Spiritual Fitness & Living With Chronic Pain

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to reflect upon the occurrences over this past year. For many, times have been rather difficult, marked by financial devastation and filled with painful afflictions. Yet, in the midst of it all, can we really profess that we are thankful?

This is a question that you’ll have to answer yourself. As for me, I’ll cogitate.

My thankfulness about life is deeply rooted in God. “O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! O fear the Lord, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no want” (Psalm 34:8-9, NASB).

From connectedness with God, I thank Him for who He is and the gifts He has given me, aside from eternal life. He has demonstrated great love toward me by pairing me with a beautiful bride, whose name is Cherise Selley. We’ve been married now twelve years, and it seems like yesterday when we first met. Cherise and I seem to be entering into an unusual season of change. Although I am very thankful for my boys, Jake (20) and Kris (17), this entry centers on my appreciation for my marriage.

Being married to Cherise is like having a spiritual fusion between each other and with God. Cherise and I are as one, walking together through life, hand in hand, talking with each other instead of at each other, and integrating intimately instead of selfishly. It’s great because it’s the result of working out our marriage through seasons of difficult challenges, as most of you can surely relate to. All in all, I’m thankful for our indivisible bond of love and I praise God for my wonderful partner. Cherise, I love you!  Thank you for being you.  You epitomize relational friendship and I thank God for how He is using you for His purpose.

This is my last blog until next week. Jake and I are headed to Texas to join Cherise, Kris and our newfound friend, an Australian Shepherd puppy. Cherise couldn’t resist.  The first phase of our trip entails warmhearted greetings from my very kind and thoughtful mother-in-law; her name is Bettye.  She has a way of making everyone she meets to feel very special.  And for the second part of the trip, it’s off to the ranch, where Cherise’s dad and family will host an extravaganza of Thanksgiving delectables.

Hope your Thanksgiving proves meaningfully connected. We’ll converse soon…

Thank you for Cherise

Since my last few blogs have addressed the interrelationship between healing and God, I’ve had some questions brought to my attention about how one might actually hear the voice of God when dealing with pain. To answer this question fully and to give justice to its integrity, I would have to author an entire book, and perhaps more, about this subject matter. Nonetheless, this is a blog, not a book. So not to abuse this format, I’ll offer nuggets of truth to tickle your interests. Consider what I write as personal testimony about how God has spoken into my soul throughout the years. This does not mean that He will speak into your life exactly the same way, but I do take comfort knowing this. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5, NASB). Let’s get started…

Before you can actually hear from God, you must have faith. I’m not referring to faith in material things or in persons of greater intellect or ability or in celestial predictions or in Hollywood movies or in self-determination or in multi-worldviews, just to mention a few. Specifically, your faith must be rooted in Jesus Christ. It’s a conversion process. Major Ian Thomas, a classical writer, states, “Conversion is ‘man-to-Godward,’ and redemption is ‘God-to-manward.’” In essence, you must have this type of indwelling connection with God before you can really hear Him.

I’ve learned how to hear His voice by developing spiritual sensitivity. At first when I became a Christian, my spiritual senses were undeveloped. There were times I thought that I had heard from God, and most likely, what I thought I had heard was interpreted as the best source of goodness within my own heart. As a result, I acted immaturely to this prompting; thinking all the while, if I did good deeds or sacrificed generously, then it must be God doing something within my inner being. Although the motives might have been chivalrous, the outcomes failed to integrate with who God was and what He wanted to do with my life. On the other hand, I’ve had the opposite responses to mistaken voices from the divine, specifically with how it relates to the fear of the Lord. Whenever I felt like I needed to shape up the sinful parts of my life, I would listen to the guilt and condemnation part of my own conscience, trying to become what I thought God wanted of me. Needless to say, mimicking righteous behaviors simply fueled an inner and unspoken rebellion toward Him. Eventually, I’d revert back to my former ways of living, giving into my carnal desires, and temporarily giving up on religious conditioning. It was all too suffocating to try to turn into what I thought God wanted my image to project. Sound familiar of your Christian experience?

God communicates by words of truth, which are found in His scripture, directly through the Holy Spirit into your immaterial being.

Regarding truth, after suffering mightily with physical and emotional pain, I realized I could no longer try to take God’s words and conveniently apply them for the betterment of my life. Religion is not a self-improvement course on Sundays. God wanted relationship with me instead. Rather than the words in the Bible fitting my lifestyle on my terms, I took the harder route of trust by surrendering my life to God and allowing my whole being to be changed by His Word. At this juncture, my spiritual hearing improved immensely, being able to comprehend some of His ways.

To hear from God is not an exact science in terms of how we receive and deliver verbal communication among each other. God never spoke into my soul in the form of lengthy paragraphs framed by the English language. Small profound thoughts, perhaps one word or two, might plop into my mind, causing a ripple effect throughout the rest of my being. His thoughts have been poignant but not condemning. Inspiration seems to proceed against fear and obstacles. God’s form of communication is higher and almost unexplainable, as there is a mental overlapping between God and the spiritual nature of man about His truth.  His Holy Spirit who indwells the reborn spirit of man teaches you and leads you and sanctifies you and guides you as He clears the pathway of this world for something bigger, brighter and eternal. The call of God will lure you into irreversible transformation.  No doubt about it, if Spirit led, you will clearly have the ears to hear His message about love.

These are just a few observations about the process of developing enriched spiritual hearing.

Keep me on your favorites.  Please click onto www.gordonselley.com for more information about living with chronic pain, as well as spiritual healing.

Gordon & Cherise wait upon the Lord

Friday “Q&A’s”…

 Q: How long do I have to wait before God decides to heal my pain?

A: I don’t know specifically, only God really knows. But I do have one particular thought for you to consider that might bring some insight to your question.

How long have you placed expectations upon God for your healing? I ask this question because unmet expectations further lead to unrelenting anger and bitterness, especially if you experience daily pain and see little hope for recovery. When canvassing the desert with physical and emotional pain, it’s quite easy to confuse some things regarding the subjects about faith and healing when thirsting for relief.

When we place our hope in the act of healing, it’s like putting it into the hope of money to solve our financial problems. Although money or manna might provide temporary solutions, these certainly do not penetrate the root to all answers, nor do these material suggestions adequately express the nature of spirituality with God. Why not go straight to the healing source for answers? The origin of spirituality with God happens through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. When connecting with His divine nature, you will then connect with the quintessential entirety about healing. It’s at this juncture where you will discover the truthful meaning behind your painful trials, giving you poise about the timing of redemptive healing.

On a personal note: You’re not alone when expressing this question. In fact, I reached the exact same point in my own personal struggles against pain when I cried out to God, asking of Him about His ability to intervene and His seeming silence toward my request. I found some answers in scripture, specifically found in the book of Jeremiah.

In the first part of the next verse, the Lord responds. God basically states, if we return to Him and give up this mistaken tone of distrust and despair, He will restore us. Essentially, we are to cleanse our own hearts from unworthy and unwarranted suspicions about God’s faithfulness. And for me, this word convicted me to the core of my beliefs. After grieving about my doubtful attitude about God, He placed His calling upon me. It was at this very precise moment that true healing actually commenced.

Please feel free to read many other blogs and articles, especially the November 8^th blog, which are relevant to this subject matter. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to write again.

Please keep me on your favorites.  Click onto www.gordonselley.com for more information about living with chronic pain, as well as spiritual healing.

Imagine this…If God were to die today and remove Himself from everything in the universe, would your life be any different? And relative to the construct of healing, do believe you could be healed without God?

Personally, I believe many people would continue the worldly grind without noticing whether or not God was either alive or dead. As evidenced within Christendom today, I believe it would be business as usual, trying to balance the books while keeping the membership numbers in the growth column. Of course, I’m speaking in relative terms to the majority. However, let me make it clear that there are some very devoted churches and ministries that would definitely realize the absence of God if the hypothetical were actualized.

Relative to healing, our medical system doesn’t really recognize God as the arbiter of our ailments. Most treatment approaches rely strictly on medical science, formulating an accurate diagnosis then followed by appropriate treatment measures to ameliorate the pain condition and concurrent symptomatology. If at all, God seems to be mentioned merely as the last hope option when all else fails, as seen with terminal conditions. As far as the church, a giant chasm between doctrines exists among the denominations. On one side of the spectrum, there is the firm belief that the healing gifts have already ceased after being used during a few brief biblical periods, and on the polar opposite, charismatic dogma, steeped in faith-based belief, purports acts of modern-day miraculous healing. Regardless, the danger of professional agenda without reliance upon God renders the idea of holistic healing ineffective.

So would we really recognize whether or not if God were dead today? This is not an unfathomable question. Over 1,950 years ago, the apostle John, through his Patmos vision, heard a message about this as it pertained to the church at Sardis. When this man-made institution deliberately skipped passed God in its works, nothing of the spiritual life remained. “…I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Revelation 3:1b). Basically, our culture does likewise, intending to do good works comparable to the practice of healing medicine, then has turned in the opposite direction running as quickly as possible from God. Not much has really changed from this vision nearly two millennia ago.

In a nutshell, if God were actually dead, nothing recognizable about life would be upheld or sustained. Everything is attached to its Creator which is God. If God were actually dead so would be mankind and all of creation. Therefore, let’s wake up from complacency about faith, even as it pertains to something like healing. Splash water on your face and become sober-minded about holistic health. Without including God in the healing process, our attempts to reduce pain and suffering will produce nominal results and more importantly, our unbelief will mislead our hurting culture down the pathway of destruction. God is alive and will never die. He is integrated within every part of your being, waiting to heal you permanently.

Keep me on your favorites.  Please click onto www.gordonselley.com for more information about living with chronic pain, as well as spiritual healing.

Good Morning!  It’s early here – around 7:00 am. Mountain time.
 
I’ve been awake for hours due to pain.  Right when I’m soaring like an eagle, my being becomes tested again, like a silversmith taking his fiery blowtorch to a sword, then wiping away the dross and doing the process over and over until you can see your reflection clearly from the silver in the armor.
 
How do I really cope?  No medications today.  I’m exhausted.  But I pray and praise God for many of His comforting words in scripture.  His syllables and vowels and verbs are alive this morning, such as found in one of His verses, “This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me” (Psalm 119:50, NASB).
 
On the way to the office this morning I stopped by Starbuck’s.  On the adjacent road from the store, a large buck apparently crossing the street was struck by a Toyota 4-Runner.  The truck was totaled by the collision with the deer.  As for the deer, he laid on the side of the road with his head tilt because of the huge size of his rack. Perhaps somewhat exhausted and fatigued by some recent deaths, I shed a few tears as the manager of the Starbuck’s store looked my way and acknowledged likewise.  Recently, she lost a family member and we have exchanged our stories and have openly shared our grief.  By the way, she always treats me well, making my morning cocktail perfectly. 

 
As tragic as this incident was this morning, it serves as a reminder about the shortness of life. And also, it punctuates the point that we need to live each day as fully as possible. As for the connections we make, it’s quite apparent that suffering creates an indivisible bond of friendship, whereby we can fully appreciate life more so even when witnessing death.
 
So today, I choose to rejoice, not complaining or dwelling in self-pity.  I share this personally with you to explain the reality of life for Gordon Selley.
 
Keep me on your favorites. Click daily for updates about living with chronic pain and spiritual healing at www.gordonselley.com.

 
To your health, Gordon Selley

Where things really go awry in our lives lies in a place called independence. Ever since I can remember I’ve been taught to be independent, to carve out my own personal niche and professional pathway of success in this world. Some old clichés of recommendation ring from my past…Get a stellar education. Never owe anyone anything. Take care of your family. Do the right thing. Invest in your future retirement. Live generously. And, oh by the way, live for God. These themes of independence literally butt heads with the notion of living for God. Because living for God requires a courageous faith to emphatically relinquish our independent spirit and to become entirely dependent upon Him.
 
What does suffering do for us? Simply, it shreds any foundation of independence. Whether physical or emotional, pain has its razor-sharp blade sawing away at our sense of self-sufficiency, all the while working a miracle of redemption within our inner soul.
 
We know we have arrived when we no longer crave an independence from God. Usually this is when God restores to us all that makes the mystery of godliness an open secret, in which the presence of a living God dependently resides within the core of our humanness. It’s powerful and frankly, difficult to sometimes fully comprehend because of its infinite features.
 
When God really made Himself available to man, for what purpose did He do so? For dependency and interconnectedness between God and man that would be fully enriched by unconditional love. 
 
We know God did not re-connect with man after The Fall so that mankind might have physical life. We already have that, along with its aches and pains and deteriorating regression until death. God’s real purpose for re-connecting with man deals centrally with transformation. Through His Son, God sent redemption via the cross so that man might have spiritual life. Succinctly, this is regeneration, restoring the death of the human spirit to one of full and everlasting life.
 
The next time you find yourself complaining about painful difficulties, think of something truly healing and beyond your impulse of independency. Ponder on the wonder of being dependent upon God. This form of praise will lift you in joy from the pit of despair.

Keep me on your favorites.  Please click onto www.gordonselley.com for more information about living with chronic pain, as well as spiritual healing.

Spiritual Thinking

Yesterday I had lunch with a good friend of mine who is a ministry leader. We usually talk about a variety of topics; albeit, most of our discussions revolve around spiritual things. Today our conversation migrated toward the thing we sometimes do a lot, which is to judge others when we really shouldn’t. And oftentimes this occurs unintentionally but still stirs the pot of criticism and cynicism. Whether we care to admit it or not, nearly all of us tend to do this today. As for myself, God is working on my heart specifically about this issue. I’m asking Him to purify and cleanse me from this detestable habit. It only fuels the brain with unhealthy content.

Why is judging others so bad, especially when given the gift of discernment as I have been granted? Frankly, because judgment acts like poison when poured into our bloodstream. When we judge others we obfuscate the truthfulness about our whole being. In other words, by judging others we block our ability to fully grow and produce good fruits. It’s kind of like this. By judging others, we stagnant the intended growth God has for our souls. We actually become imprisoned by our own condemnation of others. Simply, our love, slowly but surely, grows cold toward mankind.
 
In essence, when we judge others, the idea of superiority and pride try to control the weaker people who also share our beliefs. That certainly wasn’t the intention of Jesus’s gospel, to chain and control others for our own self-awareness. On the other hand, we are supposed to help those less fortunate and build up those who are weaker in knowledge and in love. Collectively, as a community of believers, we are only as strong as our weakest link.
 
My friend and I discussed this commonly practiced habit in terms of healing. How do you stop judging others when our world around us is full of twisted worldviews and moral laxity? This is very difficult to do on your own restrictive efforts. It’s like trying to control our tongue when it is untamed, which is virtually impossible.
 
God impressed upon my spirit two words, “Repent and Believe.” I’ve been repenting greatly over this past month and it’s like I’m sensing the chains of bondage starting to break. Repenting of sin empowers our attraction toward self-denial, which then frees us to worship God in full disclosure of honesty. It’s fantabulous because it shows us the illuminating power of God who is within us. His perfection will heal any kind of misgiving. The secret behind transformation and breaking free from sin, such as judging others, is to remain connected with God at all times. Likewise, He promises that He is always with us, never leaving us under any circumstance, especially in light of our propensity to foolishly sin.

Keep me on your favorites.  Please click onto www.gordonselley.com for more information about living with chronic pain, as well as spiritual healing.

Right now, take a moment and listen closely to your body speak. Do you physically experience the noise of pain and feel its attempt to rob your life? In regards to feelings, I’m going to address how emotions influence our ability to cope with chronic pain.
 
William Young, the author of the fiction book, “The Shack” writes, “Emotions are the colors of the soul; they are spectacular and incredible. When you don’t feel, the world becomes dull and colorless.” Sound or feel familiar? And when you’re feeling lousy because of pain, the grays become grayer instead of becoming brighter.
 
Are we supposed to rely solely on our emotional responses, especially those that appear to make us feel better, to discern the truth about something, even in the context of pain? As a matter of fact, no we shouldn’t.
 
Simply, our emotions respond to what appears to be true about a given situation, even if our impressions lead us down the wrong path or far away from friends, family and God. Let me explain another way. From our wounded nature, we tend to hide in the lies that we create that allow us to feel better about ourselves. Sometimes our emotional responses react to false coping mechanisms, like addictions, prideful lies, fantasy-thinking, avoidance and destructive patterns.
 
Your mind, your will and your emotions are connected with your body. Renew your mind to strengthen your inner continuity. In other words, gain knowledge and truth mentally, and then let your emotions paint that beautiful canvas in your heart which expresses your uniqueness, responding to what is really true instead of upon false perceptions.

Keep me on your favorites.  Please click onto www.gordonselley.com for more information about living with chronic pain, as well as spiritual healing.

Fridays are now designated as “Q&A” time, in which I’ll respond to your questions about living with chronic pain, weight loss, spiritual healing, lifestyle challenges and anything else pertinent to these subjects. Feel free to send your questions through my contact information, understanding your authorship of questions will be kept confidential. Thanks for your participation…

Q-Typical Scenario:

Okay I believe in God. What’s vision matter when I’m in a lot of pain? I’m exiting midlife and really don’t feel like competing against the next generation in the work force. Besides, hardly any jobs pay enough for me to cover the bills. Everything has gone downhill, including my marriage, my body weight, finances and the idea of retirement. Frankly, I’m tired of the same old thing about church. I’ve done that routine over the past two or three decades without any real change happening. Nothing seems possible anymore, just look at the despicable condition of our country. How do I find real purpose for my life?

A-Response:
Meant with the best of intentions, get a new life! Let me further explain. What’s it going to take for you to break your old ways of living? Haven’t you had enough? Are you really ready to do something new about your circumstances?

Although your situation typifies the downward spiral of many people these days, it doesn’t mean that you have to become part of the statistic of hopelessness, especially if you truly believe in God. It would be correct advice but non-participatory on my behalf, suggesting that you dig into the scriptures to get knowledge about God and your life. All of the answers to everything are contained between Genesis 1 through Revelation 22:21. Just read and believe. This approach to helping you is unrealistic and relationally sterile. Let me present a nugget of truth that can get you started down the right path.

In order to get a new life, you have to lose your old one. And maybe more fitting, you have to deliberately forsake it for newer ways of thinking and doing things. This starts when you really believe in Christ and firmly make every effort to walk in His faith. As a result, God’s grace enables you to effectively wipe the slate clean and to begin fresh and new, regardless of how bad things might seem to appear. Your supreme reality is not to keep up with the frenzied pace of this world. And furthermore, it is not about finding out who you are amidst worldly brokenness. Don’t go backwards with doing the same old thing. Don’t try to make positive corrections with ineffective strategies.

Move forwards toward God, in which you will find your true identity and eternal purpose. When you seek God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength, then He will provide everything else that is needed to sustain your life.

Instead and ultimately, from the reference of your current state of brokenness, first, you can discover who God really is, not just theoretically but realistically, because He is with you in your troubles, and then you can take off the pretend masks of image.  In essence, knowing and fearing the Lord Jesus Christ becomes the beginning of all of your thinking, the realistic thinking that will direct your life in real purpose. I know it sounds abstract at first. But once you forfeit control over your failures and really begin to trust in God with them, you’ll see the concrete and practical meaning behind your circumstances.

This takes time! It’s not a quick fix. Transformation doesn’t occur within the snap of your fingertips. But remember, there is nothing more valuable you can do with your time than to put your faith in God. Walking by faith carries no blueprints for perfect living. There are no guarantees for a pain-free existence. However, walking by faith can transform your marriage, your body image, as well as your finances and your outlook about retirement. It’s better to see things through the eyes of God rather than through our narrow perspective of humanism. Your renewed state of “being” will open doors to your new pursuit of “doing.”

Keep me on your favorites.  Please click onto www.gordonselley.com for more information about living with chronic pain, as well as spiritual healing.

For me, one of the most destructive thoughts I’ve struggled with during my bouts with chronic pain involves that of options. Whenever my options become limited to the point of really having none left, this is when discouragement sets itself deeply within my heart. It’s like being tightly trapped into a corner with no place to go. Every worthwhile and productive possibility about life seems to get easily wiped out when faced with debilitating pain.

Regardless, we can’t wait until the time when we are completely healed before we start living again. And for some of us, that time might never arrive while taking up space on this planet.

So what do we do to create more options against horrific pain and fatigue? I encourage you to renew your mind. In other words, you may very well require a mental u-haul job in order to glean different perspectives about your circumstances. If you assuredly have no more remaining options about your life challenges, then I boldly recommend considering the option of faith.

In spite of overwhelming odds against you, your faith in God will definitely make an appreciable difference about your options.

For example, take Gideon in the book of Judges. Essentially, 300 men went into battle against 135,000 fully armed troops. The odds makers would’ve stayed far away from betting on the 300 to overtake and defeat the 135,000. Yet, that is exactly what happened. God loves the underdog who is weak and weary. This is when having unwavering faith in Christ empowers His grace to be fully sufficient in your circumstances.

I’ll cite another example. This one is personal to my story and is probably something closer to your struggles. Relative to my financial circumstances for years, I’ve been unable to return to work at my former occupation or for that matter, literally any type of job, especially something that was structured on a full-time basis. Does this mean that our family had to exclusively live off of minimal Social Security benefits? Of course not – we thoroughly explored additional options unfamiliar and uncomfortable to our ways of thinking. You might say that we pursued other options outside the box.

If we had dwelt tightly in the corner of governmental support only, poverty would’ve surely become the outcome for our lives. Instead, Cherise, who is my wife, and I decided to live by faith, giving this situation entirely to God. As a result, we reconstructed our family dynamic and started a real estate company about twelve years ago – which by the way has since become a very successfully profitable business. Cherise deserves all the credit. Notwithstanding, we worked creatively and innovatively together around my physical limitations and fatigue, managing a tremendous business, raising two boys and participating in several ministries. Believe me; the odds were highly against our attempts for a purposed lifestyle. But in the end, after hard toil, everything has worked out marvelously, requiring new vision and deliberate living on a daily basis.

No matter how difficult things seem, your options have not run out, especially when living life by faith.

Keep me on your favorites.  Please click onto www.gordonselley.com for more information about living with chronic pain, as well as spiritual healing.