The WHOLE you…

I was reflecting back on my life and I started to get emotional. I was thinking about how far God has brought me, and I’m finally in a place where I’m genuinely grateful for who I have become. I feel whole!

Now, this journey hasn’t been easy at all. Matter of fact, it’s been very tough. Tough enough at times where I felt like quitting and giving up. To be completely honest, there have been times where I thought about suicide. I was so low at one point in my life that life didn’t matter to me anymore, but God intervened and brought me through.

When I was at my low times, I somehow managed to keep my faith in God. It was hard, and there were plenty of times, that I didn’t want to talk to God, or I was mad at God, or I yelled at God. Don’t act like you haven’t felt this way before?! It’s natural, we’re human, we get emotional, and I speak to God like He is one of my friends, so, unfortunately, He gets the real me. We can’t hide anything from God. He already knows how we feel, before we even feel it.

Being whole takes time and effort. It’s like an onion, you have to pull back one layer and deal with it before you go to another layer. You can’t skip layers. You have to go through the process of overcoming one to get to the next. But don’t think it happens overnight and all your issues you’ve gained over your lifespan just disappear.

God can work supernatural miracles, but for most, you have to work on your wholeness yourself and do the work to get better. I’m one of those people who always seeks different ways I can improve myself in all areas of my life. I wanted to rid myself of everything that wasn’t pleasing to God or making me sick. I was sick and tired of going through the same things and repeating the same cycles. I know my own decisions had brought me to the place of brokenness, but I also knew it was my choice to get right and seek wholeness.

Definition of whole:
1. All of; entire
2. In an unbroken or undamaged state; in one piece

Here’s how I did it..

1. Get naked! In order to be whole, you have to come completely naked to God; all walls down. He can’t help you if you’re still hiding.

2. Be transparent with yourself. Admit your faults and your wrongdoings. Admit where you are in life right now. Sometimes we get ourselves into situations we blame on God or the devil. No, it’s our fault! So, do the work to get yourself back right.

3. Put your pride down. You have to walk in humility and face your fears. It doesn’t matter what people are going to say because at the end of the day, guess what? No one cares about your soul more than you and Jesus!

4. Get the help you need. Whether this means you go to see a professional counselor, meet with church leaders, ask a friend or family member for help, or go to the altar for deliverance. Heck, I wanted to be set free so bad from soul ties that I would come home, get oil, recite soul-tie prayers, and anoint myself. When you want something bad enough, you’ll do whatever it takes to get there.

5. Trust the process. Wholeness is a process. Think of it like this. You have a glass of water; if you put dirt in it, it’s now contaminated. This is a representation of our lives. We put dirt into our lives and now we are contaminated. The only way to be uncontaminated is if you empty out the glass and pour new fresh water into it. You have to empty yourself out “continually” and trust the process.

6. Keep your faith. No matter what, at all costs, in the lowest of lows, keep your faith. It will get better if you focus on the reward and not the race. Your faith will give you the strength you need, the peace you need, and the perseverance you need.

7. Pray, Pray, Pray. Pray for God to help you become whole. Ask him to show you the things and areas you need to become whole in. Pray for strength, pray for instructions, pray for wisdom. You cannot become whole without praying. You have to pray things off of you, you have to pray for new direction. Prayer is vital to your wholeness.

8. Stop repeating the same mistakes. You have to recognize the things that dirty you and break you. Don’t keep going back to those things. Start to make changes in your lifestyle. Your life depends on it, and whatever hurts you, or dirties you, is not worth it!

9. REPEAT! Like I said it takes time, after one issue is dealt with, here comes another one. Deal with one at a time, and watch as you start to pull the layers off, the freer you will feel, and the more joy you will start to experience.

Becoming whole is a process, it may take several years. You may feel one day like your whole, and the next week, something pops up again. That’s a clear indication that you are not whole yet. When you can overcome trials that used to break you down to your lowest point, that’s when your wholeness starts to build.

Wholeness doesn’t mean you’re not going to go through things. It means you’re not in a broken state. You can go through things and still be whole. You can also have it all together and still be broken. Having it all together doesn’t equate to wholeness.

Relationships have always been my downfall. I’ve been severely hurt in many of my past relationships. As sick as it sounds, even after they treated me like dirt, I would still stay around in hopes they will change, because I was broken and I wanted them to make me whole.

Let me tell you, only God can make you whole; no man, no woman, no drug, no addiction. They’re there to keep you in bondage and once I realized this, I was able to deal with my mess accordingly. I had to deal with me and my inner issues before I could help others. Now that I’m whole, it’s much easier to handle what life throws at you. It’s easier to walk away from things that used to break you down.

Wholeness comes with a price, but the reward is far greater than any price tag.

Your wholeness is not only for you, but it’s for you to shine your light, and help others overcome. Be the best you for yourself. Be the best you for your family and friends. If you’re married or have kids, be the best you for them. They need the best you; the whole you!

Here are some scriptures for you to recite and hold close to your heart during your time of seeking wholeness.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

“For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord…” Jeremiah 30:17

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” 3 John 1:2

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18