It was the summer of 2015 and I was sick for the billionth time. No energy, feeling in the dumps, couldn’t shake a cough that seemed to be cracking open my chest, hardly sleeping, and couldn't think straight. Also, my restless leg syndrome was getting worse. It was a sucky summer. But I had a caring friend who gave me one of the best gifts I’ve ever received: two essential oils, lavender and lemon. Now, like many, I’ve heard about essential oils. I use to think, “Oh that’s cool but they’re kinda expensive for such little bottles of plant and tree oil.” Also, I had no clue what they were really used for; I just thought they were appealing in the idea that they drew people closer to nature and its natural properties. Yet, I slowly began learning more from my friend and her mom about how they heal our physical bodies, balance our emotions, and deepen our spiritual growth. At first I was hesitant, because it sounded like a New Age slogan! So I began to do my own research, not only as a history student who loves all various forms and eras involving history but also as a person strongly rooted in a faith that takes the Bible seriously. It turns out, essential oils are not a new way of thinking or form of improving one’s well being! In fact, it goes all the way back to ancient history, and was very much included in every day life. But oils weren't just some ancient practice either; they have been used for centuries. It is us contemporaries who are missing out. And, sure, scientific medicine and technology has greatly improved our life, but many of us are beginning to realize it was never meant to replace essential oils. There are some really great resources out there that will give you all the facts and amazing truths about essential oils on how they can change your life for the absolute better, but I am just gonna give you my story. And not just about essential oils, because they were the start to unpacking much more about health. Now, I don’t know about you, but I am kinda tired of hearing over and over how everything is messed up in our world, even if it is true. World hunger, human trafficking, political upheaval, terrorism, animal cruelty, harmful food processing, water pollution, taxes, your boss’ hatred for the UCLA Bruins, family arguments, breakups, and, oh, don’t forget about how we need to take Gregory the goldfish to the vet for the third time! I mean who else wants to hear that you’ve got something else wrong with your life and how the world you live in is about to end?! Show of hands? We give so much of our money, time, resources, dreams, and emotions into trying to make things better….. Sometimes we just get sick and tired of hearing that we have something else to work on, to make better, to change. The thing is that we can’t do it all, and nor were we really meant to understand it all. Each of us has our part to play. While some of us are called to discover the solutions, others are to spread the news, and others are to take part in making the solutions possible. We obviously live in a time with a ton of information at our finger tips, but have found very few answers to our questions. And many of those who are trying to sell an answer don’t even have an answer themselves! Anyway, I could go on and on but this is how I felt about my own health — I didn’t want to deal with it really because I had SO many other issues around me that I had to concentrate on. Yet…… I had no energy for these so called “other issues” I have to fill my life with. Long story short, I realized that I don’t need to be healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually so I could fill my life with more negativity that I somehow needed to fix; I need to be healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually so I can be equipped and capable to live out conquering the challenges I was created to overcome. If I cannot take care of me, how can I be capable of caring for others and meeting specific needs, while enjoying the blessings of victories? I took those two essential oils my friend gave me and used them everyday. I didn’t get sick once for a straight year and a half, and my restless leg syndrome went away! This past Christmas, my parents paid for my membership with Young Living Essential Oils, where I received a beautiful assorted package of different oils and a diffuser. I felt like the happiest person alive. I seriously cannot imagine life without my oils. They help me balance my well being in all aspects, even in ways I was not aware of until I learned more about essential oils. I still have a lot to learn but I know I am on the right track by simply using them. What I have come to learn is that your health is not another negativity in your life. In fact, focusing on your health can help you accomplish your destiny. Some people believe that health is only a “let’s live forever” goal, and it shouldn’t be, although living many years is a wonderful privilege. Health should be about preparing and equipping yourself to accomplish what God has for you in this life. What if God wants you to travel the world, but you're immune system is always poor and you don’t have the energy to pack and go all the time? Or, what if God wants you to help those who are emotionally hurt, but you haven’t dealt with your own emotional hurt so you can’t possibly imagine how you could help others? Obviously, I am talking about more than physical healing, although it can be connected. It’s not necessarily about how long you can go in this life, it’s about how well you live this life that has been given to you. Did you know that Jesus was a fan of oils?! That’s right ladies and gentlemen — over two thousand years ago, Jesus was teaching His disciples to heal those who were sick with prayer and OILS! I grew up being taught that anointing oil mentioned in the Bible was only a symbolic ritual of God’s grace, glory, healing, and sacrifice. And I still believe it is all these things, but I also believe it is way more than just symbolical. God knew before scientists figured it out (He created them soooo you knowwww), that essential oils have incredible healing properties that can only heal us positively, unlike pharmaceutical medicines. Want to hear something even crazier? Some scientists are even discovering that saying a prayer while putting on essential oils increases the chances of healing our bodies!!! Like what?! Anyway, I’ve been reading this crazy, amazing information in an introduction to a book called “Healing Oils of the Bible” by David Stewart, Ph.D. He says something that has been challenging me to learn more about not just my physical health, but how God reveals Himself through healing in all aspects: “Prayer can work without oils. Oils can work without prayer. When both are used together, each increases the power of the other such that their combined ability to heal is greater than the sum of the two. This is no coincidence. It was programmed into the oils by God from their creation. Prayer and oils were meant to be used together.” Becoming a member with Young Living has not only given me the purest oils in the world while helping thousands of people in poverty around the world (YL is apart of so many wonderful organizations), it has also given me resources to learn, like Stewart’s book. It has started me on a journey that I cannot turn my back on, and not because I am forced to but because I know enough now to know that I don’t want to return to my old lifestyle. It’s something I cannot be quiet about because I know everyone could benefit from this. We all have our own story about what caused or is causing us to think twice about our health. For me it was my skin. For a great portion of my life I suffered with severe acne. I was prescribed by doctors to take the harshest medication on the market (my acne was so bad a few years ago that my skin was turning blue and purple). It cleared my face quickly and I didn’t have acne for a couple of years, but I was left with the side effects. And my acne began to return last year with the same signs of having the potential to become just as bad. The doctors warned me this would happen and that I may have to go through a second treatment, but my kidneys were in the “danger zone” last time I was taking the meds and the sensitivity in my skin was so bad that I couldn’t imagine doing it again. They had no answers for why I had this sort of acne, just guesses. So I’ve been making the ultimate choice to go the natural route. The essential oils have really helped keep my acne at bay from increasing into severe acne, thank goodness! But the never ending struggle of black heads has caused me to do a lot of research, and it was through Young Living’s resources addressing the issue of toxins that began the research about how toxins are trying to escape my body through my skin. This has led me to discover that I need to detox my liver and support my enzymes that are harmed by toxins. Not only did I need essential oils to help flush toxins, but I needed to change my diet. Anddddd not only do toxins affect my skin, it affects my gut which affects EVERYTHING — my energy, my strength, my moods, my hormones, my immune system, my brain, etc. I had another friend who recommended I start taking collagen everyday to help the sensitivity in my skin (which I have been taking for a month so far and my sensitivity has decreased tremendously!), and this caused me to find Thrive Market. Thrive Market has allowed me to change my diet and buy products more affordably. I have only been using it for a month, yet that’s all I’ve needed to recognize that I can change my lifestyle at a good pace. Change doesn’t happen overnight, especially when it comes to health; however, each change is beneficial. Sometimes we are not emotionally affected by things until we are physically and mentally affected, and once we are affected emotionally, physically, and mentally don't we dare ever doubt that it won’t affect us spiritually. We need these four important aspects of our personal selves to be healthy so we can live the life we were meant to live. There are people, companies, and resources out there willing to help you. For me it has been Young Living and Thrive Market. Do yourself a favor: go buy a couple of essential oils from Young Living and/or try a 30 day free trial with Thrive Market. Just do it. Just start. Each change is beneficial, each change is a positive step away from negativity. And I promise that you will learn more about yourself, and not just your physical self. To order oils, go to https://www.youngliving.com and once you proceed to the checkout you can sign up as a member or a retail customer and once they ask who referred you, you can put my ID number ( 10768741 ) in the Enroller ID section. In the My Sponsor ID section you can put the ID number of whoever you want to assist you on this journey, which can also be me! To sign up with Thrive Market, you can click on this link to go their website: http://thrv.me/morningswithalicehealth Then download their amazing app, which I absolutely love! What’s amazing about these two companies is that they greatly reward people who get others involved, like I am doing right now, so that it makes it easier and easier to pursue a healthy lifestyle change. Their goal is to get everyone essential oils and healthy products so that everyone can live a better life. I am still on a journey to health. I am no where near having all the answers. I haven’t even seen the full potential of my healing in all of this, but I have all the confidence in the world knowing I am closer than I was before. That’s why I am writing this and sharing it with you. I will keep posting my findings and how I am growing, but I also want to hear from you! Have questions on how to start with Young Living or Thrive Market? Ask me in the comments! Have suggestions or advise? I am always open to learning! The best part about this journey is the community it has allowed me to meet and grow with, so let’s not give up. Let’s keep going even when we don’t find our destination or goal right away. Let’s be determined to find a balance of health, not just so we have a “balance of health” but so we can live out our destiny.
Of course, I have to share with you all an Alice in Wonderland quote, because…. Well, because that’s what I do. Anyway, I love this section of Through the Looking-Glass; it reminds me to persevere no matter what gets thrown at me because, gosh darn it, finding that “garden” is worth it! “I should see the garden far better,” said Alice to herself, “if I could get to the top of that hill: and here’s a path that leads straight to it—at least, no, it doesn’t do that—“ (after going a few yards along the path, and turning several sharp corners), “but I suppose it will at last. But how curiously it twists! It’s more like a corkscrew than a path! Well, this turn goes to the hill, I suppose—no, it doesn’t! This goes straight back to the house! Well then, I’ll try the other way.” And so she did: wandering up and down, and trying turn after turn, but always coming back to the house, do what she would. Indeed, once, when she turned a corner rather more quickly than usual, she ran against it before she could stop herself. “It’s no use talking about it,” Alice said, looking up at the house and pretending it was arguing with her. “I’m not going in again yet. I know I should have to get through the looking-glass again—back into the old room—and there’d be an end of all my adventures!” So, resolutely turning her back upon the house, she set out once more down the path, determined to keep straight on till she got to the hill. ~ Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, p. 85
3 Comments
5/30/2017 07:39:32 pm
Dear Christiana,
Reply
6/2/2017 09:16:16 pm
Melanie,
Reply
Pam
7/5/2017 04:49:48 pm
Hi Christiana,
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHello, I am Christiana! Archives
May 2017
|