Then and Now

In week three, I rated myself as a 5 physically.  I really have made no progress physically in nutrition, but I am a work in progress.  I am in the planning phase, and this week, I plan on grocery shopping according to my family’s nutritional needs rather than based on the snacks and fatty foods that we crave.  We have been paleo (meat, vegetables, fruits, and nuts) before, and it really worked for us.  When I go grocery shopping this week, the only foods that will be brought into my home will have a positive nutritional value.  I guess I will be skipping out on the Oreos!

Psychologically, I rated myself as a 3-4 in week three.  Today, I would rate myself a 4-5.  There has been improvement because this class forced me to do some research.  When I have answers as to why I think a particular way, it raises my self-esteem, and the psychological aspect of me vastly improves.  It helps to know what I am talking about or at least think that I know.    

Spiritually is where I have seen the most improvement during these past 10 weeks.  In week three, I rated myself as a 1.  I would now rate myself as a 4.  I was able to research the many different sides of contemplative practices, and form my own opinion based on that research.  This helped to strengthen me spiritually.  While I never felt one way or the other about contemplative practices before this class, I now feel that I have developed an informed opinion.   While I have not read my Bible and prayed each day as I had planned, I feel that I have learned a lot that helps me spiritually.

I have not implemented all of the activities that I planned on in my daily life, but I will continue to work at it.  It is really a matter of time management for me.  I need to get up out of bed early to accomplish the practices that I need to make improvements.

Throughout this course, I really made an effort to participate in the contemplative practices.  They were mostly awkward for me.  I tried really hard to enjoy the benefits of these exercises.  Sometimes our own individual beliefs can interfere with our ability to succeed at certain things.  These practices just seemed strange to me.  I accidentally came upon some lectures on YouTube about Christian Contemplative Practices, and I looked at both angles.  Some people say that it can be incorporated into our Christian faith, and some said that it is impossible to incorporate it.  While I am certain many people find it to be helpful, I was unable to find any Biblical guidance that would encourage me to use these practices.  I know many people may not agree with me, and that is okay.  I understand that.  However, my own personal convictions are that contemplative practices are not meant for Christians to use.  That was a remarkable finding for me.  I was excited to research it and form my own opinion, and I have grown as a person from this class. 

I am happy to help anyone, and direct them toward more help based on his/her own beliefs.  If an individual is interested in contemplative practices, then I have some knowledge about it, and will be able to give him/her guidance towards success to integral health and human flourishing!  Thank you and God bless!

Amy L. Davis