Ally's World

Water. The liquid we drink with our meals and throughout the day. What falls from the sky during a raging thunderstorm. What flows through the world’s winding rivers. What washes onto shore from the sea. What we wash our bodies with. Water is a universal constant that assists in sustaining our world. Without it, we thirst. We live in famine. We would be without so much beauty that nature offers through water.

Surprise, surprise: our bodies absolutely need water to function! In fact, we need eight glasses of water per day. I know that’s a figure you hear often, but it is entirely true. So this wellness lesson is simple: DRINK MORE WATER! When you sweat, dehydration sets in. In fact, by the time you are thirsty, you are ALREADY dehydrated. So, it would be a brilliant idea to drink water frequently and regularly throughout the day. This health truth can be applied easily! Now get to drinking that H2O!

Similarly, our souls need and thirst for living water. In John 4, Jesus reassures the woman at the well that He will fulfill and sustain her: “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Just as we need the liquid water for our bodies to survive, we desperately NEED Jesus Christ. If you are not a Christian, you need Him to save your soul and bless you with eternal life. If you are a Christian, you need Him just as much! Although we already have the promise of life, we need Him to sustain us through every second of every day.

Psalm 143:6 says, “I spread out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land.” I beg you, do not become spiritually dehydrated. Imagine a day without drinking a glass of water. You would probably be dry-mouthed, fatigued, and unable to live properly. In the same way, a day without the Lord is not worth living! DRINK HIM UP TODAY! Praise Him for His purity and ability to satisfy and sustain us.

Water exists everywhere on our planet, and I believe God had many purposes for this design. Not only does the whole condensation-precipitation-evaporation cycle allow life to continue, but I know that God placed water all around us as a reminder to rely on Him. It’s almost as if the water quietly whispers for us to spend intimate, quality time with the One who made us! So, when you gaze upon a rushing river, still lake, gleaming ocean, or just your bottle of water, be reminded that the Lord invites us to drink Him in. All day, every day. So, DRINK UP!!

Most of all, water is refreshing. So, physically and spiritually, be refreshed today. Take a moment to sip on a bottle of water and read a psalm and just allow the Lord’s providing hands to engulf you.

To add onto what I wrote about hunger last time, tonight I want to talk about filling ourselves with purity. Certainly, we must eat, physically and spiritually, when we are hungry. However, some foods will not sustain us or give us the strength or passion to live life abundantly. The power to live life to the fullest is in your hands. May this post be a nugget of wisdom that inspires you to indulge in the Lord’s unchanging Word.

Last summer, my mom, best friend, and I fasted for twenty-one days to pray for the upcoming school year by doing the “Daniel Diet.” This fast is taken from the book of Daniel, and we only ate fruits, veggies, and whole grains. No sugar, no dairy, and only water. Through this time span, God revealed so much to me. But one of the things I learned is that even though I was eating less, I was more full because everything I put in my mouth was in its purest form. And after several days, almonds and baked potatoes tasted like rich pound cake because of how pure each substance was that I put in my mouth. Several truths can be applied to our lives out of this example.

Physically, our bodies function most efficiently when we eat the most natural and healthful choices. We have all experienced that we are fulfilled and energized for a longer period of time when we eat a salad, grilled chicken sandwich, or apple than when we splurge with the hamburger, milkshake, and fries. What we put into our bodies directly determines how we will feel, what we will be capable of performing, and what our reactions will be. Not only does our food selection dictate our momentary decisions, it also ensures us good health for the future or brings us bad health. Clearly, we must be careful what foods we put into our bodies. I urge you, choose wisely what you eat! I always try to pick the healthy choice, although sometimes I fail miserably, especially at Don Juan’s. If you are deciding between an apple or cookie, pick the apple! It has more fiber, which will keep you more full for a longer period of time and possesses monumentally more nutrients.

On a more spiritual level, what we put into our minds and hearts determines how we live our lives. We have two options: be filled with the Spirit. Or be filled with the flesh. Logically thinking, why would we even want to be filled with our fleshly, sinful selves? Psalm 81:10 is a very special verse to me because I relate it to my Spanish-speaking quite often. However, it definitely applies in this case: “I AM the Lord your God. Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it.” What an incredible promise that when we place ourselves in a receptive position, we will be filled with the Lord.

What we consume will consume us. This could be a scary thought and one that assuredly causes me to question what I consume. If we spend all our time studying, school will be the fire in our lives. If we always spend time with those around us, our friends will consume our thoughts. If we spend countless hours getting ready and working out and making ourselves look perfect, we will be consumed with ourselves. Even a combination of these things suffocates the space that God desires in our hearts. Phil. 4:8 declares a life-changing statement: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” These are the categories of things that we should consume! I challenge you to filter your thoughts and actions through this test- I am CERTAIN that you will see changes in your countenance and overall attitude about life. This is a challenge I am issuing for myself as well.

Finally, I want to encourage you to get to know the Lord more intimately as you allow Him to fill you with all His fullness. Rom. 15:13 says, “May the God of hope FILL you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may OVERFLOW with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” God’s Word is sweet to the taste and overwhelmingly pleasing to the soul. Drink deeply of it today. Just like we must choose appropriate food choices for our health, we must choose what goes into our minds for our spiritual health. Select quality friends abounding in wisdom, activities that are directly glorifying to the Lord, and a passion for life that is fueled by being entirely consumed with the Lord-full of purity and love.

Therefore, be FILLED. Stop settling for substances and situations that are subpar. And when you do, watch and see your life transform. Comment please and tell me your thoughts because we must feed off of each other to grow to our full potential. Thank you for reading!

Imagine with me for a minute. It’s about noon, you haven’t eaten since breakfast, you’ve had a long morning full of work. What is that sensation you feel? That’s right. You’re hungry. Or, you’ve just enjoyed a nice afternoon work out, it’s getting close to dinner, and the grumble explodes in your stomach. You wake up in the morning, and the only thing you can think about is a full, delicious breakfast. That’s right, hunger strikes again.

Now, how do we handle hunger? That’s right. We eat! We LISTEN to our bodies and refuel our bodies for whatever the day entails. Aside from how incredible it is that our bodies literally communicate with us when they need something (take a moment and praise God for that!), when hunger rules our stomachs, it means that the body literally NEEDS caloric intake in order to keep functioning at an optimal pace. Of course, we should not overeat or eat foods that do not promote optimal health, but it is necessary that we give our body what it needs when it needs it- such as after a long day around meal time!

In the same way, our spirits long and hunger for the Lord, His presence, His word, and fellowship with His children. Can you imagine if you did not listen to your tummy rumbling when it is empty? Then, why do we ignore our hearts when they are hungry for God’s Word? I urge you, FEED YOUR HUNGRY SOUL! What happens when our bodies lack food for an extended period of time? We grow weary and famished and are unable to continue with the rigorous pace we live. Similarly, when we suspend our intake of the Lord and His Word, our souls grow weary and faint and depleted.

In my Personal Health class right now, we are learning about eating disorders. We watched a video of these women who weigh less than 100 pounds, refuse to eat, and are literally wasting away. Let’s commit to not be spiritually anorexic. In order to fulfill this commitment, several things must occur to be spiritually full! Firstly, reading the Word. Nothing is more filling and sustaining to our souls than a delicious chunk of Scripture. Secondly, we satisfy our spiritual hunger when we surround ourselves with Christians and FEED OFF of each other. God uses people to speak, so let’s speak to and receive instruction from our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Take a moment to read Psalm 63 right now. This states that our souls and our bodies long for Christ and hunger for Him, and He faithfully satisfies us as with the richest of foods. Hunger is something that is satisfied for a time, yet our bodies and souls need to be filled several times per day. We need to LISTEN to our spirits and fill them when they are empty.

So I leave you with this message, a simple yet life-changing truth: EAT WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY! Physically and spiritually!

As I write, I literally have none of these words planned out before I write, and it’s miraculous how the Lord takes control of my fingers on the keyboard! Please leave me your thoughts or questions, physically or spiritually. I have many, many more inspired ideas to come soon, so keep reading!

Hello friends! Tonight I am writing a topic that is very dear to my heart because I have lived it and constantly rely on it each and every day. This entry can directly affect you spiritually and physically, and if you heed this advice, your wellness in life will undoubtedly rise!

Isn’t the sleep cycle a peculiar thing? Isn’t it fascinating how our bodies require sleep? Don’t you wonder why we get sleepy at night and we wake up in the morning? Our bodies divinely operate on a mechanism called circadian rhythm. This rhythm releases certain hormones at appropriate times, resulting in a response in the body. In our bodies, we have a hormone that causes drowsiness, called melatonin. Due to our circadian rhythm, our bodies release melatonin in higher amounts during the night hours. For example, babies highest melatonin levels are between the hours of midnight and 8 AM.

Not only is this circadian rhythm important, but our response to its signal is as well. Our bodies function best on eight hours of sleep per night, especially when these hours are on a regular sleep schedule. As a college student, eight hours of sleep per night is unrealistic to be honest! However, I recognize the importance of listening to my body and getting as much sleep as possible. Not only will our minds be drowsy, but our body systems decrease their efficacy when sleep is lacking. Therefore, I encourage you to sleep often and regularly! Try to get AT LEAST six hours of sleep per night and on a schedule if possible! For example, I go to bed between midnight and 1 AM most nights and wake up to my precious sister’s phone call at 7:30 every morning to start my day! Be creative and realize that your body’s health is at stake!

On a more spiritual note, rest is a topic often mentioned in the Bible and one that is essential to our faith. Ps. 62:5 states, “Find rest, o my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.” Our peace and rest can come ONLY from the Lord. Matthew 11:28 declares, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” What an incredible promise this is. What would it look like if we lived this out? What would it look like if we embraced Christ’s rest each day? Traffic would no longer be stressful. Tests would no longer seem ominous. Deaths would no longer cause dissention in our souls. Relational issues would be overcome with the peace that passes all understanding. The future would no longer be fear-filled. Our lives would radically transform.

Go ahead and check out Hebrews 4. The author of Hebrews describes the Sabbath-rest for God’s people. Although now is not the time to get into the Sabbath and such (although feel free to comment!), some important principles can be taken from this passage. Entering Christ’s rest means entering into His salvation and into union with Him. This unfathomable rest comes with salvation. All we have to do is execute it, putting ourselves aside and embracing Christ’s powerful rest. Verse 11 says, “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest.” Praise the Lord for His salvation and eternal rest!

As I’m writing this, I typed in the word “rest” on Biblegateway.com, and the Lord is revealing something very unique to me as I am typing. This search came up with 496 references to the word “rest.” However, more verses had the word “restore” in them than “rest.” This brings up the most key point of resting in Christ. Restoration in our lives, with each other, and in Christ can only happen through deeply resting and abiding in Him. The Lord undoubtedly desires to restore our souls completely to Him. This is imperative to understand: spiritual growth will not happen unless we are physically rested. The two are inevitably intertwined. Therefore, if your body’s physical health does not motivate you to sleep, your relationship with Jesus Christ should. So many opportunities are before us, if we only seek Him and faithfully obey. However, we must be in the right state, physically and spiritually, in order for this to happen. Sleep is sometimes the most spiritual act you can do!

This concept is so special to me because I wore myself out in high school. I did too many activities and did not get enough sleep. The ONLY way for me to get through the day was for me to rest in the Lord constantly. If I did not rely on Him or rest in Him throughout the whole day, I would be way too exhausted at the end of the day. Therefore, I exort you to not let rest only be a nighttime activity! But we can find rest all day, every day! Feel free to comment and tell me your thoughts and ideas!

In that case, I encourage you to take a few moments to rest and abide in Christ. To rest in His favor. His glory. His plan. His perfect peace. His redemption. His sovereignty. His provision. His purposes. His promises. His truth. His salvation. His Word. His people. His kingdom. His patience. Just take a deep breath and rest in His everlasting arms.