Travel

How To Watch Out For The Clues Neuroses Leave To Become Emotionally Healthier

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

I always wanted to be one of those travel bloggers who flits around the world, sips piña coladas in exotic locations,* and dazzles the world with my magnificent travelling wisdom!

And now I have that chance!

As you all know, I’m an expert! That is because I write stuff online, of course. (Only experts write stuff online!)

And since I am an expert and CURRENTLY travelling, I could offer my travel advice to you, too!

So, this week, we’ve headed off to Costa Rica.

Regarding travelling advice to share with you, unfortunately, I shamelessly booked all the same places and destinations my friend told me she went to when she told me about her trip, and I felt jealous.**

Then I went back to eating my bags of cookies and playing video games like I usually do every night.

However, I know something about Costa Rica because I lived there for several monthsmany years ago! But I’m not so good at telling people boring stuff like where to stay when travelling because I usually get distracted thinking about more profound things. And what I have been thinking about lately is: 

“How can revisiting people and places we haven’t seen in a while reveal to us how we’ve changed?”

For example, the last time I was in Costa Rica, I was struggling with my identity arising from the perceived cultural value of my employment.

Twenty-five years later (this week) I realized I had fallen into the same old trap. Perhaps this is the modern mind virus I’ve picked up by drinking deeply of the cultural waters surrounding me. This cultural mind virus is especially distressing for me, however, as God had the audacity to call me into a career that lacks cultural esteem.

You are called to do the very thing you fear.

Pastor Bill Johnson

And so perhaps because I notice the same neuroses over the years, the same places I trip and fall as I journey through life, that this is also a key to the very area I need to surrender to God’s purposes, the key stumbling block on the life journey God is pointing me towards. 

And that’s how we can awaken to the clues that allow our observed neuroses (when we finally stop to notice them) to lead us on our journey to emotional health.)***

In the mess of your neuroses, and with some digging, may you also find a key to emotional freedom!

Keep digging, friend!

Under the muck, God delights in hiding treasure. May you have the courage to keep digging.

God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.

The Message

Footnotes

*Wait. On closer inspection, is that just a wallpaper “tropical scene” behind them in the Zoom meeting?

**Shamelessly do what others do to find meaning in life!

***By then offering our neuroses to Jesus, of course, once we’ve noticed them, and asking Him to exchange them for the gift He offers in exchange – Understanding a bit more deeply our identity as beloved children of God so we are finally free to soar into who He calls us to be. 

Photo Credits- “Us at an airport with an exotic (has bananas!) drink!” by this author, and Eagle soaring by Josie Weiss on Unsplash.

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Are You Led By A Nose Hook To Death? Or By God To Life? One Way Is Better!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
a cow laying down in the grass next to a tree

I was an older teenager, finishing up a college degree and looking around me 360 degrees to figure out what direction to travel next.

I felt a spiritual pull to learn more and delve deeper into divine mysteries.

But I also wanted to travel.

Suddenly, my brain figured out the answer of how to merge the following heart’s cries for:

– spiritual digging into the depths

– travel

– figuring out which direction to go next

“I know!” my brain thought. “I will go to the ends of the earth and tell people all about Jesus!”

I stopped for a moment to pray, seeking my blue ribbon and crowns (that I would throw to the ground in humility before God if I received – of course!). God said,

NO

A firm NO.

Instead, it seemed He was suggesting I go to a center of learning, learn a bit more about Him, get out my pen and paper and sort out my thoughts to eventually delete the thoughts that didn’t align with the character of Jesus.

“Sounds like a drag!” I thought.

But I searched online for something that would meet both my desires and the direction it seemed God was directing me (Aren’t I spiritual and obedient? Did you NOTICE my willingness to follow God where He leads? Subtle clue there that you have MUCH to learn from me!)

Anyway, I compromised with God and found a spiritual school that was:

– In Costa Rica (fun!)

– In Spanish (Why not learn a language on the side?)

– And yes.. the other stuff God wanted – a place to learn more about God, yada yada.

So I waved goodbye to Canada and flew to Costa Rica, where I began with a month of intensive language training, several hours each day, in a small room in downtown San Jose.

And I learned a lot about God that year.

It turned out God was right!

I did have a BIT (Slight – a SMALL amount) to learn about God before I opened my mouth and spewed my slightly wrong “wisdom” for all to see! (Good thing I got that out of the way way back then! That’s how you know that now you can trust me implicitly, by the way).

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

How is God leading you, friend? Do you have a hook in your nose and are following where it seems your desires are leading you, even if it’s to the death of your growth and joy or something else that should be important to you? If so, this isn’t the gentle guidance of God.

Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful face on an empty head.

The Message

He is sitting next to you, head in His hands, his heart ripping every time you step in a direction opposite to His leading.

In the other direction, the one He is leading:

He bids you to learn to fly

silhouette of bird flying

Are you ready to take one step towards following His gentle leading, steering you towards increased fruit in your life and those around you?

the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness . . .

The Message

As the song below plays, and after a moment of thankfulness, consider asking God which direction He may be leading you. If it is the opposite direction to where you thought you were headed, can you speak with a trusted friend to help sort out the knots in your heart and life so that you are taking God’s best steps for you towards the life of abundant fruit He so longs to give to you?

Footnotes

*For example read more HERE

Photo credit: Cow with nose hook by Taliwang Mengaji on Unsplash, Bird soaring by Naveen Chandra on Unsplash

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Lose Fear With This Simple Life Hack!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
pug covered with blanket on bedspread
Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash

I know why you couldn’t sleep last night, tossing and turning.

I know why you are looking at me wide-eyed and wondering how you can live your life authentically.

I didn’t publish a blog post last Friday like I usually do, and THEREFORE, your normal rhythms for coping through life have been disrupted because I didn’t tell you how to live your life this weekend!

But first, I will explain why I didn’t write a blog post.

It was because I was busy. What was I doing? Remember in this blog post when I mentioned that our Pastor is a crazy nutcase because he travels to politically volatile places?

The places he visits for a fun vacation are some of the poorest countries on earth, riddled with civil war, genocide and other stuff we don’t like to think about because we need to get to Walmart and back before the ball game starts and if we think about other stuff, we may forget to buy all the snacks we need for the game. We all have a lot of things going on and to think about already – Thank you very much!

Anyway, while we were busy cleaning out our garage last week, I suddenly thought, “Why not join our Pastor on one of these trips to an unstable country?”

So, that’s why I didn’t write a blog post. Our Pastors had to talk me off the window ledge of my fear to jump into the unknown*. Should we go to the place where the worst day there is EVEN WORSE than my worst day, for example?

person wearing pair of black Nike shoes sitting on metal frame
Photo by Omar Prestwich on Unsplash

When I researched one of these countries, it seemed EVEN MORE DANGEROUS than our family vacation to Disneyland last year!

During that vacation, we got stranded in a shady area of Los Angeles, and no Ubers came because it was the night of the Oscars and they were busy driving celebrities. Luckily, an LA city bus driver held the bus and waited for us for 20 minutes until we could connect with another ride because the bus driver didn’t want us left alone there (How sweet!). So don’t worry, Mom! (She reads this blog.)

And so, what is the simple life hack to losing fear?

Find someone who is doing something stupid, and mindlessly follow them!

Since you are doing something scary, you no longer have to fear your fear!

So, our motto this weekend is:

  1. Do what you fear, and the death of fear is certain!

Another helpful thought for you to mull over as you continue to ponder this topic of losing fear is to consider the second reason why I didn’t write a blog post this weekend. It was because I spent many hours binge-watching a new historical period drama this weekend. So, another motto for this weekend is:

  1. Distract yourself with online entertainment so you don’t have to think about how to live well!

Choose your motto with whichever one fits best, and remember to read every blog post so I can help you live your life more authentically!

P.S. – There’s probably a third motto for how to shake fear and live authentically, but I haven’t figured that one out yet.

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Footnotes

*There is not civil war in that country right now, as there was when these events happened to Chrissy Chapman, so it’s likely not quite as unsafe as I’m pretending it is, but stay with me for the emotional effects of this blogpost that I’m trying to create.

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