Spiritual Therapy

Proverbs 16:9

In their hearts human beings plan their course,
 but the Lord establishes their steps.

   Finding an activity that has acted as personal spiritual growth has been a positive influence on my weekly schedule. Recently, I accompanied my friends Cassie and Grecia to the Wednesday night service at Crossroads Church on West Berry. The service was far superior to what I had expected. Not only did I find the people to be very welcoming and passionate, the message the pastor relayed was extremely influential. I felt as if the sermon was targeted specifically towards me and the pastor illustrated his points on an engaging platform. At the conclusion of the service, I felt rejuvenated with the proclivity to further my biblical knowledge and spiritual health.

   As a child, my family and I attended church regularly. I accepted Christ into my life when I was in fifth grade and for many years lived by faith and Christ's love. However, during high school I found my involvement in Christian based activities to drastically decline. At this time, I suffered the loss of 2 family members and a dear friend. I did not understand why I was dealing with so much pain and over time I became detached from my faith. Beyond this struggle, I was going through a time in my life when I was discovering my identity. Facing troubling situations with my family, I began to lose my faith and become angry with God.

   At the start of my college experience, I came to reason with my past issues and turned back to my faith. It is indescribable the immeasurable differences between a life without Christ and one with. I have turned to God to give me strength in so many situations and without him I don't know where I would be today. He works through me on a daily basis and I have learned that putting my faith in him has given me so much relief during hard times and in contrast, exponential happiness and direction in life.

   Due to an extremely busy college schedule, I admit to a loss in my religious attentiveness. I have struggled with prioritizing a schedule that gives more time to practicing my faith. When Cassie invited me to Crossroads, I was excited to have the opportunity to change my habits and begin to devote more time to God. Crossroads is surprisingly one of the most enjoyable services I have attended. I plan to commit at least one hour every Wednesday night to the services at Crossroads. Not only is it a great time for a college student to worship, the experience offers revitalization and staying power to undertake the remainder of the school week.

Proverbs 3:5 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

 and lean not on your own understanding.

The Ideal Balance?

As senior year begins, I find that readjusting to school life can be a bit of a challenge. I want to take advantage of each opportunity that arises and enjoy every bit of my last year in the college life. With a full load of classes, all of which I have high hopes for, and two part time jobs, I find that juggling all activities can be challenging.

After getting used to an 8 to 5 full time internship this summer, I was optimistic that I would be able to adjust easily. However, with my time being divided between school, work, and weekend festivities I find that I have little time to devote to myself.

Prioritizing my activities are so important so that I can devote a supple amount of time to exercise and self empowerment. Yoga, as a physical and mental discipline, has been an important activity for alleviating personal stress. Furthermore, I regard exercise to be a necessary part of my day. I have found that in the first few weeks of school, being able to organize my time so that I allocate an hour a day to exercise has given a boost to my health and motivation in school and at work.

A health advocate, I know that the coupled affect of exercise and a healthy diet is what it takes to accelerate weight loss and maintain a healthy heart. I have chosen to make some diet changes this semester. Some of which include:

Instead of...          Choose...

Dairy Milk ->       Almond, Hemp or Soy Milk (unsweet)

Meat ->               Beans, Legumes, Tempen or Quinoa

Cheese ->            Hummus, Olive Oil, Balsamic, Vegetables, Baba Ganoush

Eggs ->                Plant based protein shakes, Almond Butter, Oatmeal

Beyond health ambitions, I hope to set my future goals in motion and begin to establish a career path. I have found that companionship with my close friends has helped me to truly appreciate and live up my final year at TCU.

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