Unveiling Our Behaviors

By: Laura Churchman, CPNP, CTP, HHC

It is almost time for Christmas!!! I hope you are all finding joy during this amazing time of year, celebrating the birth of Christ. God is teaching me a lot during this holiday season and I cannot wait to share with you!
 
This past year held many challenges which had our family in a constant state of transition. It has definitely felt like an uphill battle. As I prepare for all the holiday festivities, I am finding myself remembering a climb I did over the summer. The picture above is Saddle Back Mountain in Oregon. To put it into perspective, the little black speck at the top of the mountain is a person. It's not a major mountain climb for the experienced... but I am far from experienced. So, it was a big deal for me. I remember about 200 yards into the steep, uphill climb I was already lagging behind my super-fit friends thinking "what have I gotten myself into?" However, I am a very determined person. Sometimes this is a helpful quality but if it is not met with prayer and obedience, it can be downright stubbornness (just ask my husband). In this case, the determination was good. I needed to climb this mountain. I needed to feel every bit of burning pain, hear every doubt in my head, experience every moment where it got hard to breath so that I could overcome all of it.
 
We all have metaphorical mountains in front of us. At different points in time, the height of the mountains will vary but they are mountains, nonetheless. In the midst of climbing, we will exhibit different behaviors. These behaviors can be good or negative, short term or chronic - depending on the root cause. These behaviors are key to where we are with God during these trials. We tend to be very accepting in acknowledging when we are exhibiting good behaviors such as staying steadfast in prayer, focused on God, standing in His unexplainable peace - all which allow us to be calm in chaos, forgiving, and full of mercy and grace. But what about the negative behaviors? If you're anything like me, you may tend to ignore them, justify them, or even indulge in them.
 
The previous week was a very difficult one. There is a mountain I have been climbing for 15 years and the peek seems to be nowhere in sight. Like my climb this past summer, there have been great moments of overcoming and beautiful views as I climb this mountain, but endurance is key and many times I find myself getting weak and weary. In those moments, I realized I have had a trending negative behavior - lashing out in anger with hurtful words. The Lord really wanted me to work through this question, "why am I behaving this way?" This question brought me back to something a friend asked me once, "what lie from satan are you believing?"
 
While pondering these thoughts, I was challenged with another question, "where are my hope and expectations rooted?" Well, since I am a Christian, immediately I wanted to say that all my hope and expectations are rooted in Christ. But if I am being honest, there are times when they are not. The truth was that I was lashing out in anger and hurtful words because I was emotionally hurting. My hope and expectations were rooted in that mountain, not the Lord. This was a major breakthrough for me. What does it mean if our hope and expectations are in the Lord? It means, that with a childlike faith, we look upon Him as our provider, comforter, healer, source of strength, you name it. So then, our hope and expectations are not in our jobs, spouse, shelter, or any other circumstance. Do you see? This is why we can have peace about our finances when we are between jobs. This is why we can be calm when the world around us seems to be falling. This is why we can have strength when the world would expect us to be weak and weary. Christ. Is. Why. Jesus changes everything.
 
The Holy Bible says that satan is a deceiver and liar (2 Cor. 11:3, John 8:44). It also says that, "...the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." (1 Thes. 3:3). "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10).
 
satan wants to destroy you.
 
God wants to give you life.
 
Often, negative behaviors can have negative effects on our health. Overtime, this will affect our overall wellness and quality of life. This is why this is a topic that we must humbly address. If we do not deal with the root cause of the behaviors we are exhibiting, we will not be able to truly overcome them. The negative behaviors will continue, and we will ultimately see the effects it will have on our health and relationship with God. There are multiple reasons behind certain behaviors. For example, sometimes dietary cravings are linked to actual deficiencies in our bodies. However, we cannot afford to deny emotional roots without truly evaluating the situation.
 
The point is this: our physical health is directly related to our mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
 
So, I humbly encourage you to take a minute and evaluate your life. What negative behaviors have you been exhibiting lately? What lies from satan are at the root of those behaviors? What truths does God say in regard to those lies? Mediate on those truths. Pray for the Lord to bring you out of negative behaviors and into His light. He is always faithful, my friend. Always.
 
Blessings,
Laura Churchman, CPNP, CTP, HHC
Founder of Healing from the Root