Dear Ones,
 Hope you are enjoying the weekend! We are excited as Andrea and our grandsons have made the big road trip to MN. and John Mark got to do part of the driving as well. Mark flies in this afternoon and we hope to see them soon. This morning I plan to clean the apartment and get things ready.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We are all made up of three dimensions: body, mind, and spirit, and it is good when there is compatibility between psychology and faith. There are times we may need to go to counseling and as things get uncovered in our lives, we see the need for the spiritual dimension as well. Other times we may go to our pastor or priest for prayer and healing, and he or she sees a psychological disorder that could be helped by a psychologist. Both should work together, because like priest/therapist, Martin Padovani writes in his book Healing Emotions, “There can be no spiritual healing without being in touch with the emotional, and no fullness of emotional healing without the spiritual.” They should complement each other.
Jesus gave us His example, for he blends the human and the spiritual in His life and said, “Follow Me. I am the way, the truth and the life.” He is also the Light. We are to follow Him not only spiritually but emotionally. I had never thought of that before. He wants us to get in touch with our problems, deal with them, and follow through to go on with life.  When we deal with our problems, we can grow through them to maturity. But if we run from our problems and fail to use the trained pastors and counselors around us, our problems often intensify. God’s desire is to lead us through our problems, for He always loves us, forgives us and is present with us to give us hope.
When we think about it, Jesus is the master psychologist who understands people, relating to our human needs as well as our spiritual needs. I think of Mary Magdalene who had seven demons cast out of her by Jesus and whose life was forever changed by Him. Being around Him and helping provide for the needs of Him and his followers must have taught her healthy behavior and how to get in touch with herself and bring deep healing.
If you are reading this and have unresolved problems, know that the Lord is ready and waiting to help you face the things that seem so huge, and also give meaning to your life. May we all come to know and love ourselves and experience healing.
Challenge for today: Don’t hide from your problems but address them with God’s help and grow through them.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy