My Journey To Healing

Do you remember the birth of your child?  Do you remember the transition part of the labor, the part just before you get ready to push?  If you had a natural childbirth like I did, then you can remember the transition in great detail.

Doctors and Midwives say that the transition is the hardest part of the entire delivery process.  So why is that?

Looking back on my son‘s delivery, during the transition time, I thought to myself:  there is no way I am going to be able to make it through this, to finish, to get to the end and I remember saying out loud,  “I can‘t do this anymore.”  My midwife and nurse had prepared me before hand that once I hit that moment where I say I can’t do this anymore, then I should take comfort in knowing that I am almost there…almost finish….that I have just a little bit further to go and before I know it I will be holding my precious child.

Tim and I are in a transition season of life right now.  God has been doing a work within us the last two years and we know the birth…the fruit of our labor is just right around the corner.  Right now we are persevering like never before, pushing through what seems to be the hardest part.  At times we become weary, frustrated and we think it is never going to end…that all the work we have had to do the last two years is for nothing.

But we regain focus.  We know what God told us and even when all things seem to be working against us…we are certain we are on the right track.  So despite it all, we choose to stay focused on God, we choose to stand up under the pressure, we choose to press on while holding tight to one another and we continue onward…trusting and hoping in God‘s plan for us.  We know it is just around the corner, the birth of the baby, the fruit of our labor.

BE LOVE, GIVE LOVE

Abby

What word would you use to describe YOU?

Ponder this:

If you could use only one word to describe yourself during this time in your life what would it be?  I want you to be honest with yourself.  Don’t describe yourself as others see you.  Describe yourself as you see you.  Take off the mask for a moment and look within.  What do you see?  How do you feel?

For years I lived with a mask on.  It was too painful to look underneath my mask, so I kept it secured tightly…until, I hit rock bottom 10 years ago.  The word I would use to describe myself  back then would have been chaos.  Now, 10 years later, the word I would use is blessed.  I have a powerful testimony of how God healed me from all the chaos and I share it in great detail in my book Blossoming out of the Valley.

So think about the word you used to describe yourself….peaceful, chaos, fear, love, depressed, noise, hurt, pain, joy, beauty, transformed, trapped, lonely, free, blessed….what word did you used?  Are you happy where you are?  Do you want to move forward?

It is time to take the next step so you too can Blossom out of Valley.

Be Love, Give Love
Abby Lewis

Is it really possible to make a yummy treat that is healthy for you?

Yes it is!!! And just in time for the holidays.

Oh my are these good and no sugar added…really, no sugar added.  You have to try them.  I made four different batches for my family and friends and already have several people wanting and desiring the recipe.  They are that good.

My favorite batch I made included: crunchy almond butter, honey, oats, raisins, unsweetened coconut, ground flax seed and 2 tsp of vanilla.  Yummy!!

Click here for the recipe

Be Love, Give Love~

Abby

“If you knew what I had in store for you, then you would stop fighting me so much.”  These words came out of my mouth as I was getting my 1 year old son, Shia, ready to go play outside.

Shia loves to play outside.  What kid doesn’t?  But sometimes getting him ready to go outside can be somewhat of a challenge.  I am sure all mothers can relate.  He just wouldn’t sit still for me to get his shirt on or his pants, socks, shoes or jacket.  Needless to say, he was fighting me every step of the way and all I wanted to do was bless him by letting him go outside to play.  Of course he doesn’t really understand yet when I say, “lets get ready to go outside and play.”  If he did, I bet he wouldn’t fight me at all.  He would definitely be more cooperative.

So as I said, “if you knew what I had in store for you, then you would stop fighting me so much,” I immediately heard in my spirit, “yes Abby, if my children knew what I had in store for them, they too would stop fighting me so much.”

So why do we resist and fight God every step of the way when all He wants to do is bless us?  It is time to let go and let God flow.

You can tell if you are resisting God if you live with fear, worry, depression, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, lust, greed, hopelessness, panic, addictions, control issues, judgment, hatred, loneliness, guilt, shame, frustration, sadness, envy, doubt, boredom, just to name a few.

There is so much in store for you….just waiting for you.  I am sure, just like Shia, if you knew what was in store for you, then you wouldn’t fight God so much.

God wants to bless you.  All you have to do is stop fighting and just be still and know that He is God.  He is waiting, arms open wide, to love you unconditionally, to heal and restore you, to bless you.

Stop the fight….turn and face Him.  I promise He is there and the blessings are just waiting.  The longer you fight, the longer it is going to take.

Be Love, Give Love~
Abby

As I sit here and ponder my healing journey once more, I can’t help but to be completely in awe with Jesus and all that He has brought me through.  His love is truly amazing.  Because of Jesus…I finally have peace and stillness.

I’m guest blogging over at my friend Jennifer White’s blog as part of the “Because of Jesus” series.

Can you imagine:    Your life spiraling out of control?  Having panic attacks several times a day?  Your marriage falling apart?  Broken relationships with family members?

Read the rest here.. 

Be Love, Give Love~

Abby

Take a few moments to think about your life. Maybe you have addictions to tobacco, alcohol or drugs. Maybe you lie or steal, or are addicted to sex, food, prescription drugs or pornography. Maybe you struggle with anger issues that cause you to harm yourself or someone else. Maybe you have a completely negative perspective and a critical spirit. Maybe you hate yourself. Maybe you have insecurities that hold you back. Maybe you doubt your worth. Maybe you . . .

Now, take a few moments to think about the person that you love the most. Maybe it is your child or spouse, a friend or relative. Picture that person in your mind, and allow yourself to feel how much you love him or her, how much he or she means to you. Take a moment to experience the love and joy you feel toward that person. Though we can never love this person perfectly (we are human after all), this is a beautiful picture of the way God perfectly and unconditionally loves us.

Now, think about all of the harmful things you do to yourself, the destructive patterns of behavior in your life. Imagine the people you love the most experiencing all of the pain and suffering that results from these behaviors. Watch them doing all the drugs or alcohol that you take. Picture them smoking cigarettes, over-eating or cutting themselves. Imagine them taking on the anger you feel, or being trapped in a web of negativity about themselves and others. Recognize that their insecurities or lack of self-respect are preventing them from freely living.

This is tough to even visualize. It is extremely painful to imagine the ones we love most inflicting harm or causing suffering for themselves and those around them. It pains God in the same way to see us stuck in patterns of behavior that do nothing but destroy us.

Take time today to sit in God’s presence and truly experience Him. Take off your mask and allow Him full access to your heart. You will be so amazed by His power and love for you. As you rest in His love, you will begin to turn away from self-hatred and turn toward love for yourself as one of His children. Your life will never be the same. He longs to heal us and to free us from our dark valleys.

This is an excerpt from my book, Blossoming out of the Valley.  A powerful book that will inspire you to move forward in your healing journey and fine peace and stillness.

BE LOVE, GIVE LOVE~

Abby

Stillness.  When everything within you in calm….peaceful…still…

Why do we put our children in timeout?  Isn’t it to discipline them for acting out and to give them a chance to calm down?

Do you need an adult timeout?  Next time you feel upset, anxious, ready to lose it or any negative emotion…put yourself in timeout.  Give yourself a few minutes to calm down before returning.  Timeouts work every time.

In 2002, I hit rock bottom. I was only twenty-four years old, but I already suffered from extreme anxiety, control issues, depression and numerous addictions. My marriage was falling apart, as were my relationships with my entire family. My thoughts and words were filled with negativity and lies, and I had accumulated major credit card debt. As my problems piled up, they began to manifest physically through severe neck and back pain, as well as numbness in my left arm and left side of my face. I had no love for myself, no joy, no peace and no happiness. My entire life was in complete and utter chaos.

Do you want to know how I got out of this chaotic mess?  I choose to be still with God (taking timeouts) as often as I could.  Timeouts with God are beautiful, amazing and powerful, so powerful that those timeouts with God healed me from all of the chaos.  Unbelievable huh?  Read it for yourself!  God inspired me to share my entire unique healing journey with the world by writing Blossoming out of the Valley.  I am confident it will bless you and help bring stillness into your life.

BE LOVE, GIVE LOVE

Abby

Have you ever went through a season in life thinking you were not going to survive at all?  Did you survive?  I am guessing if you are reading this you did.  I call these seasons in life The Refiner’s Fire or Growth Season.  The important thing about this type of season is did you learn from it and grow in the midst of it.

I are going through one of these seasons right now.  You see God spoke to my heart in March of 2010, just shortly after I found out I was pregnant with our first child, and said, “You put more security in your savings account then you do me and because I love you I am going to have to take it.”  I immediately started fighting against it with fears and worries about the what ifs.  Deep down inside I wanted my security to be deeply trusted in the Lord and for that to happen I knew the savings account needed to go but that still didn’t make it easy for me to let it go.  I knew that the only way I could really experience a deeper security in the Lord was for Him to take the very thing I was putting security in….my savings account.

So the refining process begun.  Each time I had to transfer money I could feel the fears rise up inside.  I hated letting go of it but then, with one transfer, I began crying out to the Lord for forgiveness because I started to realize just how much security I did put in money.  I hated that this was inside of me and I surrender to the refining process more fully.  The Lord took the entire savings account within 5 months and to this day I still don’t have a savings account.  Work slowed down, unexpected expenses came up and we had a baby but you know what, I survived and I am surviving.

My husband and I have to completely rely on the Lord for our bills to be paid and for our daily bread.  Our security is completely in Him now, not our jobs, customers, clients or family members.  We have to walk by faith and not by sight.  It has been a blessing to see how He provides when we think there is no way.

I am so grateful for this growth season because the beautiful thing is that all the fear is gone, all the worries and what ifs are gone, all the arguments with my husband over money…gone.  I am filled with peace and joy.  I know the Lord is my provider and I trust in Him completely.  What a very beautiful thing, the Refiner’s Fire.  I had to go through the fire to get to where I am today.

Here is a short video that I hope you enjoy that describes the Refiner’s Fire in a powerful way.  Be encouraged, because the Lord works out everything for the good for those who love Him.  Keep pressing forward keeping your eyes on Him.

Click for the Refiner’s Fire Video

BE LOVE, GIVE LOVE

Abby

Define what stillness is to you.  What are ways you obtain it?

Feel free to leave a comment on your thoughts about stillness.

Be Love, Give Love~

Abby

Fall Is Fast Approaching!

It’s time to turn off the air conditioner and open the windows. Even better, you can go outside without breaking a sweat. It’s perfect weather for stillness. Let us embrace it.

Want To Win?  

I have created a new Facebook page for my book, “Blossoming out of the Valley.” 

The first 100 fans to like the Facebook page will receive the first three chapters of the book FREE.

It’s simple~

• Like the Facebook page
• Write a simple message on the wall
• You’re entered

Only the first 100 fans get the first three chapters, so hurry and like the page today.

Want To Experience Stillness? 

I have created a video that will take you into the quiet moments of stillness and allow you to relax your mind. Find a quiet place, push play, relax your mind and let God do the work.

Click here for the video, or click the YouTube channel logo below.

Feel free to share the video with your loved ones.

BE LOVE, GIVE LOVE
Abby Lewis