Grow Through It: 7 Healing Practices That Cultivate Resilience a 7-Day Reading Plan by Essie FayeSample

Connect With Yourself and With God—Practice Intentional Self-Management

2 Corinthians‬ 13‬:5‬ NKJV

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”

I decided that I would try something new. I volunteered at the community garden. I was inexperienced, excited, and nervous. But I was determined to step out of my comfort zone. I learned to till the ground, sow seeds, weed plants, and harvest. That summer, I witnessed the results and rewards of growth. My life experience expanded all because I was willing to embrace discomfort.

The Apostle Paul admonishes the church at Corinth to examine themselves (to self-manage) with reverence for a sovereign God. This means connecting with yourself to gauge your faith walk with Jesus Christ. He teaches that humanity partners with God in this work according to grace. The Apostle charges us to examine ourselves to consider whether we demonstrate tangible evidence of the faith that we profess. He champions effective management of our mind, body, soul, and spirit based on the teachings of Christ.

In times of difficulty, practicing intentional self-management through spiritual disciplines cultivates resilience. Discomfort causes us to transform and evolve, many times by force. As we hold on to our faith when things are challenging, we grow to know God in a more intimate way. We experience the God of our faith and begin to walk in new levels of belief and trust.

Heavenly Father, teach us to become more self-aware and to self-manage well.

Grow Through It: What if we paid attention to our emotions before responding to a circumstance, person, or experience? What if we sat with our emotions instead of ignoring them? What if we sought help when we felt emotional overwhelm instead of retreating within?

Well-managed emotions facilitate growth and perpetuate healing, but poorly managed emotions wreak havoc and enable brokenness.