw. They looked nothing like wimpy leafy salads. I have nothing against Vegans, just don't want their politics. The "plant-based" label fit me better.

I was strongly motivated to try this 'Vegan/Plant-based Recipe' thing for a week. In my small brain, I wanted NO animal bacteria, period. I told my wife I would cook it myself. She said to keep it away from the real food.

So my experiment began! Would I feel a difference? Starve to death? I pared down the video recipes to the easiest ones I could find. Went to an expensive health food store and bought stuff I did not know much about. Then came back and found my wife already had most of it in the kitchen. I measured meticulously and created my first whole food sugar-free plant-based meal. Not bad. Felt satisfied, and no salads. After a week of this, I learned a bit more about seasonings. When to add them, and not to overdo it. I decided to tell my wife I felt slightly better, could be in my head, but I was going to try another week.

I figured it would take two weeks for my body to get rid of all the side effects of my previous diet. All the natural fiber I was eating took care of that. I branched out and cooked a few different types of meals, that my wife even said smelled good. I started sauteing onions and garlic, using olive and coconut oils. Ventured into Asian, Italian, Indian, and American seasonings for the first time. And the sauces were so good! How did I feel after the second week? Like a well-oiled machine that had fewer headaches. I told my family I was going to finish out the whole month.

Long story short, my first month felt great, no headaches or sickness. Same with the second month. This lasted for 2.5 years...not one fever. No allergies. Yes, I sometimes could feel my throat glands working, but no sore throat. There has not been a time in my life where I never felt sick this long. Not even close. I can honestly say... it was a healing answer to my prayers. I was ready for a change and God inspired me to look in a direction I had zero interest in trying. I never did eat salads. Kept my muscle mass, and even gained some weight after discovering so many awesome dishes. My family eventually ate my meals and half switched to almond milk. I created premade meals for events and felt comfortable finding things at most restaurants.

After 2.5 years of being fully plant-based, I slowly ventured back to some meat and dairy. I don't feel as well as full plant-based, but not as bad as pre-plant-based. Now if I ever need to make a drastic healing diet change, I know what to do.

Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.

The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.

I faced anxiety with God at my side and won. I am a better person for it. This is how I did it.

Anxiety. A lonely word. It can manifest as many symptoms and be triggered by several things. But the root is the same. You doubt you. I am not good enough. I can't handle it. What if something bad happens? What if...! A heightened cycle of fear and worry of "what if" feeds a physical reaction of desperation, panic, or withdrawal. You begin to look at the world as the cause, not understanding one simple truth. Peace and happiness are just a thought away. But how to get there?

Mental trauma or negative thinking habits are the usual cause. A deep cycling awareness of life vs death, Heaven vs hell, control vs chaos. A realization that you might not be able to control yourself and others in a bad situation. After the first self-induced panic attack, it is now hard to stop worrying it will happen again. So begins the downward spiral of extreme self-doubt and worry. Acute migraines, panic, sweating, cold rush, a need to escape. You think, "Am I going crazy?"

You are NOT going crazy. You are causing the normal physical reactions of fight or flight. A single thought triggers panic or withdrawal, and you feel powerless to stop it. Wrong. After several anxiety episodes, your subconscious believes you can't stop it. It is now full-blown anxiety, instead of just a single event. This is to be expected, but a wrong assumption.

The first step to recovery is to show your subconscious that YOU can start and stop your symptoms. You need courage and determination to face your fears. Whatever happens, happens. Enough is enough!

Find a safe place, quiet and undisturbed to lie down. Find a single safe word like "relax", "rest", "peace", etc. Tell yourself you can do this and pinch yourself to stop your session if need be. Take a breath and start again even more determined to induce your fear. You can do this! When you feel the anxiety attack coming you may hear a white noise rush pounding in your ears, that is good. You started it. Now repeat your safe word slowly in sync with your breathing. You will start to feel your anxiety go away. It may take a few times, but you WILL be able to calm yourself. You started it and you stopped it. Congratulations! You showed your subconscious you can control your anxiety.

The final step to recovery is a longer one that takes persistence. Yes, peace is just a thought away, but you have to rewrite part of your subconscious to get there. Your subconscious is your fight and flight, your core beliefs. Those pesky self-induced anxiety attacks have buried fears and self-doubt deeper than normal. So how do you reach them? Two ways. Positive truthful self-talk and meditation. Again in a safe place, meditate to start and stop anxiety, then start thinking "It is natural to have fears, and it is okay to learn from them and then let them go." "Your mind is creative and can think of anything." Say with each breath a variation of... "If a 'fear' flows in, that is ok and it is ok to let it flow out."

Then build yourself up. Congratulate yourself on this win and every good thing you accomplished today, no matter how small. Always speak the truth and end each thought with a positive takeaway. "I did feel scared driving today, but that is ok, I want to be aware of safety for myself and others. I will do my best to watch out for other people and drive safely. My car has many safety features built-in. I know there is risk in life, but I also know there is joy in driving to places. I can let this fear go."

After a few days of meditation in a safe place, you can think positive truthful self-talk in public... rather quickly. Or if alone, verbalize it. Basically accepting the fear awareness, thinking about what you learned, and letting it go. Do this every day for a month and you will start to "forget" about your fears. When you remember, it may trigger anxiety. Don't feel bad, that is to be expected. Just keep the positive self-talk going during the day and positive meditation at night. You will find longer times of "forgetting" and it will slowly go away for good. It may take months or years, it all is up to how consistent you are with retraining your subconscious. But this absolutely works.

Through God's inspiration, I overcame anxiety decades ago. And you can too. I did not even know what anxiety was for several years. I never wanted numbing medication or a therapist to try and fix me, but do what you feel is best for you. Eventually, to get over fear and anxiety, YOU will need to face it clearly and directly. I am a stronger and better person for having overcome anxiety. Got to know myself and God at a much deeper level. Knowing who you are, and what great things you are capable of, is what life is all about. Peace and happiness are just a thought away.

This scripture in John 14 has a special place in my heart. At my lowest point with anxiety, I read that scripture, and it gave me hope for the first time. Felt like healing water to my soul. I knew I was not alone. And neither are you.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

An old Native American tale talks about how buffaloes and cows differ in how they handle approaching storms. Cows try to run away from the storms, which means they spend more time with the storm causing long-lasting suffering. Buffaloes turn and run fearlessly straight through the storm, lessening the time they spend in it and the pain they suffer. The buffalo approach reminds us to confront challenges head-on with courage and perseverance. Turn trials into opportunities for growth, instead of stumbling blocks. The storm will pass, and you will be stronger for it.