“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23 NLT
As I sit in my family’s guest room on day nine of quarantine, I have some wisdom, given to me by God, to share with you…
If you are reading this, you survived 2020, the most difficult year in my adult life for sure. I have tried to process all of the things that happened in real-time with God, but the year did a good number on me. Maybe you have been more scared than ever before. Maybe you’ve experienced loss and grief like you never have before. Maybe your vices took control and self-guilt plagued you. Or maybe you were pleased with the slowed-down pace of a world that is required to collectively pause. I am all of the above.
Coming out of the year where you couldn’t seem to agree with anyone on anything, I embraced my right to remain silent. And for the most part, it boded well for me. But it made my heart sick.
I am not going to start rattling off unresolved hurts, I’ve shared those with God all along. But I would like to offer some words of inspiration to you that have helped me process and move forward with great anticipation.
Your whole life is determined by how you spend today. You don’t have any guarantees, and I know that is not breaking news. The way your morning goes, the way you love the people in your presence, the way you feel about your relationships and your body when your head hits the pillow at night. One day will determine how your next days go.
The Holy Spirit is ever present, whether you believe in God or not. If you open yourself up to noticing how the Lord is showing His love for you, you may be surprised in what you start to see. All blessings are gifts from God.
Your body is a temple and you don’t have to listen to anyone else’s advice on how to take care of it. Your body itself will tell you how to take care of it. This may sound silly to you and if so, just move on. Here’s what I am learning – I have spent sooo much time taking the advice of well-meaning people that I forgot to ask God how I should treat this one body He gave me. When I sit with Him, I know what I am supposed to do to feel 100% each and every day, even while battling Covid. I am not going to give you the ways He is telling me to make small, lasting changes to take better care of myself. Instead I would implore you to surrender any plan, diet, or strategies given to you by anyone but the Lord himself. Sit with Him and He will lead the way to health. He is the Ultimate Healer after all.
When you decide how your day should be spent, how your love should be shown, and how your body should be cared for, do not let Satan steal your focus. It is extremely easy to allow our thoughts (then actions) to be determined by our circumstances. But if you decide ahead of time, when you are tempted to go back on those plans, you are more likely to hold true to decisions that you made when your mind was clear and your day was empty. That said, God is not a list-keeper. He wants you to live in peace and freedom, loving Him, yourself, and others as you go. That’s the easy way. Take it. Do not let Satan trespass into your heart; it belongs to God alone.
Finally, I encourage you, my dear brothers and sisters, be true to yourself. Make sure your heart is filled with joy. Do what you need to do to take great care of every part of your life. You have the power to leave a legacy of love, and that is an eternal blessing to those around you.
May God bless you today and the whole year through!
With Love,
Lyndie
Lyndie Metz 