Journey to Wholeness

If you haven't already read the introduction to this series, I greatly encourage you do so before continuing on with the first of four categories. There you will find back story as well as preparation for yourself to begin processing and conquering YOUR journey to wholeness. Now that the preface has been digested, let's move onward to our mindset.

Side note: The next four weeks will not be set up like other blogs, but be written by categories divided into subcategories established in the preface. Let the wholeness journey ignite!

Definitions:

Wholeness, "the state of forming a complete and harmonious whole; unity or the state of being unbroken or undamaged." The definition of a mindset is, "the established set of attitudes held by someone." How do these relate? Well thanks for asking! The first part of the wholeness definition brings forth a forming of balanced completeness. This is related to what someone holds dear to them (the second part of the mindset definition). If you set your thought life (mindset) as a priority, then it will become balanced. However if what you hold close is not your mindset then the attitude towards the subject of your mind will never change. A positive attitude that is set as a priority to someone has the potential to bring about the unbroken and undamaged or whole mindset. However, when your mindset is not at top priority, the thoughts you have can become very negative which leads to brokenness and damage.

Everyday Life:

The purpose of our living and breathing on earth is to glorify God. Therefore, we cannot fulfill our purpose with a mindset that is broken or damaged. However, through God's mercy as we present ourselves as a living sacrifice we can truly worship our Savior which in turn brings about transformation instead of conformation. This choice of obedience (giving our entire life over to God) develops a renewed mindset. Through this newly found mindset, you and I are better able to understand and discern the specific purpose, or better known as will, of God (Romans 12:1-2). How does one begin to experience God's mercy as well as His transformation? Making intentional time with Him daily. My best friend throughout college and I began to walk the same, talk the same, speak the same words, think the same thoughts, and react the same way to situations. This sameness did not happen by accident or coincidence. It was brought about by choosing to be around one another. Intentional time develops a closeness and likeness with someone that cannot be unchanged unless you stop spending time with the person. The reason I used my best friend from college is because neither of us are in college or live with one another anymore (I know it really is sad). Are we the same in every way like before? Of course not! Although, there are numerous times a week, and sometimes daily, where I can hear or see her within my speech, walk, or mindset. Time well spent is time not wasted. You will notice a difference if you make intentional time.

The wholeness journey does not become successful because of our selfish desires. Rather it is a development through a desire to glorify God and a complete satisfaction in our relationship with Jesus. Yet, without the intentional focus upon things above (Colossians 3:1-2), we will continue to fail miserably. One cannot get out of bed in the morning with a mindset of today is going to be the worst day of my life or even today I am going to have a fantastic day because I deserve it. Yes, if you are working hard and dedicating your life to God or even your religion you think you deserve so much. When in reality the whole reason you are able to have a relationship with God is because of His son Jesus. If you think you deserve an applause for following a set of rules, also known as religion, then freedom is just around the corner you just have to let go of your rules and seek the truth without the help of others.

Mindset is a choice, Merriam-Webster defines it as a care in selecting. When one truly cares about something or someone it is top priority. No, you won't always select carefully but just like choosing what clothes to wear, how do to your hair, or what time to leave...a choice of joy is another decision that needs to be made weekly, daily, and hourly.

Unbalance:

When an already imperfect person allows their thought life to become broken and damaged it develops into a life time of defeat. The life God intended for you to abundantly enjoy turns from a fulfilled one to an empty one. Not by the circumstances; although, that can also bring about brokenness but rather by the lies you allow yourself to believe. As I have seen freedom within anxiety/panic, there is another subject that keeps being brought up as well. Emotions. These wide variety of feelings play a huge part in a mindset. I'm not sure about all of that with guys but I know as a lady there is a LOT going on in my mind always that brings about sadness, anger, happiness, worry, and weird things I don't even know how to define. My mom brought up that when unbalance is present, even in emotions, we still need to "do it all for the glory of God," 1Corinthians 10:3. Always stay steadfast on the reality that our mindset can be unbalanced quickly and spiral into deep lies.

Freedom:

Honestly, I just had to apologize to my dad today for not having a correct mindset and treating him poorly because someone else hurt me. If that is not an unbalance I don't know what is. The reason I share this is because you WILL mess up daily. The most amazing part of God's love and experiencing His freedom is that He will applaud us (cheer us on), undeserving people, whether we sit, crawl, walk, or run to Him. Even when we refuse to acknowledge His name He loves us! Choose truth. Choose to be joyful. Select carefully what goes in your mind and what is allowed to stay there. Most importantly choose time with Jesus.

Tips and Tricks:

I love lists, so here is a list of different ways I've found helpful in my journey to wholeness when it comes to mindset.

1. Talk to Jesus before your feet hit the ground in the morning.

2. Take time to renew your mind during the day. This can look like going to the bathroom and telling Jesus how you really feel. It can be taking 3 minutes to meditate. You can even take 1 minute and breath while refocusing your mind on things above. Personally, I do yoga and play with my kitty throughout the day but I know not everyone can do that. However, you can come back to the home on a lunch break and do that if you want. (Sorry that was a long one).

3. Listen to worship music throughout the day.

4. Have a worship session while taking a bath/shower.

5. Repeat a scripture verse once every 3 hours.

6. Get an accountability partner. THEN ask them to text you periodically throughout the day to remind you or ask you about your thought life.

7. Ask for forgiveness every time you think a lie.

8. Process each untruthful thought out loud with caring friends so that you can seek truth together. Or do it by yourself but not all the time because we need outside encouragement!

9. Take time to process feelings, no matter how big or small.

10. Smile at people and take/make time to listen to coworkers, friends, and anyone you come into contact with.