Meet Ylang Ylang and his little buddy, Valor. 🌿🌱
On a morning after a day at Disneyland celebrating my mother’s-in-law 60th bday, and a weekend at youth camp with the junior high kiddos at our church, I. Am. Wiped.
While oils are no magic cure by any means, I will say, waking up and placing one drop of each of these oils on my inner wrists and inhaling deeply helps me feel strength to face the day.
And as I come downstairs, thaw out some bone broth there by the window, make my coffee and place 2 drops of each in my diffuser, well, it all just seems more doable.
Inhale, exhale, repeat. Breathe in God’s Truth, breathe out Satan’s lies. You are strong, you are strong, you are strong!
. . .
replacing the lies with truth
“You are strong, you are strong, you are strong” is the final affirmation I have up on my bathroom mirror on a long list of truths to combat my doubt, fear and lies.
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia a couple of years ago, and with that diagnosis came both relief and worry, answers and questions. Relief to finally have an answer for why I feel more fatigued than others, able to do less, suffer from chronic physical pain and painful stomach issues, among other not-so-lovely symptoms. Worry from fears that plagued me with what this diagnosis means for my life, and from the burdensome thought that I will never be fully “cured” or completely pain free.
While I still have many questions and don’t fully understand this odd disease, I do my best to replace my doubts, fears and lies with the truth. Or Truth, rather.
And while I may not be as strong as others, I have strength to face the day. I find my strength in the Truth stated by our God, and well, the oils act as a little boost to the spiritual jolt of the Word.
. . .
equipped with courage
I thought “valor” meant strength when I began writing this post. But then I looked up the definition to find it actually means this:
“great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.” {Google dictionary}
It’s synonyms are: “bravery, courage, pluck, nerve, daring, fearlessness, audacity, boldness, dauntlessness, stout-heartedness, heroism, backbone, spirit; spunk; moxie.”Â
Huh.
Nowhere in that definition does it say the word “strength.”
At the junior high winter camp retreat we took last weekend, a quote was stated during one of the talks that rings loud in my mind as I ponder all of this today:
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.“ – Nelson Mandela
. . .
triumph in the battle
Did you know the Bible says that we are facing a very real, spiritual battle? {Eph. 6:12} Well, for me sometimes that spiritual battle manifests physically, resulting in me feeling very weak. And that’s when Scripture comes in, and allows me to say this amidst the fears and doubts and lies:
When I am weak, He is strong.
Therefore, I shall boast all the more gladly about my weakness, that God’s strength be revealed in my life. {2 Cor. 12:9-10}
I cannot do it on my own, yet I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. {Phil. 4:13}
And I know that in ALL THINGS I am MORE THAN A CONQUEROR. {Romans 8:37}
Take that, Satan. Your lies defeating me in battle? Not today.
Not today, Satan, indeed.
. . .
with good gifts from a good God
We all have fears. I have plenty. But we all have access to the God who first spoke this Truth and who continues to speak it into our lives.
Would you join me today in lifting up all of your fears, doubts, and the lies that plague your mind to the One who gives us strength, who replaces the lies with His Truth, who gives us not only the strength to face the day but to conquer the day.
Can I get an amen?!
Thanks be to God for this truth. And thanks be to Him for the great gift of oils {y’all it sounds cheesy, but this is so genuinely true from my heart} that help me on this journey and in this battle.
Thanks be to Him who made us holistic beings, intricately interconnected — mind, body, and soul — in His image {Gen. 1:26}, that of a God, three-in-one, Father, Son, and Spirit, that we would reflect His very image in every aspect of our lives that He wove together in our mother’s womb to be lived out as one great, strong, being.
A being who conquers hard things. A being who defeats Satan’s lies, who overpowers the forces of evil with the very real and strong and almighty and powerful force of a very good and gracious and generous and loving Father.
He’s a good, good Father, indeed. Indeed, He gives us strength to face the day. Every day. No matter what.
. . .
To read more about my journey with essential oils and find out how you can begin yours — this very good gift of physical, mental, and emotional support from the very plants God created — click here.
And if you’d like to dive right in and order your own starter kit, go ahead and click here!
