When we are unwell for a long time, we will likely have one of two tendencies. One is to give up and believe that we’ll never be well and the second is to find a strategy to get ourselves better. I’m a strategy person and sometimes have this crazy idea that if I can just find the right formula I can outsmart illness.
Needless to say, the formula never works! Healing always happens through relationship – an ever developing relationship with God, myself and the world.
A Healing Story
I’ve suffered with digestive problems for as long as I can remember and when I become really unwell I think I can find the perfect diet to make myself better. But strangely enough my digestive problem isn’t just about my gut! It involves my whole self and my relationship with food and life.
Recently I realised that I needed to address my issues around my tendency to self-deprive and my fear of indulgence. As I worked through this I found that I could eat more and more of the foods that I previously felt allergic to. When the rest of my family was eating chocolate cake, yoghurt and strawberries I found that I could eat it too and it felt good! Some days I still revert to feeling allergic, doubt my approach and go back to my ‘safe’ foods. However, deep down I know that I can’t stay here because I’ve already started to move somewhere else, and I have to keep moving. My mind tells me ‘Keep eating safe foods for at least 6 months’ but my heart tells me ‘Keep learning to indulge and enjoy life’.
There is no perfect diet and there is no perfect way to heal.
Jennie Williams
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