What Kind Of Tree Are You?

There are so many different trees in the world. We need trees but then are all trees good trees? Just to mention a few there are pine, maple, oak, walnut, weeping willows, birch trees. Some of these are stronger than others, some supply food for animals and some their roots are not deep. As I think of an analogy of trees and people, I asked what kind of tree are you?

In Ezekiel 47:12 “Along the bank of the river, on this side and that will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.”  This scripture refers to the trees that are along the riverbank that produces leaves for medicine (healing). As I pondered this vision Ezekiel had I sensed this question. What kind of tree are you? Life has ups and downs but through each season we can continue to grow deep healthy roots that produce health and wellbeing. As we abide in Christ, we receive from him streams of living water.

The river in the vision comes from the throne of God which stands for the Holy Spirit flowing in our lives. Wholeness and healing come from God. The trees along the bank of the river are receiving nourishment from the river of life. Rev 22:1-2 “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2)In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

We also can receive healing and wholeness from God and live in the river of life. In the vision of Ezekiel 47:7 “When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other.” The practical application of this verse is abiding in Christ. Living in his stream of love for you and others, produces fruit in our lives. Christmas is fast approaching a time of celebration of Jesus birth. A time to reflect on the love of God towards mankind.

Living in God’s flow brings peace, joy and righteousness. What type of tree are you? Can be determined by what type of fruit we are producing. The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” This is the fruit which matters this is what is generated when we abide in Christ and live in the Spirit. This is the gauge of our flow. It is wisdom to take a close look at our fruit.

Our fruit is a sign of whether we are in the flesh or the Spirit. What kind of tree are you? Are you a tree that abides or one that does its own thing? Are you one who drinks from the river of life or are you drinking from your own cistern.

Ask yourself what kind of fruit am I producing? The answer will tell you were you have been living. If you do not really like the answer the solution is repentance and forgiveness. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and allow him to change your fruit as you abide (live) in him. Receive from the tree of life and live.  

Life is Short

I saw this on Facebook and wanted to share with you all.

Holding grudges only hurts you. Forgive and move on. This doesn’t always mean the relationship is restored but it frees you to live again.

Happiness does not come from something or someone it is a byproduct of your well-being.

Allow your heart to heal. Explore new things and give and watch happiness grow. Sow a seed of kindness.

Life truly is to short for grudges.

Are You Stressed Out?

What does it mean to be stressed? How do you deal with stress? In my blog post How To Handle Stress And Anxiety I discussed the meaning of stress and anxiety in a practical way.  But are you feeling stressed out? These are some of the questions I have been pondering for days. I’m normally not stressed out but if you add enough stress to anyone you can become stressed out. It’s how we deal with stress and what we do to prevent it from consuming us is exactly what we will be discussing.

I have like everybody else been affected one way or another by Covid19. It has changed our routine, caused hesitation and at times isolation. Any one of these three items can cause a person to feel stress but adding all three can cause high anxiety, fear and feelings of overwhelming uncertainty.

As I write this, we had a high stressed week of dealing with a medical provider who no longer accepts our insurance. This caused us a lot of stress. Since my husband just had open-heart surgery and six days later a pacemaker put in it is not the time to change medical insurance. I have told you this so that when you are reading this you will understand I am speaking from my experiences too.

Let us only add to this week’s stress Saturday evening at nine pm we discovered our furnace was not working. And the company we usually call was not answering but in their defense I did not have their emergency number. Thankfully my daughter knew of Petit Home Services which came out to work on our furnace.

Life is funny no matter how you look at it, life throws curve balls, such as the insurance, furnace etc. Stress isn’t always a bad thing it can motivate us to get things done. How you look, think or feel about your situations can increase or decrease your stress levels.

We can help ourselves when situations are stressful by practicing breathing techniques such as breathe in deeply and slowly releasing the air through your mouth. This gives your brain, body and emotions time to calm when you are feeling overwhelmed.

I wrote in the article ‘How to handle stress and anxiety’ about knowing your anxiety and stress symptoms. If your heart is racing calming yourself through breathing and helpful self-talk will decrease your symptoms in a stressful situation.

I hope by using our weeks stresses it will be beneficial to you. In the first place just getting a major operation is one of life’s biggest stressors. So being in stress now and getting the news about the provider no longer accepts our insurance proved to be a major stressor for us. Our first reply was shock and anger that the heart doctor’s office (owned by a corporation network) is now refusing our insurance.

But then I decided to stop and think ok who should I talk to? I called and asked questions. Note: Stopping to think through options of who, what and where helps to collect your thoughts. I believe I did take a few deep breaths. Because there was conflicting information coming from the Dr. office and the physicians billing department. I did back and forth calling for three days to get correct information.

Plus, I called our insurance company. Then I called Northwestern Memorial and we switched my husband’s care back with them until we can find a new cardiologist in our area. This is just a brief example of how I dealt with a stressful situation this week.

For some people that would not be stressful for us it was since my husband is still on restrictions from surgery. Why am I telling the world our situation because I know that how I have learned to handle and go through stressful situations can help someone else.

I started this article with are you stressed out. This is an important question. Our bodies system has been designed to cope with stress if stress is not managed our physical body goes into overload and eventually other health symptoms will occur. Dealing with stress means you actively recognize your stress symptoms and are coping with your stress in healthy ways i.e., prayer, journaling, releasing emotions, breathing techniques, mediation, humor, exercise etc.

Repressing stress is not dealing with it and that causes more stress. So, if you’re under a lot of stress and we all are with covid19 restrictions do yourself a favor and find healthy ways to release your stress. Peace in the storm…

How Can You Be Thankful In A Pandemic?

How can you be thankful in a pandemic? That is a good question. Why is it a good question? Because thankfulness is an essential quality that helps one to persevere in tough times.

Living life in everyday situations can be difficult on a normal basis but throw a pandemic with a virus of strange origin, unable to view and tell when and how it is transmitted caused incalculable anxiety, fear and uncertainty.

So then why should we be thankful. Thankfulness is an attitude of gratitude. No matter how bad life gets and for some it has been extremely bad but somehow and some way there is something to be grateful for. Gratitude lifts our spirit and brings emotional wellbeing.

Even if you are not a child of God being thankful is beneficial for your wellbeing and mental health. By now if you have been following or read a few of my blog posts you recognize I am a Christian and love God. His word tells us to be thankful for and to God. I practice thankfulness daily. I say please and thank you because I genuinely appreciate when someone does something for me. I choose to be thankful and so can you.

Perhaps your struggling with the many difficult restrictions since the pandemic started as is everyone. Pick one thing to be thankful for and express it. You can write it out, express it to God and others not just on Thanksgiving but every day. I am thankful for a lot of different things. My husband came through a difficult surgery it had complications and he was in ICU for many days, but God provided throughout that time and I am so thankful for the prayers and encouragement we received.

I am thankful for the grace to do everything I need to do as my husband recuperates and for the time we get to spend together. I am also thankful for my family and friends I have great friends and family that I so appreciate their love and kindness. My church family is also something I am thankful for. I could go on and on, but you get the picture by now.

I could list all our troubles and setbacks but that only produces more stress and anxiety and truthfully every day holds a new day of challenges, but God also supplies daily mercy and grace. So why focus on the challenges or troubles. I am sensible I know and express my emotions and process hurts but I choose to let go of what I cannot solve or fix. How do I do it through processing and surrendering to God. I trust God to work out my problems and supply solutions when and where I need them.

Choosing to be thankful for the little and important things will help you through this pandemic and throughout life.

How to be a Kinder You…

What is kindness? It is a simple question but is it experienced by you daily? According to the dictionary kindness means “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.” This month is Thanksgiving in the United States and so often we focus on what we are thankful for. But would it not be better to be somebody is thankful for. Meaning your act of kindness expressed in a manner that the individual receiving is surprised and thankful for the act of kindness.

I realize this year comes with uncertainty and hardships but we all can end the year 2020 with a ‘kinder you.’ How is kindness expressed? I believe through acts or services that help or bless someone else. Whether it is a random act or a planned act it still has a positive effect on someone. There are many ways to show kindness, such as a card letting someone know you are thinking of them, a phone call, text or message. These are simple but beautiful ways to express acts of kindness.

Handmade or store-bought items can lift a person’s spirit and let them know they are cared for. Another type of kindness can be monetary or services that helps someone in need. In a time of uncertainty people need kindness. I have seen cranky individuals crack a smile when a baby giggles or smiles at them. It is just proof to me that even the hardest of hearts wants somebody to be kind.

Since most of us remain wearing masks it is difficult to see the smiles. But you can smile through your mask and people will sense it. Let’s all be a ‘kinder you’ this season and share kindness wherever you are however you can.

How important is Dreams, Visions and Goals?

How important is a dream or vision to you? Do you have goals that you would like to carry out but aren’t sure how to go about it? Why is vision so important? How do you go about creating and carrying out your goals? These are a few of the questions we will look at.

How important is a dream or vision? It is important because it is the beginning of the dream, vision or goal. You need it to start, continue and finish. The carry out part is the task in the middle that takes you to achieving the dream, vision or goal. That is where commitment, research, work and self-talk brings you through.  

Why is vision so important? I know that had I not had a goal/vision to finish school I would not have completed my doctorate. How do you go on creating and carrying out your goals? First write it down, make it visible for you to see. By doing that you begin to take it from your thoughts to seeing it on paper. I pray over my dreams, visions or goals and ask God to help me. Explore what it would take to achieve your goal and research it, write it out it helps when it comes to developing a plan. Then take a step.

It takes commitment to carry out your goals. It likewise takes challenging work and continuing through even when you do not feel like it. There were times I thought about quitting but I would self-talk myself out of quitting. I would speak life over my work and say to myself I can do this. I had friends who encouraged me along the way too, but had I not encouraged myself I may not have finished.

I never gave myself permission to quit. Just because occasionally I wanted to, I would not let myself stay in a defeated mindset. I believe God’s grace brought me through because occasionally I would think I do not understand what that author is talking about nor did I like their viewpoint. I would need to look up the meaning of words that I could not even pronounce. But I thank God I finished, and I have been using the information to help others.

You too can complete your goals and achieve your dreams. It simply takes commitment, work and healthy self-talk. Say Something positive over your life, confess the word of God over yourself, do not allow yourself permission to quit. When we quit it will produce regret you can make it. If your struggling that is ok its part of the process. We all face struggles in finishing tasks, dreams, and goals.

I would like to encourage you to dream big, then take a step towards making the dream or vision a reality. You can do it!

What is a good relationship?

What does it take to have a good relationship? Whether it is marital, friendship, or family there are some qualities that exist in good relationships.

The first vital quality of a good relationship is honesty. Honesty gives security for any relationship it builds trust. Without honesty trust will be lacking. Without trust there will be no security in the relationship.

The second quality of good relationships is love. Love is a quality not based upon performance but on commitment to the relationship. Commitment is necessary for the relationship to thrive. Commitment is the adhesive in love for relationships.  The bible states in I Corinthians 13:4-8 “What is love it is patient, kind, it is not envious, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others; it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth it always protects, it always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

So, does a good relationship mean there is no disagreements? Absolutely not this means that you are willing to work through them. The third quality of a good relationship is forgiveness. Sometimes we say stuff wrongly or hurt the other person with out realizing it. You work through these situations by asking for forgiveness or giving forgiveness.

The fourth quality of a good relationship is significant communication. A good relationship extends beyond the trivial pleasantries and brings out the conversations of feelings, wants and needs. It is so important to the person to listen to their words and understand their meaning.  If you do not talk clearly what you are thinking, feeling and meaning the other individual will be left with their own interpretation of what you are saying. Never stop the discussion without understanding what the person meant.

The fifth quality of a good relationship is faithfulness. Faithfulness is demonstrated in honoring your word. Faithfulness to your word means you do what you said you would do. Faithfulness also means you are loyal. These are qualities that build trust and security in relationships.

All these qualities of honesty, love, commitment, trust, security, significant communication, forgiveness, and faithfulness develop good relationships. I would inspire you to find ways to grow your relationships with these qualities.

Voting is a privilege

In the United States we have a voting privilege. I call it a privilege because some countries do not. Take the opportunity given to you and vote.

A good report my husband Roger is out of the hospital and doing well. Thank you for all the prayers.

We appreciate you all.

What Is A Prayer request?

Prayer requests constitute the petitions to God. The bible tells us to ask God and to be thankful. Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…” It is telling us to be anxious for nothing and present your request unto God with thankfulness. I do not think it means be thankful for the issue but be thankful along with the issue because God is with us and has been working on our behalf and everyone else.

My husband’s open-heart surgery is tomorrow, and we are grateful he can have his heart repaired and that he does have God going into the operating room with him.

I am requesting a prayer for him that the surgeon has wisdom and that all areas of need are met with favor. I believe it honors God to ask for prayer and it shows our faith in him.

I appreciate your prayers for Roger, and I. Thank you,

Dr. Annette