Unstuck

[this post is part of a group synchroblog:  Advent Synchroblog: Part Two Check out other bloggers posts at the end of this post. I will add more as they are submitted]

As I mentioned in a previous advent post, I felt God had allowed me to go into a blessing of an early advent with amazing gifts of hope, peace, joy and love!  It all started this past summer with increased time in His Word and allowing that to transform my heart.  As we all know, His Word can heal, can change us and can give us the hope we need to receive His Gift. 

Then, around September, I had one of the most transforming blessings. I connected with some physical therapy colleagues who were working on healing for trauma.  The reason I'm SO excited about it is because it got me UNSTUCK!  AND, it is a technique that is in my own field of practice!  SO much hope in my own healing and SO much hope in healing others!  It is something that not only helped me release macrotrauma(Paralysis in His Presence), but also cumulative microtrauma!  I could go on forever talking about this because it is my heart, it is my passion, it is my gifting and calling.  It has been really fun and exciting for me to share this with colleagues and to sit across from some of my counselor friends and share.  An exciting new approach to take care of the body component of soul care.  OK, almost a whole other post...well wait, a whole other blog:  for more information see:  Tamyra L. Carter, MS, PT   All that being said, it is the very thing that freed me from some oppressive things and what I believe allowed me to go into this advent season in a place of freedom and well, not only freedom, but victory! 

This advent season, my heart actually was full of expectations!  Expectations of continued healing for myself and for others.  Considering the previous season of victory God just took me through, well I guess my expectations or maybe my hope was still really high in celebrating His healing and this Gift that He gave me!  He came and each week blessed my life literally or spiritually with each theme of hope, peace, joy and love!

First week, HOPE!  As I began moving into treating more of my patients with this new technique, I was able to see some significant changes.  Seeing one get more and more out of isolation and into a variety of activities!  Seeing one step into increased confidence and self-esteem!  I can't believe He is allowing me to be His hands in this way!  So much hope for healing!  So much hope for freedom!

Second week, peace!  I continued with increasing times in His Word and times in prayer.  So, naturally, this brought a lot of peace to my heart.  It has truly been a new season of returning to first love.  It was hard not to be upset with myself for being influenced by some oppressive things in past seasons but, He gently reminded me of His grace, forgiveness and mercy.  I had missed these times of basking and soaking in His Glory!  Peace, peace, peace...and, many deep breaths of release and relief!

Third week, JOY!  Oh WOW!  What do I say about this except it was one of my favorite weeks.  I remember laughing with a friend one time and realizing I was in one of those laughing moments with belly aching laughs and tears.  At that time, I told her that I had that happen with my family when I was home for Thanksgiving.  It dawned on me...I haven't laughed that hard in years!

Not only that, as I continued with these increased times of being in His presence, well, I also turned those times into moments of great joy in worship and DANCING!  Yes, I said dancing!  But, don't worry, I didn't get as crazy as David did!  I love being in the "mosh pit" at worship gatherings and my soul was so desiring worship!  Some may think I'm crazy, but that's okay.  I'm not embarrassed to dance with my Savior.  Dancing with Jesus has always been one of those special ways I praise Him.  He is SO worthy of this praise!  (check out my very first post of this blog on dancing:  Dance Beloved, Dance!).  Dancing with great JOY in gratitude!

Fourth week, love.  Well, this week seemed much like the peace week in healing for my heart.  I had some loving friends step forward and finally tell me some truths.  Some had been afraid to approach me because they thought I wouldn't listen.  And well, they were probably right. When we are in rebellion we don't listen and we tend to think rebellion is actually freedom. I received two gifts that week with information on spiritual abuse recovery and didn't quite understand.  Mainly because I've never been directly involved in something like that.  Anyway, I felt so much love and compassion from friends and family.  It was a little overwhelming!  To know they were watching and concerned and praying for me meant the world to me.  There is a certain love that is felt knowing God loves us and is watching over us, but it's an added blessing to realize many that love us are doing the same thing.  Feeling this love allowed me to be in a place of accepting their accountability and encouragement.

And, last but not least, the Christ candle!  I spent Christmas morning lighting my little advent set-up of candles and again, in His Word, in praise, in worship with singing and playing my keyboards and just sitting in contemplative prayer!  It was an amazing gift.  The first Christmas that I have ever spent alone, and I never felt alone...because I wasn't.  At a time when we celebrate God's greatest Gift, my heart was full of His presence and His love.  And, I was full of so much hope in really believing He was giving me my calling, His gift to others.  What an astonishing and loving God we serve to send and sacrifice His own Son!

Now, maybe this sounds all touchy-feely good, and in some ways it actually was.  But, as we all know whenever we walk forward into His purpose for our lives, we meet with some attack and hindrance.  Jesus definitely had more than His share of roadblocks on His way to the cross.  His closest friends abandoned and betrayed Him at the moment He was accused and sentenced to die...His purpose for coming.  They failed to stick with Him through the pain and suffering that He was about to endure.  So, as you can imagine, I did have times when Satan tried to discourage me and honestly, had some people in my life "run away" and give up.  The cool thing, it didn't seem to trip me up all that much.  When we fix our eyes on Him and ground ourselves in His word, this helps us endure times of suffering.  And, often it's times of suffering for righteousness sake.  And, in a way that brings me back to JOY(read James 1)!  Great joy in moving towards His purpose for me.

So, overall, I believe I received everything that I was expecting, or like I said, hoping for this advent season!  He came in so many ways to bless my life.  It was definitely filled with confirmation and promise of His calling for my life and the gift of healing.  His coming was the best gift any of us could ever ask for!  And, this advent season He came in so many special ways that it's sometimes hard for me to believe.  My hope and prayer is that He would continue to come in special ways in all of our lives.  Giving us hope, peace, JOY and love!  Merry Christmas and God bless you all!

This is my amazing kick-ass healing team that got me UNSTUCK!

Check out the links to other synchrobloggers below:

Glenn Hager @ breathe - Underwear for Christmas

Jeremy Myers @ Till He Comes - The Unexpected Gift from Jesus

Jeff Goins - The Day After Christmas: A Lament

Wendy McCaig - Unwanted Gifts: You Can Run But You Can Not Hide

Christine Sine @ Godspace - The Wait Is Over - What Did I Get?

Maria Kettleson Anderson @ The Real Journey - The Baby We Just Celebrated

Leah Sophia @ desert spirit's fire! - Still Waiting For Redemption

Kathy Escobar @ the carnival in my head - Pain Relief Not Pain Removal

Ellen Haroutunian - Jesus came, did you get what you expected?

Carol Kuniholm @ Words Half Heard - What the Magi Found

Sally @ Eternal Echoes - unexpected...