To Be or not to Be

My beautiful friend

I ended last week’s blog post with a simple statement: “Start by simply Being YOU.”

If "Being" is so easy, why did it take me almost 20 years to understand the concept of Being? It seems most of us are struggling to BE. It is just so much easier to DO – isn’t it? It provides us with a sense of comfort, and life seems to have meaning when we are DOING something. The problem is that we like being in control of our lives, in control of our destiny, in control of our finances, our investments, our families, our husbands and wives, our time, and ultimately ourselves. But what is the real motive behind DOING in order to attempt this futile task of being in control? Is BEING not sufficient? 

So I spent several years trying to understand – observing my own life, observing people’s behavior, people’s motives, people’s hurts and people’s fears but also people’s moments of great joy and victory. From my observations and own experiences I learnt that people do not like change, so they keep doing the same things over and over again. Change is threatening, change invokes feelings of fear, of instability, of the unknown. So once we understand something, we feel “safe” in it and we keep repeating it so that we can predict the outcomes, avoid change and be in control. Sadly, this picture is not as satisfying and as rewarding as it may seem – because when we rely upon our own knowledge and experience to create a safe world – we are so much more devastated when that world comes crashing down on us. Control is un-attainable; it is out of our reach. Change needs to be embraced and fear of the unknown needs to be confronted and overcome……

How do I do this?

Stop! Just Stop doing, stop moving, stop thinking, stop analyzing, stop trying to understand, stop controlling….and just breathe, breathe in and breathe out, breathe in and breathe out again.

Breathing brings you back to a place of TRUTH – to where it all started - God breathed HIS life into us.

So how exactly did we lose sight of the path of Truth?

You need to realise that your body is not a machine that needs to be pushed to optimum performance in order to achieve the goals that YOU have set – it is a gift, loaned to you for a far greater purpose than you can imagine. It is this very body, a vessel of holiness, that connects you to a rich inner world and through which you sense the outer world.  Your skin acts as the protective barrier between your internal body systems and the outside world. It is this very organ, our skin, that communicates with us regarding deeper trauma inside or environmental dangers on the outside. Eczema, dehydration, excessive oiliness and acne, itchiness, skin cancer, and much more. Our skin is the first to expose signs of neglect and abuse and yet we disregard its subtle messages and keep covering up with more chemicals and toxins, with cortisone and anti-biotics, with heavy make-up, and layer upon layer we deafen the subtle voice that tries to warn us of deeper underlying dangers. If only we could quiet down, breathe and listen…..

Picture this….my husband is a highly qualified aircraft engineer who also delights in servicing and repairing adrenaline stimulating and adventure inspiring motorbikes. In most instances a mechanical service will begin when a client delivers their motorbike. Inevitably Michael, my husband, will cast a critical eye and shake his head in disbelief, exclaiming: “Look at this thing, it has not been washed in ages, it shows signs of wear and tear, it is damaged, it is broken, it has been neglected and driven too hard, and its owner has obviously not taken very good care of it! But it has the latest gadgets, coverings, handle bars, shocks, etc, etc.”

Is this not a reflection of God, the Father, the Creator and of us, His creation? We are supposed to be vessels of His presence, created by Him to carry His love, His peace, His healing, His restoration, His kindness, His gentleness, and the purposes that He has designed for us. But just like these machines we have neglected ourselves and filled our lives with work, possessions, sport, activities, and more, and have chosen to hide behind our masks, fearful to reveal who we really are?

So what does my husband do? He takes each bike, one by one and spends hours washing every single section, gradually taking pieces of the motor apart so that the inner soiled engine parts can be revealed and cleansed. And only once he has completed this elaborate cleansing process does he take the engine apart and searches for deeper mechanical failures that have resulted from wear and tear or negligent riding. Every item is carefully removed, oiled, purified, dried and then placed back into position. In worst cases he spends days, sometimes nights fixing, replacing, restoring and then putting it all together again. Then finally when the job has been completed, his heart is stirred because this bike now has another chance to ride, to shine, to BE.

The Father is calling us back into His workshop – His place of divine healing, a place for us to BE. He acknowledges you by name and despite your apparent neglect and abusive conduct towards yourself He gently washes away all the dirt and the grime and then takes you apart bit by bit, gently replacing the broken pieces, gently restoring and healing the open wounds and trauma of your life – because He has a plan for you, to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope – to teach you to let your light shine even in darkness and to show you that all is not lost – he never left you, he was by your side all along, but He is a gentleman and He patiently waits for you to STOP. Enough is enough. You have to stop running through life, stop fighting the truth, stop the noise in your head and stop using anger as your weapon. STOP and let Him simply embrace you and give you the rest you so desperately deserve. You only have one life, you only have one body, but you are given several opportunities to STOP.

If you have the courage to STOP then He will teach you how to BE.

This is the beginning of an inspiring new journey, a journey towards healing and towards your true purpose.

The Be You oil was a significant part of my own personal awakening and healing process where I had to STOP and allow God to teach me how to take care of myself. He gave me this wonderful healing oil as a daily and constant reminder to stop and to breathe, to look after myself, to rest and most importantly to trust Him with the complex details of life and faith, of family and relationships, of finance, of friendships and of simply BEING in Him.

Wishing you quiet moments of rest for the week that lies ahead.

With love

Michelle