Sophie King

Hi!

I recently started reading “The Seeking Heart” by Fenelon. My friend recommended it to me years back but I just finally got around to opening it. They are letters compiled written by Fenelon. Letters of hope, truth, and encouragement about Jesus. There was one that I took note of because it is something I have been working on personally. Dying daily. It sounds odd. But what it means to die daily is to starve your flesh (sin, selfish desires, disobedience), and feed your spirit with the Truth.

I am one who can fall in the trap of idolizing comfort. Health, food, air conditioning, easy access to everything, resting, etc. I have been fighting my flesh each day when I don’t feel like cleaning or doing more around the home.

Caring for my space has never come easy for me. Having a routine is the opposite of my free spirit and desires to be “go with the flow.” But I have noticed that by not doing those things I am living for myself and not glorifying the Lord or loving my husband well. Obviously, it is both of our responsibilities to keep our space nice but since he is working 13 hour days and I am the one mainly making messes, I also want to be aware of that. I also desire to create a space of peace for when he comes home.

I am learning to die daily to myself which ultimately sets me up for glorifying Jesus & makes me healthier.

In this specific letter that Fenelon wrote “Die Daily,” he said, “Many think that ‘dying to themselves’ is what causes them so much pain. But it is actually part of them that still lives that causes the problem.” (page 13, The Seeking Heart)

I have been making more of an effort to find routines that are healthy, full of peace, and set an environment for success.

Luke and I have both been working on our health. We have been eating healthier and working on our lifestyle. We have been seeing huge improvements with our health already and it’s so motivating. I have felt so excited as I have been working on caring for my body that God created and gifted me with for my time here on earth. Learning to be gracious to myself and be gentle & support my body as I would a loved one. This has been teaching me all kinds of valuable lessons as I am caring for my body which is not about me but about others. I want to be healthy for my husband, my future family, and because our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. We carry truth with us and caring for our bodies is important. Although I will never be completely whole on this side of heaven and there is so much suffering on this earth, intentionally caring and being gentle with our bodies is so important. If you have experienced trauma, chronic illness, or a physical loss, I am sure you understand the importance of working hard to continue forward to ultimately love others well. The amount of physical therapy, treatments, meal plans, supplements, etc is not just for me but because I want to honor the body and gift that God has gifted me with and love others well. I think this perspective shift has helped me a lot.

Thanks for reading,
Tay Ruth