Friend, I don’t know about you, but I love when things are efficient! What if shifting your mindset was as simple as one word? Society says we must work hard at mindset, and that it takes self to make things better? We are told we must work hard to achieve peace of mind, yet friend, the truth is so much simpler which is simply amazing! I used to spend hours and hours in eastern religious meditation practices purported to calm the mind for inner peace. Yet, the reality friend is none of it worked. The more I tried, the less peace I had. Many would tell me “fake it until you make it”; yet even that is only misguided faith because it relies on the self to overcome. No where in the bible does it say I can achieve inner peace in my own strength. Rather, it’s the exact opposite. For example, in Philipians 4:13 it states: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (NKJV) Simple, yet difficult because it requires a willingness to be humble and recognize a God almighty is a power much greater than the “self”; He is our sovereign creator, as well as the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) which directly impacts our life. Let’s begin by clarifying what “fake it ‘til you make it” really means. Recall as I mentioned in episode 2 that our beliefs inform our thoughts, behaviors, actions, and experiences of our world. That means this phrase is misguided faith friends; it’s subtle but true. According to Hebrews 11:1, faith is defined as follows: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (NKJV) When we say “fake it ‘til you make it” it is twisting this scripture and putting the responsibility on self to change the circumstances we find ourselves in. I remember friend, about a year before I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, a yoga teacher told me, despite my devout hours a day practices with breathing meditation, asanas and dietary modifications, that I wasn’t doing enough to find inner peace. That I needed to work harder at it. Yet the harder I tried, the less peace I had. Sound familiar? I believe God has brought you to this podcast today for a reason. Self-sufficiency will burn you friend, as I discussed in episode 13. Scripture says otherwise. Scripture says to give our worries, negative or disturbing thoughts, and challenges to the Lord with a heart posture of humility. This means recognizing God is so much greater than we can ever be. We are not designed to be gods, with a little “g”, we are designed to be a reflection of His character only. When we have pride, in other words, when we think we are the ones who can heal ourselves or are responsible for healing others, we are acting like little gods. It is not God’s design for us. As it says in 1 Peter 5:6-7: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”(NKJV) When we humble ourselves, that is recognizing we are not greater than God, nor are we gods, again with a little “g”, it is the first step to humility. Maybe this truth irritates you. Good. It irritated me when I first heard it. Yet friend, real love is telling people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. Amen! Now that we’ve cleared up the importance of the role of faith and humility, let’s move on to the one word that shifts everything. For a long time I was trying and trying to shift my mindset, cultivating an “attitude of gratitude”. Yet what I found is that gratitude in and of itself is not enough to shift a mindset. You may be wondering why? Because, without God at the center, it is simply another self efforting approach to healing. As we’ve discussed, the healing is not up to us. God knows everything about our lives; the choices we make and don’t make, as well as our pain and suffering. And friend, Jesus is waiting patiently with open arms to heal you with His great, great love. A love that never fails, and lasts for all of eternity. How wonderful is that? And hopefully it encourages you friend. My gratitude journey began with saying “bless it” every time I experienced something negative, but friend, something was really off in this approach. For one thing, it was self-sufficient. For another, the technique and the ensuing peace took a lot of effort. Ultimately, it was worship music that shifted everything, a song called Hallelujah. The more I praised God, the more I sang the word “hallelujah” the closer I drew to God, to worshiping the One who desired my heart and my love. I recently learned hallelujah is a Hebrew word that means “praise the Lord” or “Praise Yahweh”. On a side note, neuroscience has discovered that repeating a word of spiritual significance is capable of engaging the parasympathetic nervous system; it is a form of vocalization. As you may recall from episode 12, the lips and tongue are some of the most highly innervated areas of the body. When these areas are stimulated it engages the parasympathetic nervous system response; also known as the rest and relaxation response. Our inputs matter friend. Praise and worship of the God who designed you to worship Him by knowing His Son, Jesus Christ is a life changer. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Are you ready to accept this truth friend? Will you raise a hallelujah in difficult times and see how it shifts your perspective? Heavenly Father, thank you for your great love of us, even when we rebel and disobey you out of fear and pride caused by wounding and cultural influence in society. Lord Jesus, may you touch the hearts of those listening today. May the Word heard today become heart knowledge in each listener. May each experience the true shift in perspective from answering your call Jesus, your simple “follow Me” which sets captives free and leads to a new life of emotional freedom. There is no other Healer but you Lord, the lover of each of our souls. May we each remember to cast our cares upon you, for You care so deeply for each and everyone one of us. We praise you for your great love, and the forgiveness that gives us second chances. Amen. Show Notes Welcome to TheCompassionRX a podcast inspired by my personal experience with burnout and witness to the desperate need for more compassion and humanity in the healthcare system. As a PA do you find yourself drowning in negativity at times? Does it sometimes feel like nothing ever goes your way? Or maybe you’ve been trying so many holistic things to shift you mindset, yet nothing seems to provide long term change? My name is Kristen Jardine. A Lifestyle Medicine PA-C for many years, I learned the hard way how sneaky and unexpected burnout can be, along with the devastating impacts it can have on your life. In this episode, I share: Why the cliche “fake it ‘til you make it” is working against you The importance of humility to shift mindset How what you put your faith in informs your stress response One word that will transform your perspective Referenced episodes: Episode 2 Episode 13 Episode 12 Referenced scripture: Philippians 4:13 Hebrews 12:2 Hebrews 11:1 1 Peter 5:6-7 John 14:6 May this episode bless you! ❤️You. Are. Loved.❤️ Kristen Did this episode inspire you? I’d love to hear from you! Connect with me at: thecompassionpa@gmail.com Coming Soon.. The CompassionRX community!
