Love…during the Holidays and Beyond

by | Jan 16, 2025

Love – during the holidays and beyond…

With the Christmas season in full gear I was moved to share some practical considerations for bringing together mind, body, and spiritual practices to assist with fulfilling the call to love like Jesus. I’ve been in a study of the book of Ephesians and the Apostle Paul describes the need to ‘put off the old self and put on the new self’ (Eph 4:22-29) in order to be mature in all our relationships, even towards our enemies. We have a tendency to want to be loved for exactly who we are. However, transformation from our old self brings freedom from internal suffering as we willfully surrender the parts of ourselves that cause us distress. New thoughts and behaviors that reflect our true Self can be cultivated and embraced; As stated in Ephesians 4:2 “with all humility, and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love”.
Being ‘renewed in the spirit of your mind’ (Eph 4:23) equips a person for change and growth; a natural response as we walk with Jesus. Our sinful nature attempts to control our mind, so we need to stay grounded in spiritual truth and love. Passions of the flesh lead us to be impulsive and reactive in our actions. By making the choice to grow in self-awareness (including uncovering the parts of ourselves we don’t necessarily like), embrace vulnerability around these issues, and become mindful of situations that cause reactivity, we will be more equipped to work through conflict and strengthen our relationships.
Our bodies are the temple of our Spirit…
Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy
in body as you are strong in spirit.
3 John 1:2 
As I continue my studies in trauma healing and recovery, it would be amiss for me not to mention the value of interoception, the practice of ‘being fully present in your body’  in regards to our overall health and wellness. Basically, the more we can sense the body’s signals (what it is trying to tell us) the better we can self-regulate and restore a holistic sense of balance, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
Recent statistics show over 70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event in their lives and 30.5% reported exposure to 4 or more! If we neglect the importance of how our body is affected by trauma the deep healing work will not take place and people will still be ‘reacting’ from unhealed, unprocessed wounds.
More information does NOT transform. We can become more loving like Jesus when we focus our mind, intentionally move and sense with our body, and witness our spirit-led self integrate all parts of us. We will know by the way we are living with a calm spirit, confidence, compassion, creativity, courage, curiosity, connectedness, and clarity.
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