Spiritual Vitamins

I am in the middle of Week 9 of the Stressed-Less Living and boy is it working!

Several months ago, I made a conscious decision to spend more time with the Lord. I was always the first one in our house to awaken, so that seemed a natural time for me to be alone with God, praying, reading his word, and thinking about his purpose for me and my life. This led me back to something that I had discovered through KLove radio: Proverbs 31 Ministries.

I began reading the daily Encouragement devotional that was posted on the computer. Then I would read the daily Bible passage that was there and spend some time in prayer. A few weeks into this spiritual journey those spiritual vitamins: reading the Bible and praying were doing the trick. I was already heading out the door in a better mood, but then I would often come home after a day of school, burdened with work and stress.

Leave it to God to give me my next spiritual "prescription"!

One day as I was reading the devotional I was led to another blog by a contributing writer. This led me to a notice about the Stressed-Less Living Bible study. I had been wanting to participate in a Bible study but really needed one that I could work into my busy schedule. An online one seemed like a perfect fit, so I signed up and purchased the book.

Long story short....... this Bible study has been one more "spiritual vitamin" that I really needed. It has also helped me to recognize just how essential it is to make time on a daily basis for God.

I continue to start each morning with my daily dose of Bible reading, prayer, and devotion. I also find myself uttering silent prayers throughout the day whenever I feel a need being laid on my heart. KLove, which I mentioned earlier, is yet another spiritual vitamin that I use on a daily basis. My car radio stays tuned to that station and my daughter has come to love it as much as I do. Listening to the wonderful Christian music on the way to work each day helps me get into a positive mindset and hearing it on my way home helps me shed some of stress and negativity that can befall me during a day of work.

I am sure that every one of you, at one time or another, was given a prescription for some type of vitamin, pill, or medication and was told to finish the entire bottle. Then you went home and started dutifully taking the medicine as prescribed. When you "felt better" you left the bottle sitting there, until you felt the symptoms returning. OR...... Maybe you had a prescription and you finished the bottle, but you just didn't get it refilled.

Well, I have been given a LIFETIME prescription for these spiritual vitamins! I have come to the realization that I MUST daily spend time in prayer, reading, and Bible study in order to strengthen my body, my mind, and my spirit. Isaiah 12:2 reads:

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord, even the Lord, is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

If God is to be my strength, then I need to exercise my spiritual being by spending time with him. I have often told my students that they need to read and study in order to exercise and strengthen their minds. I now understand that I need to do my prayer, reading, and Bible study in order to exercise and strengthen my spiritual being. Without my daily dose of these spiritual vitamins, I will return to the same stressed out woman who sometimes wanted to pull out her hair under the mountain of life's stresses.

Won't you join me? I highly recommend these vitamins! They WILL change your life.