Marisa Gronholz::Spiritual Health for Moms

To open our MOPS season with a bang, we had UPC's own Marisa Gronholz talk to us about "engaging the spiritual disciplines." There are quite a few, but Marisa guides us through each one while including helpful identifiers we may need to point out areas for spiritual growth.

Click HERE for the recording of Marisa's talk.

Enjoy!

 

What are Spiritual Disciplines?

“Our task is not to transform ourselves, but to stay connected with God in as much
of life as possible. As we pay attention to the nudges of the Holy Spirit, we become
disciples of Christ. Our task is to do the connecting, while God does the perfecting.
We connect with God through Spiritual Disciplines.” –Jan Johnson

 

We've all heard the "Oxygen Mask" analogy (place yours on first before helping others or else you'll be NO HELP!). The thing is...yes, you have to put it on. But you have to put it on the right way. Spiritual disciplines help hone that "right way" of being in tune with God and truly engaging in his work in your life.  So...

 

ORTHOPRAXY: "right practice"

Think about..."What am I? Introvert/extrovert? What is my life like right now?"

“The question we need to ask ourselves in any spiritual discipline is, ‘What does God want to
accomplish in me through this practice?”—Marjorie Thompson  

 

::MEDITATION

“Meditation is the ability to hear God’s voice and obey God’s word. What happens in meditation is
that we create the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary
in the heart.” Renovare ministries

HELPFUL FOR: 

   -stimulation overload 

   -discernment 

   -confusion 

   -feeling overwhelmed   

 

::PRAYER

“The interactive conversation with God about what we are doing together.”-Renovare Ministries
 

HELPFUL FOR IF YOU:  

   -are feeling disconnected from God 

   -need discernment 

   -are overwhelmed with your life and/or the cares of the world 

   -don’t know what to do about ____     

::FASTING

“The voluntary denial of an otherwise normal function for the sake of intense spiritual
activity. Spiritual, not about others. Is is God-initiated and God centered.”—Renovare

 

HELPFUL FOR IF YOU ARE:

   -feeling addicted to social media or other media

   -are in a bad pattern or habit
   -a word about food and drinks—if you struggle with food disorders or alcohol—there is
other help available and this discipline would not be helpful in those cases

::STUDY

“ The mind taking on an order conforming to the order of whatever we concentrate upon. The
discipline of study is not about amassing information. Experience it, learn from it, be changed by it.
Study books, nature, relationships, events and cultural values as well as the Bible.”—Richard Foster

HELPFUL FOR IF YOU:
   -feel bored by motherhood
   -feel like you aren’t experiencing life to the full
   -are missing what your life used to be before kids

::SIMPLICITY

“An inward reality that results in an outward lifestyle. Simplicity results in a joyful unconcern for
possessions. Possessions are viewed as gifts, the focus is on stewardship and making our goods
available to others.” --Renovare
HELPFUL FOR IF YOU:
   -are struggling with materialism
   -feel envy
   -feel overwhelmed by “stuff”
   -are misplacing and losing things a lot 

::SOLITUDE

“An open relational space for being found by God and freed from competing loyalties”--Ortberg
HELPFUL FOR IF YOU:
   -have had too much people time
   -feel distracted and pulled in too many directions
   -are struggling to hear God over all of the noise
   -need a social media or news “ break”
   -are totally “done” with your kids/husband/some form of the two! 

::SUBMISSION

“ The discipline which forces us to let go of the burden of always needing to get our own way.”
–Jan Johnson
HELPFUL FOR:
   -if you struggle with being controlling
   -if you struggle with trusting others 

::SERVICE

“The many little deaths of going beyond ourselves, which produces in us the virtue of humility,
hospitality, loving-kindness, giving up the need to be in charge.”--Renovare
HELPFUL FOR:
   -if you struggle with being stingy with your time, talents, or treasure
   -you long to use your talents and gifts outside of your mothering
   -you struggle with being controlling 

::CONFESSION

“Experiencing the grace and mercy of God for healing the sins and sorrows of the
past.”--Foster

HELPFUL FOR IF YOU:
   -you are struggling with guilt and shame
   -you are carrying the burdens of secrets
   -you feel alone

::WORSHIP/GRATITUDE

“Entering into the supra-natural experience, of the Shekynah, or glory, of God.” This isn’t just about
Sunday. It is about experiencing the glory of God every day with our gratitude for all that God has done for us."

“Gratitude goes beyond the 'mine' and 'thine' and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.” --Nouwen

HELPFUL FOR IF YOU:
   -you are struggling with feeling ungrateful

   -you feel lonely
   -you need to be reminded of who God is

::CELEBRATION

“A lifestyle of walking and leaping, and praising God (Acts 3:8) It is about having joy in
remembering and in marking milestones.” --Renovare

HELPFUL FOR IF YOU: 

   -feel lonely and alone but long for relationships
   -are struggling with ingratitude
   -feel like life is moving too fast
   -feel overwhelmed with the “bad” of our world

FURTHER DISCUSSION

• Of all of these, what are one or two that you sense God might be calling you to practice? Why do you sense that is?
• How would you need to INTEND for that to happen? What would you need to do? Who would you need to ask for help or resources?