#Israelite women

[malkahpariyz]

It’s True.

That men and society have purposely oppressed women because they know how powerful we truly are. They know that God has equipped us with much more than they have. With the intelligence, innate intuition, spiritual knowledge, heightened consciousness & vibration, and so much more that women possess in excess… it is no wonder why we have been a large enough threat to be the main target of oppression…

And some have even justified their actions against women in the most unscrupulous ways (i.e. misinterpreting the Bible and scripture to falsely back their dispositions)…. if you actually read the Bible, for what it actually says about women… you will realize how even God thought us extremely precious beings. So much that He has said, “it is not good for a man to be alone” but NEVER said that it was not good for a woman to be alone. We were sent to earth for the very purpose that MEN CANNOT OPERATE, DO, BE, OR EXIST CORRECTLY WITHOUT US.

Especially the black or “colored” women (anyone with a large percentage of African blood or the “Eve” gene prominent in their lineage). We possess so much that others do not. It is the truth. And it is known. And it is the reason we are the most oppressed beings on earth far more so than our male counterparts. Whether people can see it or not.

The black woman is THE MOST oppressed, undervalued, unprotected, abused, neglected, disrespected, underpaid, exploited, shunned, devalued, defaced, abandoned, ignored, overlooked, discredited, disenfranchised, and belittled people on the entire face of the earth.

And it MUST stop. If the future we face will ever be bright.

When are they going to let us be who we are meant to be? When are they going to let us reveal the greatness inside ourselves?

The only women who aren’t GREAT are the ones who have been CONVINCED that they are not.

Don’t let it be you sis. Remember what you possess in abundance, the greatness to lead nations! And do not let these evils convince you of otherwise. It is literally EVIL, to try to convince someone that they are less than who they truly are. It’s called devaluation. The root word of devaluation is: devil….

Men have run the world forever… and look what they have done with it… don’t you all think it’s time for a change? Or do you wish to see it all go down in flames?

The more society oppresses women, the worse this earth will continue to become.

I want to leave you with this:

The video below is a video of the women of an Ashanti African tribe, I am descendent from these women. My father’s grandfather is 100% Ashanti African. They sing a song of a Ashanti female general and leader that led a rebellion against colonialism in modern day Ghana. Her name was Yaa Asantewa.

This is a video and an excerpt on her:

- The Modest Blog | Paris Dior

[malkahpariyz]

Don’t you know that your life is full even when it doesn’t feel like it?

Don’t you know that God is near and enough, even when you feel in pain, alone, scared, anxious, unrested, and lonely?

Don’t you know that you are in the right walk with God even when everything is attacking you, in order to make you question that?

The presence of suffering is not the absence of the fullness of God YAHUAH in your life. Often times, God gives His most valuable and strongest children, the most toughest battles and tests. Going through the storm is something we will all face as followers of God YHWH and Jesus Christ. Just as our Lord & Savior Jesus faced sufferance, as we walk in His steps, we will face similar circumstances as He, the Son. As true children of God, we will be tested the most and see the most trials and tribulations & we are to use the loving and faithful forces of the Father, YAHUAH in Heaven to weather these storms, survive them, growth from them, learn from them, and get closer to God through the experience and lessons of them. Do not think less of yourself for your struggles and always know that God is near you.

Psalms 34:18

“The LORD YHWH is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Even if you feel that your life is empty, the truth is that it is not. And you feeling like your life is empty, doesn’t mean God isn’t filling up your life right now with Him and faith alone. Sometimes our human emotions can fool us, and we forget we have unfailing & unwavering, bestest friends in our Father God (YHWH) & Jesus Christ. Do not trust your lonely emotions when you’re alone, trust the promises of God and the spiritual communication He sends to your spirit that is here to say “I love you, you are safe here in my hands, and you are not alone, I will keep you holy, I will keep you protected, I will keep you pure, I will keep you with me, there is nothing to worry about.”.

2 Timothy 4:7-8

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God YHWH, and trust also in me (Jesus).”

No matter how far we rise into higher holiness, it does not void us from trials, tribulation, or pain & it does not void us from suffering, or the painful emotions of the human experience.

Jesus Christ was the epitome of being fully immerse in God. He lived in the truest way of God. His life felt continuously full because of His immersion and oneness with God YHWH and proper faith practices. He was perfect in all He did, as God made Him and only Him to be, the perfect Son. And so He knew more full well than us, what it felt like to be constantly ever present in the fullness of God, day in and day out, without any wavering from that place of fullness in God. Yet, and still He also knew utter sufferance beyond what we could ever endure, or endure in such grace as He. Jesus was perfect and knew full well how to be sustained by His spirit and the Holy Spirit. He still… felt pain, felt sadness, felt drained, felt lonely (but not alone), felt hopeless… and He still had moments or seasons of suffering that truly caused His life to feel almost empty at times… and then Jesus would remember He is not alone and would plead with God about His needs, as His help cometh from the Lord Father God (YHWH), and so does ours.

Jesus was in the truest way a person can ever be in and still knew pain and suffering… and still knew the emotion of emptiness, fear, pain, sorrow, and many more emotions that we all face… this fact is apart of the Gospel, the fact that God sent a true extension of Him to earth, and how perfect that Son is, and yet that perfect extension of God, our Lord & Savior, our highest brethren, the Lord (Master) of the way, and our Shepherd (teacher or leader) of the way, also knows the pains we face as He has faced them as well, regardless of His perfection. So we can expect to surely endure the same.

Although we can expect to suffer at times, we have good news, that we are saved by grace (and this means that we have Gods grace and mercy on our side, and He seeks to give you that grace & mercy in whatever ways He sees fit) & that we have rest in God YHWH and Jesus (and Our Father in Heaven & our Lord and Savior will soothe our spirits, hearts, souls, and minds; as well as replenish us and rebuild us.).

Through Jesus, the Son of God, the rest of God’s children that He keeps a watchful eye over, & God’s all-knowing; highest-spiritual-hyper-intelligence: God knows our pain and suffering very well. He invented what it is to be emotionally intelligent & He knows what we are feeling & He has sympathy, empathy, compassion, and understanding for us. His love is pure and He offers His pure love energy to us freely and openly. He draws near to us in our hardest moments and in moments when we may be feeling lonely or like ourselves or our lives are empty…(even if we never truly was empty, and only tricked into feeling that way by our emotions, God knows how that feels for you, and draws near to you in those moments… for example, I’m not empty AT ALL, truly and surely God is in me, love is in me, light is in me, peace is in me, holiness is in me, and my higher self is in me, but the human experience brings pain, and even though that’s how we learn to get closer to God because it makes it way more obvious that we need Him, God YHWH still knows its hard for me in painful times and doesn’t want me or you to go through that alone, and He will never allow us to go through that alone. We serve a God that is so loving, He is near in the good and the bad times, when you’re doing great and when you could be doing better, He is near to sustain you, He ensures the pain will turn out for your good. When you move with God, it is a blessing to suffer, because we suffer in the name of the Lord and the Lord God YHWH will ensure your pain results in your higher holiness if you let Him guide you out of that pain and remember He is surely there to do it).

If you follow God, YAHUAH, The True Most High, The One True Creator in Heaven & you let Him lead you and ask Him in the way you should go and follow Him truly… Then you don’t have to question whether or not you are on the right path in life just because you are experiencing some pain and suffering on this current portion of that path. Sometimes the most proper path will still result in pain, (as Jesus’s life also, resulted in pain), but you can rest assured knowing that you are on the path God truly set and wanted for you. Remember that, Jesus was on the most proper path in all the history of the universe and yet and still it resulted in pain. If someone so perfect could experience the pain of life, then we are surely not spared from the pain of life. Whatever path you are on, just pray to God often you are following His footsteps that He laid out for you to take and remember that even if certain seasons of that path result in pain, it’s a path God has set for you, and God has approved of and wrote for you in His will , and so it is a blessed path, with only seasons of pain not total pain.

So give yourself the same grace God gives you, and don’t compare yourself to others or your faith to others, don’t think you’re behind in life, don’t think you’ll never be happy, don’t think you’ll never be at peace, don’t think it won’t work out, don’t think a holy path won’t find you. Know that what God led you to choose this far, is the right choice and to stick with it. Pray to Him to guide you to reach your destiny in His will and in His holy way. And know that when you are truly following, loving, and living for God YAHUAH ELOHAYNU, The Most High, the path that God YAHUAH (YHWH) said unto you, is one immersed in Him and not pain, even when the lessons come in painful ways.

The fullness of God is here and you will soon feel that fullness of God all around you without the distraction of pain very soon.

It’s only a season. Not a life sentence.

- The Modest Blog | Paris Dior

[artandthebible]

Old Testament Story of Rachel, Jacob and Leah

Artist: Amy Ann Tillinghast

Date: circa 1810

Medium: Painted and Embroidered in Silk Threads and Chenille, Embellished with Silver and Threads

[lovesodeepandwideandwell]

🦸‍♀️💃

[dogg7golf]

[wittyworm]

Leviticus chapter 20 shook me to my core i have to pause this shit and go to bed.

[starlooove]

Everytime I see anything abt how teenagers are reacting to Kanye I wanna scream bc black women have been saying this for YEARS!

Especially on tiktok bro, like there are videos where ppl are talking about how the normalization of anti semitism is happening in spaces like schools right, like it’s ppl saying that their classmates are jokingly saying “Hitler was right” and using literal dogwhistles that they pretended they didn’t know existed “as a joke” and it’s always someone with a stupid shocked look on their face acting like it’s some big new thing that see coudve never predicted but we literally HAVE

When y’all were making fun of AAVE, when y’all started calling the bodies of our aunties and moms “bbl bodies”, when y’all started calling every fat black woman peaches or Lizzo, you know who saw first hand just how easily teenagers were radicalized and converted? BLACK TEENAGERS! Do y’all know the hell it was to be a black girl with “DSLs”? A black girl being called Shanaynay by Shane Dawson Stans? You know who has firsthand experience with being gaslit using dogwhistles? Black girls that were called hot cheeto girls by their TEACHERS! Y’all yap and yap Abt the alt right pipeline and ignore who’s affected and how, and NOW y’all wanna act surprised? Y’all are just confused that you’re seeing it in real time abt ppl u pretend to care abt.

White people make me sick bro y’all can’t be this fucking unserious. Some bitch making a post abt how we should be aware of what celebrity stanning can do to minorities as if black girls weren’t dealing with swifties, Ayesha Erotic fans, or the entire fucking K-pop fanbase for DECADES! Like bitch we been fucking knew y’all are the only ones not caught up.

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[malkahpariyz]

For The Ladies

I DONT KNOW WHO THIS WORD IS FOR… BUT I GOT YOU SIS. STAY FOCUSED. STAY UP. STAY WOKE (never fake woke)

Women need to wake up and stop listening to LIES. A lot of women wasting their singleness doing nothing, when they can be serving YAH all the while. Because some absolute FOOL taught them that their purpose is attached to a man instead of being attached to YAH, and they actually believed it. Dont get me wrong, you do have a purpose thats attached to being a wife and a mother (at some point in your life) but that IS NOT your ONLY purpose.

If you waiting around for a man to give you your purpose, then that means you're sitting around like a lifeless ball of flesh until a man come around? what part of that sounds like anything YAH wants you to do? what part of that is serving YAH? what part of that is YAH to be pleased with?

You can be using that time to develop your faith, perfect yourself, and study of course, but where are the WORKS in all that, that you MUST be doing as well??? You are born to be of help to your husband, yes. But you are also born to do the works of YAH and Yahusha (Jesus) and that means to be helping EVERYONE, in a multitude of ways, not saving all your works for your marriage ALONE. Your works for the Lord YAH are meant to be constant… how are you constantly serving YAH if you seriously think your purpose doesnt come along until a man does???

You're not sweetie…you’re NOT serving YAH with your WHOLE LIFE if you think this…

LADIES, YAH can use you right now where you are today. And your purpose is not attached to anyone or anything except YAH Himself. He sets the course you must take, and you can serve Him and His purposes in many ways, and in some unorthodox or uncommon ways, because you’re special like that… and He trusts you with unordinary tasks or outstanding tasks, no matter who and who doesnt get it, because its only meant for Him to get it and to be pleased with it all.

HALLELUYAH 💕

- The Modest Blog | Paris Dior

[artandthebible]

Moses Defending the Daughters of Jethro

Artist: Sébastien Bourdon (French, 1616-1671)

Date: 17th Century

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

DESCRIPTION

This painting illustrates a biblical scene from the book of Exodus. Moses - later a great leader of the Israelites -was sitting by a well in the land of Midian when the seven daughters of Jethro, a Midianite priest, came to water their father’s sheep. Some shepherds tried to drive the women away, but Moses (in red) chased them off. A grateful Jethro gave Moses one of his daughters in marriage.

The French painter Sébastien Bourdon was celebrated for his classical landscapes. Featuring ancient Greek ruins or architecture, these were idealized settings for historical or religious events that include strikingly lifelike figures.

[lordgodjehovahsway]

2 Kings 15: Azariah Becomes The New King Of Judah

1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. 

2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 

3 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. 

4 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

5 The Lord afflicted the king with leprosy until the day he died, and he lived in a separate house. Jotham the king’s son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.

6 As for the other events of Azariah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 

7 Azariah rested with his ancestors and was buried near them in the City of David. And Jotham his son succeeded him as king.

Zechariah King of Israel

8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned six months. 

9 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his predecessors had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He attacked him in front of the people, assassinated him and succeeded him as king. 

11 The other events of Zechariah’s reign are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel. 

12 So the word of the Lord spoken to Jehu was fulfilled: “Your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”

Shallum King of Israel

13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned in Samaria one month. 

14 Then Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzah up to Samaria. He attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, assassinated him and succeeded him as king.

15 The other events of Shallum’s reign, and the conspiracy he led, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

16 At that time Menahem, starting out from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and everyone in the city and its vicinity, because they refused to open their gates. He sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.

Menahem King of Israel

17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years. 

18 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

19 Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave him a thousand talents of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom. 

20 Menahem exacted this money from Israel. Every wealthy person had to contribute fifty shekels of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and stayed in the land no longer.

21 As for the other events of Menahem’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 

22 Menahem rested with his ancestors. And Pekahiah his son succeeded him as king.

Pekahiah King of Israel

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. 

24 Pekahiah did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. 

25 One of his chief officers, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinated Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.

26 The other events of Pekahiah’s reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

Pekah King of Israel

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. 

28 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

29 In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria. 

30 Then Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinated him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

31 As for the other events of Pekah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

Jotham King of Judah

32 In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. 

33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 

34 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done. 

35 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the Lord.

36 As for the other events of Jotham’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 

37 (In those days the Lord began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.) 

38 Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David, the city of his father. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.

[malkahpariyz]

- The Modest Blog | Paris Dior

[lightdancer1]

Rabbinic Judaism itself, however, evolved in the wake of the fall of the Second Temple:

On the whole, however, it was the wake of the fall of the Second Temple and the dawn of the Rabbinic era where you see the evolution of Jewish culture from its still more deeply connected to the tribal Israel-Judah roots to the Diaspora religion of the synagogue it would become, complete with the traditional prayer "I thank the Holy One, Blessed Be He, that I am not a woman" said by men.

And there is an entire tract of the Talmudic corpus called Nashim that deals with the various bits of Halacha concerning women. The various inequalities baked into Judaism, however, were also honored in more than a few ways in the breach all along as with the other religions on the one hand, and reflected an ethnoreligious take rather than the more imperialistic and ideological elements baked into the Church and the Mosque.

Equally, too, for a great many reasons Talmudic culture very much did evolve in ways that kept women in a solidly secondary place, a reality that by the Haslakhah and after was overthrown among most Jews in a way that it never really was in Christianity, as secularism is not reforming the religion, it's depriving it of the power to hold ghoulish murder festivals at will, and where Islam has yet to formulate the question at all outside a few brave voices of women.

[malkahpariyz]

A word for all sisters in faith (if you follow Abrahamic religions we are sisters) 💕 One Love.

♥ Paris Dior | The Modest Blog

[malkahpariyz]

Self Care is The Best Care

Self care can be hard to prioritize, especially with all these demands around you and responsibilities commanding your time and energy… but if we don’t take care of ourselves, the only person left to do it is God, and if you love God you should know the importance of loving yourself and others as well. His works and His love are sufficient on their own, but we are also required by God to do good works of our own. We shouldn’t leave God to do all the work for us, He never gets a day off as is. We should be making an effort to take care of ourselves like God wants us to be taken care of and how God would want us to take care of others as well. The love you spread starts with you. You can’t know how to love others if you don’t love yourself first. Self love and self care go hand in hand and need each other to create wellness within a person. Realize that God wants self love and self care for you. He loves you so much and He wants you to love yourself too. He wants you to love yourself and others as He loves you all. So to begin this journey of higher love and holy love, you have to focus on loving and caring for yourself, then you can move on to loving and caring for others. Loving yourself more, will help you love others more, and inherently help you serve and love God even more. It is a true statement that you cannot pour from an empty cup. Let God fill your cup, and also make efforts to fill your cup for yourself as well. Just as you must seek and draw near to God to receive His love, you must seek yourself and draw near to self to receive the love you have inside of yourself. Self love actions are inclusive of you seeking God even more than before. Developing your relationship with God is a form of self love, and self love is going to develop your relationship with God and with yourself. What a gift these different forms of love are. God is pure love energy. All the love all over the universe are little pieces of Himself that He has placed everywhere. That He has placed inside of you. So, please utilize the gifts of all the avenues of love that He has given us. Self love is one of those love avenues that He has given us and self care heightens the self love that you need to find yourself and find God even more than before.

Here are some ways you can take care of yourself, and love yourself this week:

1: Ignore the demands…

There can be so much overbearing expectations on us that we trick ourselves into thinking we actually have to listen to and live up to, all of them. When the truth is we can give ourselves rest by realizing… we never could. We are not perfect beings capable of meeting every single expectation put on us. Sometimes, in order to focus on what we need, we have to actively ignore what others may need or may want from us. Even if those things are forced on us, we must push back, we must try to reason with these demands and simply tell the demands, “Hey, I know you need me or expect this from me, but right now, these demands are just not an option for me. Right now I have to look after myself and meet my own expectations and the demands of peace, contentment, and rest.”

This can be hard to do because often it’s people we love or respect who are demanding the impossible out of us, and often it’s people who know we are struggling that are ignoring our need for “slack” and ignoring what we are going through and how it may effect our ability to constantly meet their expectations and demands. It will add insult to injury, it will add guilt to the already deprived person… if we adhere to these certain demands during a time we are meant to recuperate, heal, and rest. It can feel like you are betraying someone by standing up for yourself and saying “I just can’t meet those expectations right now” but truly you are betraying yourself and your well being, if you do not state your stance and inability to healthily meet other people’s expectations.

Don’t spread yourself thin. Don’t share yourself out. Decline the inquiries. Ignore the demands. Ignore the standards. Care less about the expectations or needs of others that are being placed on you.

Caring for yourself can be a constant battle against guilt trips if you let it be that. Don’t let it be that. Don’t take up your valuable time battling with others and ignoring yourself.

This is to enhance how you are tending to yourself, instead of tending to others.

Here are some ways to reprioritize your energies and put them back into yourself:

• set clear boundaries within your relationships

• do not overload yourself with work, school work, or other obligations or responsibilities.. we were born to live and love, not work and slave... we are meant to work hard but not so hard that you are now neglecting yourself.

• make time for self care within your daily routine, and schedule breaks throughout your day where you can reset, recenter, and recollect.

2: Spending time with God (YHWH)

One of the greatest forms of self love you can have, is prioritizing loving God first. Learning to love God teaches you how to love yourself and how you should be loving yourself. God wants you to love yourself the way He loves you. No one loves you more than God does, not even yourself can top the love that God has for you, so spending time with the One that loves you most, is the highest form of self love and self care you can implement. It’s sign of caring for yourself, to worship and love God. Spending time with God is a huge part of self care. God has the power to do all things pure, holy, loving, and positive for you. God can reset you from a mistake, replenish you after a hard day or hard year, build you up after being broken down, cheer you up and refresh you after being sad, sustain you during hard times, reward you for your good deeds and faithfulness in Him, replace whatever you may have lost, be your company when you are lonely, provide protection when you are scared or in danger, provide miracles and sustenance when you need it, and give you more than you could ever want or ask for. All things impossible are possible with God.

Spending time with God can look variously different, it can be an array of activities or actions. Here are some ways to spend time with God.

• go to the park alone, look up into the Heaven above, and pray… say what is on your heart, on your mind, and on your spirit… talk to God as if He is your BEST-FRIEND with your best interest at heart, BECAUSE HE IS EXACTLY THAT.

• find a quiet peaceful place, pick out a hopeful or calming verse of scripture (if you don’t know any, you can look up which ones will be most helpful for your ongoing spiritual needs for the day) and read it carefully and attentively… once you finish reading, write a reflection on what you have read and learned from the scripture, and then pray to God about whatever comes to you around that lesson and needed spiritual guidance.

• sit in a comfort space or whatever sanctuary you may have, think of whatever you need to heal and get close to God, contemplate what those needs are and why you need them (if you are drawing a blank, ask God directly for assistance on shedding light on what those things might be), once you have a full understanding of what those needs are, instead of merely saying your prayers out loud, take your time mustering your words and feelings and write your prayer down as it comes to you in the moment, then after writing it all down, recite that prayer to the Lord, God.

• take a fasting day, where you fast from food and water (or just food and drink water only, if this is a better option for you as a beginner in fasting for consecutive 24 hours or up to 3 days) and during this fast you will indulge in only spiritual activity.. fill your day or days with praying, Bible and scripture study, faith study, spiritual reflection, faith journaling, faith based meditation, writing letters or prayers to God, and all other spiritual activities that enhance your relationship with God.

3: Spending time in nature

One of Gods greatest gifts to us is Mother Earth. Reconnecting with nature is one of the most influential and beautiful things we can do as a means of taking better care of ourselves. As humans we are apart of nature as well. We have built all of these concrete jungles as our homes when our truest homes are with nature in the real jungle. When we reconnect to the energy that Mother Earth carries we can reconnect to a piece of ourselves as well, as God made us for Earth and made Earth for us, as well as the rest of the animals and creatures on Earth. Being apart of nature can and will enhance your gratitude for your life and all of the life around you. I want you to marinate in the words of a famous Disney song called “The Colors of The Wind”. It goes as such: “You think you own whatever land you land on, the Earth is just a dead thing you can claim, but I know every rock and tree and creature, has a life, has a spirit, has a name.”… as inhabitants of Gods miraculous creation called Mother Earth we must respect her and treat her for what she truly is, a living and breathing creature, with feelings and emotions just like us. Developing a care for nature will help you care for yourself as well. Reconnecting to this part of you that truly is one with Mother Earth and nature in spirit, will be a strong act of self care.

Here are some ways to reconnect with nature this week:

• have a solo picnic at a nice local lake and maybe even go for a swim in that lake (only if you are a good swimmer and can be trusted swimming alone.. if you are going to swim alone I say that you must say prayer of protection over yourself before going for your solo swim) & you can also set aside time for meditation and prayer to reconnect with God and the nature around you that He created… always make sure you are swimming in the day time.

• go forging!! : firstly, do some research on some of the edibles plants that your local areas may have, and how to identify them (you can also download those plant identifying apps to ensure you are forging for and picking the correct edible plants) and then you can head to your local park, forests, or pastures and go forging for some edible plants and explore what nature has to offer!… this exercise can expose you to the wonders of nature and help you spend quality time with nature.. and you can even get some good eats out of it too! (look up some recipes you can make that include what edible plants you find).

• go for a hike, bike ride, run, or walk in nature… the simplest ways to experience nature are sometimes the best ways.. in these activities you can take a stroll through nature making sure that you are noticing all the things you see and feel and hear, the animals, the insects, the trees, the wind, the sky, the sun, the climate, the grass, the waters, the soil, and everything in between.

• bonus activity: visit your local botanical gardens!

4: Unplugging

Social media and electronics can be the most disturbing and disruptive things for our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. A way to implement self care for yourself this week can simply be: unplugging… unplug yourself from the outside world, others lives, others opinions, negative exposure, and exposure to outside energies, by simply logging off, shutting down, deleting, blocking, and uninstalling… take a break from your phone, television, video game console, and computer… take a break from social media, the news, and applications… take a break from the virtual world and pixilations… all the electronics and the internet and hardware and software and media… unplug it all, shut it all down, and let it go for a significant amount of time and you will see how beneficial it is to truly unplug.

Here are some ways you can unplug yourself this week:

• go on a social media break, either from certain ones you use often or from all social media period… you can log out or uninstall the app until you’re ready to log back in… but take that break from all of it.

• schedule times for each day where you will not indulge in any sort of electronics… during this time you will turn off your phone, turn off your television, turn off your computer, turn off your radio, and instead you will either read, create, spend time with God, or be in nature… it’s your choice of what you will read, create, or what part of nature you will indulge in, but it all must be of loving and positive, holy and pure nature.

• you can initiate a month long social media cleanse or a month long technology cleanse, where you will focus on activities that have nothing to with technology and try to live like we did before technology was a thing… open the blinds instead of turning on lights, go for a walk instead of watching the walking dead, go play some basketball instead of watching it on tv, go create instead of watching others create on YouTube, get some fresh air instead of being in the house, walk to a friends house to speak with them in person instead of speaking on the phone… anything along these lines are things you can implement to prioritize unplugging.

5: Exercising & Dieting

Your habits around exercising and dieting is a crucial part of self care. Exercise releases chemicals in your body that your brain and body needs to be happy and healthy. Taking care of your temple that God blessed you with is a great way to implement self care and increase your self love.

The diet:

The term “you are what you eat” couldn’t be any more real and true. What you put into your body affects every single part of your being, inside and out, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. So choose a diet that is low in sugar, low in fat, low in processed foods, low in artificial foods, colors, or flavorings, low in bad fats, low in bad carbs or artificial carbs.. eat clean, organic, healthy, and fresh.. you don’t need any fad diets or weird restrictions, just better healthier choices, healing foods, and real foods.

The exercise:

The importance of exercise is overlooked by a lot of people. When we raise our heart rate some beautiful things start to happen within the human body. For the mind and the body. You don’t have to overthink exercise either, you can have an effective workout without having a super extensive marine routine. Just make sure you get up and move everyday, exercise can come in a lot of forms. Like walking around the mall or neighborhood, doing an aerobics workout, doing some calisthenics, or going for a run or lifting weights. It’s all up to what you want to do and staying consistent with it.

6: Changing your perception of self and affirming love

Another crucial step to self love is changing your mindset and changing your perception of yourself and your circumstances. You have to believe in yourself, love yourself, cherish yourself, respect yourself, and know who you are. Change your mindset around yourself. Stop speaking negatively about yourself or mistaking a lack of self esteem as humility. Affirm who you are and that who you are is special and you are one of a kind. You are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. God didn’t make any mistakes on you, so love who you are, how you look, your story, your journey, and your life. Affirm love for yourself, your life, and God. Get that love flowing inside you. Overflowing. Change your speech. Change your thoughts. Change your actions. Change your reality. Keep it positive and loving with yourself.

Here are some ways you can enhance the way you view yourself and speak about yourself:

• words of affirmation : affirm who you are by using words of affirmation.. repeat to yourself the words and phrases that you are and want to be. For example.

I am special.

I am chosen.

I am strong.

I am beautiful.

Fearlessness is in me.

God is within me.

I am successful.

I am content.

• speaking life into yourself : this is a more extensive version of words of affirmation, but instead of just saying statements here and there you are developing a habit of speaking to yourself about your in depth problems in a positive way. The positive outcomes you want you will speak it out. Instead of talking down on yourself or your situation you will focus on the positive things that you are and the positive possible outcomes of a situation and make sure you speak it out.. proclaim it… in the Bible it says that our tongues are holy swords and are words are powerful. So we must use it for our good because our speech becomes our reality and programs how we think. So speak in positive dominant language. Instead of saying “what if I lose” you will say “what if I win”.

• making lists of your strengths and the things you love about yourself : this is something that can truly impact you and your self worth.. you must list these things.. give it try.. it will speak for itself when you give it try.

7: Resting

There are many ways to increase your rest. Even beyond making more time for you to sleep more and relax more. Doing things to especially increase your peace is a way to get more rest. Increasing your peace can be in the nature of fasting from certain relationships or friendships, protecting your energy by setting boundaries and ridding yourself of people, places, or things that steal your energy and peace, and all sorts of things that protect yourself and increase the level of peace you have in your life. This will give you more rest.

Here are some ways to get more physical, emotional, and spiritual rest:

• fast from those relationships with those people who are not at peace with themselves or others… you can always tell when someone comes to you with negativity and it’s not due to any hardships they are going through but commotion and conflicts that they are starting with strangers or family by theirselves and for no legitimate reasons… those people are negative people.. there’s a difference between someone who is going through real hard times who have been truly hurt by a lot of people that are close to them, that truly are victims of mistreatment, abandonment, and pain, and are merely trying to get help or support in that matter by letting others know instead of holding it all in, and someone who created a conflict with someone else at random and for no good reason and is now bringing the senseless negativity from that situation that they started… draw near to your friends that are truly in pain and under attack, and get away from your friends that are not truly hurt and are merely in angry conflicts and bringing that negativity to you… (also be the person that is always there for a friend to listen to their true concerns and love and peace with come back to you)

• get on a proper sleeping schedule, even if you have trouble sleeping make sure that you set a bedtime, put the electronics down 30 minutes before bed, and lay down and go to bed at a decent time. To help yourself keep a good sleep schedule, make efforts to prepare for bed every night by : taking a nice hot bath or shower, not eating or being on your phone 30-1hr before bed, have a quiet prayer time, play soft music, drink herbal relaxing tea (like lavender chamomile or ashwaghada ginger tea), make sure you sleep on clean sheets, and use aromatherapy essential diffuser or spray.

• another thing that can give you rest, mentally emotionally and physically, is forgiveness.. often we never realize how much we deplete ourselves through emotions like worry, anxiety, and grief.. trauma can cause all of these feelings, and unforgiving feelings around trauma or being wronged, can also lead to depression, chronic anxiety, and physical depletion… something that might be draining you and threatening your ability to rest and feel rested, is pesky unforgiveness… whomever has wronged you, it is time for you to let it go and forgive them… you don’t have to agree with their actions to forgive them, you don’t have to speak with them to forgive them, you don’t have to let them back into your life to forgive them, and you don’t have to reconcile with them to forgive them… all you have to do is treat your enemies with compassion, realize that they trespassed against you because they are humans that are imperfect and they knew not the damage of their actions, remember that they are people who have been hurt and wronged too, and hurt people, hurt people… remember all of this, and forgive them… forgive them for all they did and didn’t do, all they seen and didn’t see, all they listened to and didn’t listen to, and all they said and didn’t say. Forgive them. Reclaim your peace. And rest for a change.

All that pain can be hard work.

Rest.

Resting can look various ways for everyone, so ultimately, I’m just going to leave some advice: one of the main take aways from this rest excerpt is reclaiming your peace from a situation in your past, and doing this can be extremely hard and realistically forgiveness can sometimes take years, not because you are unreceptive to forgiveness but because what was done to you was unforgivable and unforgettable, and you also may be forgiving someone who doesn’t have remorse for what they have done or cannot ever make up for what they have done… but forgiveness is what will set you free from that trauma and give you rest in your soul and spirit… so there’s two things you need to do; you need to draw near to God as He will help you understand and give you rest, and you must forgive your trespassers. God can help you with that through and through. Ask God to forgive you and to help you to forgive as He does. Completely…

8: Create

The One True Creator, has blessed you with abilities of your own that are fashioned after His. He has loaned you these wonderful gifts and fruits of the spirit. These gifts are such a blessing and we must use them. You will always have them as gifts from God, so long as you never part from Him. When you abide in Him for eternity you will keep your gifts for that eternity. The gifts are ever developing, so you should utilize them in all stages. In this life, you don’t have to be Picasso or Michael Jackson to create a masterpiece, you just have to be who God made you, a person in His image, His child, a creator, just like our Father in Heaven.

So I leave this section with a simple note:

Create creator, as the One True Creator, created you in His image, to allow you to create as well.

9: Get therapy (even group therapy)

Firstly, I will inspire you to do this by sharing my testimony on it. I’ll state my piece and let you decide if you may get something out of individual or group therapy:

Recently I tried something I never thought I would: group therapy… and it has been a scary, hard, but liberating experience and journey. As I write this I have now completed a full 8 week program with an outpatient therapy group, meeting there 3 times a week for the full 8 weeks.

And I am serious when I tell you, I have changed. And the parts of me that have not changed yet, I now have the tools to usher in those changes.

Group therapy consisted of many different elements that helped me develop better wellness practices, cognitive behavior, emotion management, and so much more. I released a lot of pain, confusion, stress, and anxiety while in my group therapy program & while it took a lot of hard work, being in a group setting gave me a lot of help to do that hard work. Dedicating to this program, taking it very seriously, and truly heeding the lessons, it truly propelled me and uplifted me, it got me unstuck in alot of ways. I still have more unsticking to do but the program jump started me for sure. Where I was becoming hopeless for my well being, and my ability to create motion in my life, I now feel like my full breakthrough is near and attainable for me, I now feel this powerful, pleasant, and exciting energy radiating off of my future, I now can fully sense how amazing my life is about to become so very soon where before the pain was blinding me, the anxiety was all I could focus on, the stress and pressure was overwhelming every piece of my being numbing my senses and my ability to live, breathe, and be aware of the promises God plans to keep for me, making me unable to see just how much greatness is to come and NOW I have regained my ability to see and sense and feel those blessings rushing toward me. This program helped me get myself in motion, so that I can actually be apart of the motion God is creating in my life. You have to get up first for God to move for you and with you. God will not give you new shoes if you ain’t even walking, He will not give you stamina and strength if you ain’t even trying to run, He will not give you your wings or your new wings if you haven’t even tried to fly yet or fly again for that matter. He wants to see you move first, and then He will move for you in the ways that you cannot move. God will only reach out His hand to catch you, after you have actually made your leap. He’ll give you a push, but He is waiting on you to leap onto that limb of faith on your own and He will catch you and guide you.

Group therapy seems intrusive to most people, but once you realize the real value and beauty in group therapy it will change your life around mental and emotional health forever. Being able to open up and share your aches and pains in front of strangers who are going through the same exact emotional or mental struggles, changes how you deal with things. You stop burying and hiding and start releasing. You stop avoiding and suppressing and start confronting. You stop holding yourself to a ridiculous standard. You stop hiding your pain and feelings from your family and friends. You gain pieces of yourself and your life that you have been neglecting. You regain your power. It helps you realize you are not the only one feeling exactly how you feel, even if varying circumstances put you in these positions, you all are feeling the same emotional and mental reactions to life and you will all be able to share the burdens of life with one another as well.

Group therapy gives so many different perspectives of life and trials. So many people from all different walks of life, age groups, ethnic groups, faith practices, backgrounds, and gender, come together in this setting to realize: we all need each other to get through this thing called life and we need the empathy from our peers and the validation that we get from people going through the things that we ourselves are going through… we all need this energy to heal, otherwise God would have placed us all on separate earths to live alone, and while He is sufficient and more than enough, He Himself wanted us to have our peers, family, friends, and other loved ones, by our sides as well to help us through this life.

… (And once you realize how relatable a total stranger is, you can start looking closer to home and realize the people around you are feeling the same ways. Start sharing more. Start talking more. Start digging. Start resolving. Within all of your close relationships. Opening up brand new vulnerabilities and openness and healing and understanding and growth and LOVE. I encourage group therapy for this part alone and many others)

Group therapy created a safe space around other humans for me, where before I felt totally unsafe around all humans. I trusted no one. It can place hope for good people back into your life. It can create a family amongst strangers and give you a support that even your real family may never be able to give you because they are too invested in their own perception, judgements, opinions, and feelings about you to really be the people you need in your life (whether they want to admit that or not.., it’s sad but it’s true… some people know you “TOO WELL” to see you and your life for what it really is or help you through your struggles… they are too blinded by their confidence in their perception of you) while the people who have gathered for group therapy know what that’s like, that’s why they are here and they are the best people for you to interact with during your therapy journey because all the people here in group therapy are committed to talking about the hard stuff, and unpacking all that we all are carrying. When everyone else is failing to understand what that looks like and how painful and hard it is to do, while it be obligatory for you to do it.

I met so many amazing friends in that group therapy with absolutely no intentions of creating any friendships in there.. and it’s because we all developed a bond through the literal love and support we shown each other through this process.

Every group therapy program is not the same I will admit. But if you find a good one, I recommend going. And if the one you try is not for you, try another one! You will find the right place for you. I promise. I recommend stepping out on a limb, trusting that God will make this experience beneficial for you, allowing yourself to be vulnerable in front of peers, open up to your group therapists, have one on ones with them about the lessons they give weekly, take notes on all you learn, and allow yourself to learn new skills that help you heal and improve and grow, and be receptive to the help, advice, and comfort that your peers in group therapy will offer you.

If you live in the state of Georgia, USA, around Atlanta or Metro Atlanta area: I highly recommend the IOP group at a facility called Ridgeview Institute in Monroe, GA, USA. When you call, ask for Duane or Debbie and you can be scheduled to take your entry assessment and begin IOP as early as the very next day. These people at this particular facility are amazing. They take what they do very seriously and they are devoted to their patients well being. They provide realistic information and real life applications to help you with all your mental and emotional needs & they do it with a smile, incredible interpersonal skills, and most importantly: LOVE.

Here is the phone number, give them a call and give them a try: (844) 350-8800

(Remember: it’s the Monroe, GA location you should be interacting with.)

Group therapy sets you up for success in your individual therapy session and gives you insight into your own mental and emotional struggles. It helps you understand what you’re facing mentally and emotionally so that you will be better able to now pinpoint issues and solutions with your individual therapist. Once you have completed your group therapy, I recommend starting your individual therapy with a therapist you have carefully chosen, very soon after completing your group therapy program. I promise you will not regret taking this step for yourself.

I also recommend taking a well balanced blend of faith-based and medical therapy treatment, OR you can also find someone who specializes in the incorporation of both faith and medical knowledge in therapy treatment. Ultimately, the truth is no therapy will work if God is not apart of it. So you must include faith based therapy and knowledge alongside everything you learn about medical science in mental and emotional healthcare. This will ensure your best highest outcome for healing with therapy treatment.

(SN: everything in group therapy is confidential and doesn’t leave the room per signed contract.. so this is a safe judgement free space, so please be open and honest to gain the most from group therapy)

Get therapy TODAY.

&

Stay blessed! One love!

- Paris Dior | The Modest Blog

"Ode to Nina" by Brittany Anne Baum