Weeding Through the Garden of Life

Guest Post by Heart and Soul Health Coach Mike Fenton

     Just as we must keep our garden free of weeds in order for our plants to grow healthy and strong, and with some produce fruit and vegetables, we must also keep our life free from those things that will not allow us to grow to our potential as well. Just as a weed will sneak its way into a garden and strangle out the healthy plants, there are things in life that will sneak their way into our world leaving us bewildered, confused and sometimes limiting us in our effectiveness to do God’s work. It may be subtle, but the result will be the same.

     We must pay attention as we are reminded in Matthew 13:25 of what happens if we are not on guard “But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away”. In life that is how Satan operates, he plants his evil seeds in our minds hoping they will take root, strangle our faith, and in the end dampen our spirit. Even the strongest of men have fallen prey to his lies and deceit, men that were blessed by God with great physical strength were reduced to mere mortal men. We are reminded in 2 Peter 3:17 “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position”.

     If we are to have a chance that this will not happen to us we must live a life of Total Wellness. Our bodily actions must reflect a mind that is sound and in good health and a spirit that lives in God’s word. We must watch not only what we feed into our bodies, but what we feed into our mind. Using good judgment in what we watch on television, what books we read, what we see and do on the internet are good places to start in preventing those things that serve no good purpose from entering into our mind.

     Weeding through the garden of life and eliminating those “weeds” that prevent us from growing into the Christians God wants us to be and the Christians the Church needs us to be is more important now than ever. We live in a time of apostasy and the call is now for all those in faith to come forth in strength. To come forth in Total Wellness – when mind, body and spirit all come together in good health.

Just Another Brick in the Wall

Guest Post by Heart and Soul Health Coach Mike Fenton

Image courtesy of Rawich at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

     How easy it is to build a wall around ourselves when we don’t want to deal with the daily problems life presents? Rather than deal with a situation we build a wall to hide behind. From behind the wall we no longer see our problems and once they are out-of-sight, they are out-of-mind. The problem however is even though we no longer see our problems, they are still there. It is only when we face our problems and deal with our problems that they go away.

     We cannot continually add more bricks to the wall thinking we are safe from the daily issues life presents us because at some time we will have to emerge from our haven and when we do, reality will set in. It is always better to keep confronting the issues life puts upon us, if we don’t they will only grow bigger and more difficult to handle.

     If we cannot deal with the occasional problems that arise we must ask ourselves honestly, why am I having such a difficult time facing reality? Why do I run? Why do I hide? Why do I turn to drugs or alcohol to forget when I know my problems are still there? Running, hiding, turning to alcohol and drugs is not the answer and never will be. Faith in God is what we need! When we turn to Him and pray for direction and guidance, and when we turn to Him for inner strength, we will have what we need to deal with life’s obstacles.

     Life also becomes easier when we strive to keep ourselves in good health (mentally, physically and spiritually) we find we have a higher tolerance for what bothers us and what is to come into our future. For instance, when we are in Total Wellness (when mind, body and spirit come together in good health) the things that used to bother us in the past no longer seem to be so bothersome. We find ourselves taking down the walls and telling life, come on, give me your best shot, I am ready.

     When we take down the walls we find the view to be much better as well. We look at life from a much better perspective, our sense of “daily urgency” is not so great and we actually find time to quiet our mind in peace. We have time to enjoy the life we will now have.

Spring Ahead

Guest Post by Heart and Soul Health Coach Mike Fenton

 Image courtesy www.freedigitalphotos.net

We are at the time of the year when we move our clocks ahead one hour in lieu of daylight savings time, the days will become longer, and the feel of spring is in the air. It is time to say goodbye to “old man winter” and look forward to that first robin of the year to appear.

     This is the perfect time to start planning the outdoor activities that will provide us with our exercise needs. It’s a good time to get the bikes in good working order, it’s also good time to clean-up the golf clubs if you’re a biker or golfer. This can provide inspiration for us to get outside and get some exercise.

     Another way we can inspire ourselves into getting out and getting some exercise is to plan to participate in a charitable walk(s). This serves two very good purposes, first we get the exercise, and secondly we help raise money for a good cause. The schedule for most of the walks held during the spring/summer/fall seasons can be found on the internet.

     Depending how active you have been throughout the winter will serve as a marker for where you should start. If you are a winter enthusiast and have remained active during the winter months you are probably ready to go. If on the other hand you have spent the winter relatively inactive there are a few things that we should take into consideration such as:

• The length of time we spend walking/biking during our initial start. We want to start slowly and increase the time we spend walking/biking up gradually.
• Distance, the same holds true with how far we walk or bike. Take short trips to begin with, and gradually increase how far you go.
• Lastly, let’s not forget about our pets, the same holds true for them! Time and distance should be gradually increased when walking them if they have spent the winter relatively inactive.

     It is important to keep things moving along at a slow and gradually pace because more people have given up on incorporating a regular exercise routine into their lives by starting out too quickly, injuring themselves, becoming disillusioned, and say the heck with this exercise stuff.

     Exercise is also more fun when you have someone to do it with. Find a friend, neighbor or family member, they will provide company as well as to help keep you accountable on those days when you just don’t feel like doing anything! The truth is, it’s on the days that we don’t feel like exercising, that afterwards, we usually do feel better about ourselves.

     Many folks that exercise on a regular basis find it to be addictive (what a great addiction to have) and are disappointed when they are unable to do so, that is why it is so important to manage our time. When you schedule something ask yourself, is this the time I normally go for my walk or bike ride or whatever form of exercise you do? Try not to break your routine, exercise for our bodies is as important as anything else, it sustains our bodies and provides us with energy.  

“Nothing’s better than the wind to your back, the sun in front of you, and your friends beside you”.
Aaron Douglas Trimble