In the last key to R&R (Recovering from the records of the past that devalue our God given identity, and Restoring the truth about who we are) we Repent, or turn, from our old way of thinking. It takes time to break old cycles, but if we identify healthier thought patterns and practice internalizing them, eventually the new pathway of response will be established. We are wired for inner harmony, but just like when our body has been compromised and requires physical therapy, so our soul needs stretching and retraining to bring about recovery and restoration. The neural networks within our brain are like a forest of trees with well-worn pathways of thinking that will automatically lead us down the path of least resistance. However, if that route is toxic, we end up in a dry, deserted place. If we take the road less traveled and create a new healthier path it will take us to a life giving place that soon will become like a walk in the park, the more we practice.
If we seem to get stuck along the way, we may need to face some deeper rooted belief systems that are limiting our new path to R&R. In my life, I hit a major roadblock of fear when my son turned sixteen and began to drive. It wasn’t until I began to dig deeper into my beliefs through counseling and some faith based inner healing that I realized how losing my boyfriend in a tragic car accident at age seventeen had rooted subconscious fears of loss and abandonment. My past was impacting my present. We have to grapple and fight for our freedom at times, but when we do, the lies get exposed and lose their power. This part of my journey allowed me to replace the lies with the truth that I felt God had given me in the healing process. I was called to foretell of my son’s future instead of foreboding in fear about it. It took a lot of practice, but it lead to me having a different attitude and actions in that circumstance.
Over almost a decade of counseling and coaching, I have learned effective tools and best practices that help my clients in this process of exchanging lies for truth and establishing new pathways so they can walk in freedom from past hurt and respond from a healthy place.
-Andra