2830 …The Father who gives us life cannot but give us the nourishment life requires – all appropriate goods and blessings, both material and spiritual. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus insists on the filial trust that cooperates with our Father’s providence.115 He is not inviting us to idleness,116 but wants to relieve us from nagging worry and preoccupation. Such is the filial surrender of the children of God:(Catechism of the Catholic Church)
To those who seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, he has promised to give all else besides. Since everything indeed belongs to God, he who possesses God wants for nothing, if he himself is not found wanting before God.117
Getting back to loving God with our “whole strength” and caring for our physical bodies, which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit also known as the ‘breath of God’.
There are several ways of stirring up the Holy Spirit, prayer, communion with each other (where two or more are gathered, there I’ll be), singing songs of praise…you get the point.
Now let’s take a look at what’s been happening and how Satan is attacking and we get a clearer picture of why. From the “I can’t breathe” movement to the whole pandemic situation, which has hit the lungs of those in high risk groups particularly hard. We’ve been prevented from gathering together, from singing in churches, and we’ve been told to wear masks (I’ll get to that later). Now do you see…this is an attack on the Holy Spirit! If Satan is THIS angry…something good must be coming that he is trying so desperately to keep us from.
Folks…we need to invoke the Holy Spirit! We need a revival and we need it NOW!
Now to get back to the physical act of breathing itself…and specifically the role of the lungs. We know that through inhalation we take in necessary oxygen, which our lungs helps to disperse through the blood system and then into every single cell in our bodies. What is not often considered is the importance of exhalation. Why do we need to exhale at all?
Well our Creator knew exactly what we would need to keep our bodies functioning properly. When we exhale, we release toxins that have been accumulated in our bodies. We have various other organs that do this, but the lungs are an important component in detoxifying the body. We learned in my previous post KNOWLEDGE, about the lymphatic system and how acidity in the body can be detrimental to our health, well the detoxifying process is one way that brings the body back to a more balanced PH. Now can you see what a potential hazard blocking this process via masks can be?
But the law is the law and I’m not telling you to not wear one. Here’s what I AM telling you. Be smart about it. Be aware of why your body works the way it does. The whole PH thing is about balance; and toxins of all sorts, from the food we eat, the air we breathe, the products we use on our skin, to our very own emotions, can effect it.
So here are my suggestions for healthier lungs…
- Watch your general toxicity level (stay healthy…keep reading this blog for more ideas coming up.)
- Reduce indoor pollutants (especially the products that you clean with, and air freshners)
- Get fresh air as often as possible (remove that mask when it’s not necessary, please don’t drive around with it when you are alone in the car.)
- Do some breathing exercises. You can find some on Youtube. But just some deep breathing. We tend toward shallow breathing when we get anxious.
- Get some movement in (this helps to move your lymphatic system as well). Simple walks are fine. A small trampoline at home, or a treadmill, are great for the Winter.
- Add some house plants.
I am a Young Living distributor because I fully believe in their products and I feel the Lord has lead me to them. More to come on this. So if you’d like to explore clean, toxin free options for anything from cleaning supplies, to beauty products, please check out my page—> Essy’s Young Living Page.
I’m reading a book that I’ve only recently learned about, it’s called The Values Factor, written by Dr. John Demartini. This isn’t a Catholic book, I must tell you upfront that I like to read from a variety of world views…I absorb what is for me and let go of the rest. If I discover while I’m reading it, that it’s completely contrary to my own world view, then I discard the entire book. It’s just how I do things. 😀 Anyway, I’m enjoying this one very much, its similar in some ways to the popular Love Languages book, It goes through a series of questions that leads you to reflect on what you really are all about at your core and the values that you hold the most dear so that you can live your life the most authentically. For instance you may say that your truly value something, but if for some reason you are always finding that you lack time, money, or whatever to get to it, then it’s probably not one of your higher values and could even be a societal ‘should’. I have several of those as a Portuguese woman, this may be true for all women but in my opinion it’s especially true for the Portuguese, my list of shoulds is pretty darn long. I should keep a spotless house, I should be a great cook…I should, I should, I should…and not surprising, that little voice in my head uttering these words sounds very much like my mother. The problem is that those aren’t MY highest values at all…not even close. Are you unsure of your highest values? What you need to do is look at what you already do, day in and day out. How do you spend your time, your money, you’re energy. Chances are good that barring addictions or any such thing, you are already pursuing your highest values…you just may not have put it all together yet. It’s what brings us joy and what can also potentially irritate us the most about others who don’t hold the same values as us. So this is a great way not only to learn about ourselves and our particular gifts, but to learn about others as well and come to respect and value them for what they can offer instead of what we’d like them to do. I’ve discovered that my 3 highest values are, revealing the Kingdom of God, Teaching, and Healing. In other words, the things that drive me and fill me with passion have these thing at their core. Whether it’s reflected in my parenting, my marriage, my career choices…these three things will always find its way in.