Category: Good Word

Good Health, Good Word

Why Quality rest is important?

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I’ve written over the last several weeks about how the quality and consistency of your fitness is key to being successful. Well, that concept can be extended to so many things in our lives that we want become a priority, and for this series we’re going to apply to rest. Moving our bodies well and with purpose keeps us in the best possible physical condition for the longest amount of time during our years here on earth, and helps us mentally process stress and increase creativity. If this concept was a coin, one side would be movement, the other would be rest. 

Eight hours of sleep sounds adequate for most people, but if you are tossing and turning, waking and then again trying to fall back asleep, your mind and body are not getting most of those hours of rest it needs for the next day no matter how many hours your affording yourself. Quality rest will always be just as important, maybe more, then the amount of hours you put into it each night. And just like quality, consistency is important in rest as well. One quality night of sleep is not going to make for 6 nights of poor sleep. Again, quality and consistency is key.

Let me give you four reasons why quality sleep matters and why you should be consistent in obtaining it…

  1. Recover

 rest allows your muscles, nerves, bones and connective tissue time to rebuild 

While moving your body purposefully will maintain and grow your body’s strength and flexibility, rest allows for your muscles, nerves, bones and connective tissue to rebuild after using them and breaking them down during your day. It’s as equally important to maintaining and growing in your health and wellness as your fitness is during your waking hours.

  1. Boost

It gives you a boost, literally. Both your memory and immune system are boosted when we get quality rest. Think about all the time you’ll save, or even just swap, if you aren’t constantly struggling to remember things or recovering from the things you forgot. And the time you’ll save from not being sick or recovering from illness. At the end of the day your spending time no matter what…your choice is whether you want to spend it resting in bed or spend it on the fall out from sickness or memory loss (sounds harsh, but if you’ve ever stood in a room wondering why you came in there, it’s honestly the best term to use).

  1. Create

 Do you want to be creative? Do you wish you were my creative in your family life, job(s), activities and other commitments? Get more and better rest! Quality rest stimulates the creative part of the brain. Better ideas, better plans, better intentions, better goals…they don’t just come from pinterest, they come from quality rest.

  1. Commanded

We are commanded to rest. God knew, as He always does, that we would struggle with rest. He knew that he needed to command it, like loving Him and others, because we would fill our time with ALL THE THINGS. Important things. Giving things. Idle things. Commitment things. Fun things. Mind-numbing things. All the things. There are lots of verses that discuss rest, but here are a few of my favorites. Just like with everything God commands, He does it because it’s what is BEST for us.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Psalm 4:8  In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 127:2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Mark 2:27  Then he said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Hebrews 4:9-11 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

Now go forth and recover, boost, create and be obedient to God’s command with quality and consistent rest!

Church is out, Erin

Good Word

When Perfection Becomes An Excuse

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I’ve always wanted a “space” for my quite time. Some place for just me and my bible and/or devotional to have a moment.

I had this picture in my head of a great, big comfy chair near a window with a blanket and a side table to keep my stuff on and my cup up of tea. I held on to that dream to the point where I used it as an excuse to skip my quite time with God. I would say, “when I have my perfect spot, with my chair and table, etc, I will be able to commit to doing a daily quite time, not just when the mood strikes me, or I feel like it.”

What a crock of 💩

I realized I needed to have a heart to heart with myself, and come to terms with the fact that not having the perfect spot was not the problem, I was the problem.

So I remade my thoughts, and made my daily God time a priority.

My spot does not have chair or a side table. It’s just a small space between my bed and a window that I throw some pillows and a blanket down on, wedge myself in, and start reading.

My spot is perfect not because of its location or what it includes, but that it connects me with God, it reminds me of who He is, and it gives me His will for my life.

THAT makes it perfect.

Good Word

Go it Alone, Cause You’re Never Alone

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Go it alone, cause you’re never alone…Maybe your spouse has a job where they’re working on Sundays (Can anyone say deployments) Maybe your spouse doesn’t do church. Maybe you do not have a spouse. Going to church alone can be very intimidating and overwhelming, especially if you fall into the last two scenarios. I mean, who wants to answer the spouse location question with “they’re not here, cause the don’t want to be here” One can just feel the judgement happening. BUT, no matter the judgment, not matter the awkwardness, I encourage you to just go! 

I do church alone A LOT, and no matter what I always feel better that I was there, listening to God’s word, setting my intentions for the week ahead, and drawing myself closer to God…cause He’s there. He’s always there. We’ve never been forsaken and alone. He’s with us through it all, no matter the circumstances. See you in church…spouse not required!

Good Word

Why Good Word Glad?

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This is primarily a health and wellness blog and site, so what does “Good Word Glad” have to do with health and wellness?

For me? …everything.

When I first wanted to start a health and wellness ministry, I wanted the name to reflect where my purpose was coming from, my source and inspiration. I tried coming up with several “clever” names using verses that were related to health, the body, strength, fitness etc, but they either did not seem to quite fit or they were already being actively used. So I prayed. I read my bible and prayed for direction.

I was sent to Proverbs 12:25, “Anxiety ways down the heart, but a good word makes it glad.” And I was confused…not that I couldn’t relate. I have often suffered from anxiety. Letting things play out over and over in my head to the point where it became consuming stress and fear. Especially when it comes to my physical appearance and abilities. But I didn’t quite understand why I should use this verse for my ministry and company name.

So I did what anyone does when the need to understand something better…I googled “anxiety”. Did you know, that according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, more Americans then ever before are suffering from anxiety and that is now the most common mental illness. Approximately 40 millions adults suffer from anxiety. I read how it effects our brain, our hormones, and how it makes us communicate with others…how we live with others. Poorly. It was sad and sobering.

Then I researched “affirmations”, both from ourselves and others, and how it could help with anxiety, how it could help with our health. The information was encouraging. Simply put, it works. New brain-imaging studies that were published confirmed and helped explain why self-affirmation and affirmation from others are so effective in relieving anxiety and depression, and enhance our overall health. But it couldn’t simply be telling yourself “I’m a lovable person” or someone saying “you’re pretty”, it had to relate to our values, what we cherish, our foundation of who we are in this world.

I started to get it. I saw how this verse would be the foundation for my ministry and services.

-One word of true encouragement

-One expression of true gratitude

-One designation of true kindness

-One remark of true praise and admiration

It can make all the difference. It can change a person’s brain, change their heart. And that’s what I want to do, above everything else, is to change brains, change hearts. Change them for the better. For the good.