Category: Healthy Living

Nature: A Gift that Gives Back

On By Ashley GatewoodIn Bread & Butter Morsels, Healthy LivingLeave a comment

Super tree structures, in Singapore’s Tree Grove garden

“We may think of nature as being unconnected to our urban spaces. But trees have always been an essential part of successful cities.”

Why Cities Need Trees, TEDEd shortdoc

God’s Ideas Work

The idea of letting things function as intended – how God created them to function – has become a point of political contention. It should instead be celebrated for the pure wisdom that it is. As the population of the earth grows, we need to put more thought in how we develop our environment around us. Culture always leans more to profit than to sustainability. I think there’s room for both.

History has many lessons to teach us – we just aren’t listening. We aren’t paying attention.

Below is a great little video about how important it is for communities to work in harmony with nature to create the best possible outcome for us and for our environment. And coming from me, I can assure you, that is no political statement.

I believe God, who created everything, knows exactly how to balance the earth and all her complex inner-workings, even after all the destruction humans have caused. So why don’t we let nature do her thing so we can all live happier lives while we are here? Is it greed? Is it lack of foresight? We have plenty of history to guide us in more fruitful directions. Perhaps it is the need for gain that leads us to destroy nature for profit.

Money is not the nature of evil. So much good can be done with money. It is the LOVE of money that is the nature of evil. This mentality is one that will destroy all just for financial gain or power.

Singapore’s Tree Grove

I pray we don’t become like Easter Island, or Uruk as mentioned below, or any people who thought nature was only for personal profit and not respect it as the brilliant idea God intended it to be.

To have nature work for us, and thereby profit us without destroying it, just seems like the best idea to me.

Instead we pave over everything, build over everything and we don’t do it in sustainable ways. For instance, Singapore has constructed manmade tree terraces, if you will, but they serve a ‘green’ purpose by acting as solar power energy and also allowing nature to grow up the structures, thus providing a cooler shade than brick and concrete buildings. Not to mention they take it further as a practice in sustainability.

You can read more about Singapore’s Tree Grove here: Gardens by the Bay

For the Greater Good

I wish that the topic of nature hadn’t become so politicized. (Everything it seems has become politicized.) How admirable to see when thoughtful people actually do something for the greater good of everyone; using nature to give back to the people in a community instead of hijacking an opportunity to line one’s own pockets. Generosity – it’s rare nowadays.

Most of the time we only see huge companies taking advantage of what should be something communal and beneficial, and instead turning it for a profit – pitching the idea like it was for the people to begin with: here’s this great thing for you, ladies and gentleman, and it will only cost you $$$ out of pocket whenever you want to enjoy it. What a deal!

Let’s be honest, most of the time only those with money can enjoy it.

But those few who do it for all, including the less fortunate; the ideas that are all inclusive for the benefit of the community and the environment…well…it doesn’t get more admirable than that.

Nature is a gift that will keep giving back in positive, beneficial ways.

National and Public Community Parks

One of the few places anyone could go and find solace in the year 2020 were parks. Albeit, even they were closed for a couple of months. Not being able to get out into nature was hard on the soul. Everything is connected and we are much healthier as individuals when we have access to nature. There’s something to be said for experiencing wide open spaces, starry skies and the sounds and smells of nature. Not to mention the therapeutic qualities of water in any form: rivers, streams, oceans…

Manmade is just a subpar trinket compared to God-made brilliance.

That’s why developing in these protected areas makes me nervous and of course, sad. Look what happened with Pigeon Forge in Tennessee. Now the same is being developed in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. The jobs it provides will be good income for struggling families, yes. But these people could move to another part of the state. Couldn’t they? Where do we draw the line on destroying nature to provide profit?

I think that being conscious of our impact on nature is simply good stewardship of all that God has given us to enjoy.

Anytime we can correct our mistakes as a society; turn our overdeveloped, manmade, unsustainable ideas back to nature, back to trees and gardens and open skies, we can only expect that nature will return a gift back to us in the form of increased health, happiness and greater connectedness overall.

And that has nothing to do with politics.

Featured Image by Timo Wagner 

How Positive Words Improve Your Health

On By Ashley GatewoodIn Healthy Living, Love:: Lifestyle:: HealthLeave a comment

The direction of your life will follow the words you choose to speak. It’s like when you’re driving, you follow the direction your eyes are focused on. Ever looked intently at that huge pothole saying ‘going to miss that one’ and instead you hit it dead-center? Same principle applies.

“A sound heart is life to the body, but bitterness is rottenness to the bones.” Proverbs 14:30

Be thoughtful of what you think of others in your heart. Sometimes we can hold unforgiveness which turns into bitterness after enough time has past without dealing with the feelings. Forgive so that you can be free. Unforgiveness is like a cage and can affect your own wellbeing while the person you are holding in unforgiveness is free and not bound by you at all. You in essence have bound yourself. Be good to you and forgive. It doesn’t mean what they did was okay, forgiving others doesn’t mean they didn’t do you wrong. It means you are saying ‘I release you into the hands of God so that I can be free of the thoughts and free of the bitterness and I’m going to move on with my life without this weight. I’m giving it all over to God’. Release the negative feelings and it will make room to begin again.

Kind words are like honey–sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. Provers 16:24

This sums it up. Be kind. It is one of the foundational expressions of love. Kindness is light, free and positive. Being mean comes from a very heavy place in our souls and leaves a bad taste in everyones mouth that sees us being cruel to others. If someone has done you wrong, turn them over to God’s justice. He works in mercy (which you probably don’t want to hear) but think of how many times you deserved worse, and God showed mercy to you. Be merciful to those who do you wrong. Speak kind words and let God deal with people in your life who are less than positive. Don’t fight fire with fire. Take the higher, healthier road.

 

My son my daughter, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
 Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
 For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh. Proverbs 4: 20-22

What this verse is referring to are the words of wisdom – that is – the words of God. Read his word. That is life to your soul and your body. God’s word is alive, not dead. It is active, not dormant. It’s living. So if you want active medicine for you soul and your body, devour his word daily!

The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18

Thinking ill will towards others can be detrimental to oneself. How to exact revenge for someone who has hurt you or paying back evil for evil will only get you in trouble. Release them over to God. They will reap what they sow – just as you will. Sow mercy, reap mercy. Show kindness, reap kindness. Use your words to bless others not tear them down and you’ll feel better overall that you have control over the negative things that happen to you.

A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

Be joyful! Don’t refrain but let your happy out for everyone to notice! Don’t be shocked when some people don’t like it – some people are just grumps that would rather stay stuck in their negativity. Don’t let them control you. Remember there are seasons for everything – but don’t ever lose the joy in your heart even through the bad times. Happiness, peace and joy are found in the Holy Spirit. Learn about God and relating to him and he will be your strength and joy through the good times and the bad times.

 

If you have questions or need direction on how to begin to make a change, don’t hesitate to contact me. Leave a comment or email me – you can also reach out on social media like Linked In or Google+. 

Love will get you to where you need to be~

The Power of Your Words

On By Ashley GatewoodIn Healthy LivingLeave a comment

One of the most powerful tools you have is your word.

The Bible describes the tongue as one of the smallest, yet most powerful parts of the body. Like a bit over the tongue of a horse moves its entire body in the direction you want it to go, so the tongue moves our entire lives and wellbeing in the direction of our words. Think that seems impossible? That your life is a result of your words? I’m going to show you how it is possible.

The tongue – your words – house incredible power within them. Why do you think God exalts his word over his name?  Have you ever had to have faith in yourself that you could get something done? Well so does God! It’s just that he has full authority and knowledge of himself and so the word he speaks goes forth without doubt or error to accomplish exactly what He sent it to accomplish. Have you ever caught yourself talking to yourself saying things like ‘you got this’, ‘you can do this’, ‘be strong’? God doesn’t have to do this; instead, he spoke it once and it is truth:

“so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 55:11

Done. He doesn’t have to build himself up like we do because he knows his word is good. Paul said we should build ourselves up on our holy faith. Which means we’ve got work to d0. God does not mince words and He takes them very seriously. What He speaks happens. If He were to say “Man this is a terrible day” then you can believe, it’s going to be one terrible day! But He understands himself and his power and the power of his words. And he tells us clearly that the power of the tongue holds death and life in it. He’s not joking. Let’s look at a few things we can do to start steering our lives in a more positive direction with good results.

Take a day and be cognizant of what you say.

Are your words overall positive, helpful and hopeful? Or are they negative, sarcastic and tainted with a hopeless outlook? Are the words you’re using building people (including yourself) up and encouraging? Or are they critical, dismissive and hurtful? The power of life and death are in the tongue. Proverbs 18:20

Is there a difficult situation you’re going through concerning another person? What you can start doing today is speaking positive and good words over them and the situation. Words are powerful and God hears them. Think about it; do you respond favorably to praise and encouragment? Then other people do as well. If we are biting and cutting others down then their demeanor will be overall downcast, angry and negative around us. Even if only as a self defense measure. It’s a reaction, like the instinct to stay alive, we close off to criticism. That should tell us that words are more powerful -affecting even the human body- than we perhaps thought. This goes for you as well, self talk is extremely important. Don’t put yourself down and be critical or negative of yourself. Learn how to be patient with yourself and forgive yourself. We are all growing and learning – God loves you and knows that we struggle. The Bible says his mercy endures forever. Know that.

Try to speak positive words over difficult situations.

I try to be aware of what I am saying as much as possible. We all can fall into a rut without realizing it – there’s something satisfying about speaking to someone about our trials and tribulations. There is nothing wrong in telling your story and seeking comfort from a trusted family member or friend. We have to be able to work through issues and someone else’s advice can be helpful. But just know that when you’re able to keep things positive you lead a healthier life. Talk through your problems and seek advice, but don’t degrade others or gossip about people. If you can limit this, you will feel much better, it’s a proven fact.

Stay positive – it releases positive energy.

I would also urge you not to get bogged down by this either. Saying you have a stomach ache is a whole lot different than saying I always get stomach aches. Stating what the current situation is, is not a problem. You have to communicate after all. But you can always speak peace over any situation – there is nothing false about speaking peace over your mind, your heart, your physical body or anything else. Stay positive – it releases positive energy (God knows this!) into everything around you. We are living breathing organisms and if God says you can speak life or death into something, you better believe you can. Let’s not kill the tender shoots of new beginnings or venturing into new projects you’ve never tried before. Practice patience and keep your outlook and words positive. I promise this will give you a much better, longer take-off area for changing your life.

Despise not small beginnings…