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12th July 2024
FridayReflection
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Kristi Schwegman shares
a psychotherapist specializing in helping couples
'Growing My Relationship with God.'
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I've always had a Bible. I sometimes went to church. I called myself a Christian.
But I certainly didn't have a relationship with God.
I didn't understand "Christianity."
I didn't know how to read the Bible.
I didn't know how to have a relationship with God or how to talk to Him.
He wasn't approachable or present in my daily life
He was conflicting and confusing and He was easy to push to the side in order to concentrate on what I wanted in life.
But I was curious. I'd sense something from time to time and wonder if it was God.
I would feel signs from Him and a little encouragement from Him.
I would meet others who had a relationship with God and I was drawn to them.
The more I sought Him, the clearer He became.
The more I read my Bible, prayed, found spiritual mentors, and learned about who He was and what He wanted for me, the more sense it became.
The more sense it became, the more I could feel Him and hear Him.
Over time: My heart softened. My anger lifted.
My confidence shifted. My anxiety melted.
My peace surfaced. My lies became clear.
"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything."
Paul's advice to us is to turn our worries into prayers.
Take our struggles, our desires, our wishes, our anxious thoughts to Him and surrender it all and trust that He works for our good in His timing.
If you want to worry less, then you should pray more!
For me, it instantly lightens my burdens, the weight on my shoulders, and diminishes all the "I should" statements rattling my brain.
Praying clears my head, gives me hope and encouragement, and brings peace to my anxious heart.
Once you pray, let it go. Trust that it is in God's hands.
"His peace will guard your hearts and minds."
In my experience, only God can give me the peace and protection my heart and mind need.
Paul makes sure to point out the fact that it's not enough to hear or read or know about God (aka just go to church on Sundays).
You have to live it.
You have to put His teachings into practice.
Model your thoughts and actions like Jesus.
Be obedient to what He calls you to do.
Live out God's word.
It isn't always easy or automatic.
It wasn't back then when Paul was writing this and it isn't now.
But we must if we want to live the life that He intended for us.
Memorising specific verses has helped me in several different areas.
When my mind goes down that slippery slope of what-ifs, OMG's and when I feel anxious and overwhelmed, I immediately stop and tell myself Philippians 4:6.
Which then reminds me to pray.
Because I'll be honest, I forget.
But this doesn't happen when I pray this verse.
It tells me to stop and calm down. Just that act alone completely alters my immediate, gut instincts.
I can't understand it and I certainly can't explain it, but the peace, strength, hope, and clarity this verse brings to me is supernatural.
It's something only God is capable of.
This verse instructs me to call out my lies, my doubts, my misconceptions, and my fears.
And instead, think and speak God's wisdom and truth.
To remind myself that I am a child of God, loved, worthy, and capable.
It's my job to believe and live His truth.
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This is an edited version.
The full article is avaiable on request
'Kristi Schwegman'
has had a passion for helping others her entire life.
She was a hospice social worker for ten years, which were some of the most rewarding years of her life.
Kristi currently enjoys mentoring women at her church through a program that identifies limiting beliefs and replacing them with empowering truths.
Both of these things have changed Kristi's perspective on relationships, purpose, and happiness.
Kristi Schwegman is a psychotherapist specializing in helping couples develop healthy relationships,
whether dating, engaged, or married.
She also draws from her Christian-based approach to lead individuals in becoming aware of the limiting beliefs that can get them stuck.
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