I’m one of those people who really believes in the benefit of chiropractic–it just makes sense to me that your whole body would function better when your spine is in alignment. I mean, after all, nerves run through your entire body, so why wouldn’t it help to have the column that protects those nerves aligned correctly? We noticed a huge difference in our daughter’s colic when she was adjusted properly, so I definitely believe chiropractic is efficacious for stomach problems, in addition to all the things you’d normally associate with it.
Anyway! Just like my spine needs adjustment every so often, my soul needs a serious adjustment every so often. Obviously, Bible study and prayer are a huge part of that, but there are other things that touch my heart–certain books, music, movies, people; writing, going to my tai chi class–that I know I need to expose myself to when I’m in danger of forgetting who I am. I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to suddenly step back into my own skin. You know that scene in”How to Tame Your Dragon” (the movie) when Gobber tells Hiccup if he ever wants to succeed, he just need to be little less of “this” and Hiccup complains “you just pointed to all of me!” and Gobber responds “Yes, that’s it! Stop being all of you.”? That’s where I lived for a long time, and it’s hard to hang onto your real identity when you have people constantly pushing for you to be someone different. Fortunately, now I have a husband and a few close friends who know me and support me.
My husband and I have been reading together before bed the past few months (I love reading out loud!) and last week we started the first book in Pamela Aidan’s Fitzwilliam Darcy trilogy. I was pretty much rubbing my hands together in anticipation. I LOVE that series and the past few years I’ve made sure to start my year off with Pride & Prejudice. For me, it’s a chiropractic soul adjustment. It reminds me to ask God to show me where I’m believing things that are false, where my pride is getting in the way, and it always, always challenges me to be someone who wholeheartedly repents right away. It’s so easy to make a 150 degree turn, rather than a 180, or to say you’ll change your behavior when such and such happens or when so and so does x, or even just tomorrow or in a week. And I can’t even imagine how hard it would have been for Elizabeth to admit that she was 100% wrong about Darcy. We also watched the Lizzie Bennet diaries on Youtube the past couple weeks and I can’t help but cringe thinking about how publicly she expressed her mistaken view of Darcy–really brings the book home. Yet, Austen paints a picture of two people who found out they were wrong and then made a 180.
I always want to start out my year reminding myself the importance of being who I am, yet making sure I’m open to pulling a 180 in any areas of my life where I need to repent.
So any other great soul adjustment materials you recommend?
