Dr. Deb Wade
GCU Vice President, Counseling and Psychological Services
Have you felt burdened lately? Have you felt sluggish or slow or slovenly? Why not check that box of rocks you may be carrying?
You see, I believe that if we are not careful, we could be unknowingly carrying a big ol’ box of rocks right in the basket of the belly! What ARE these “rocks” that seem to be so heavy, cumbersome and difficult? I’m glad you asked!
- The Burning Embers of Anger and Resentment – The reality is that when one feels anger and it is not addressed, it becomes buried alive in the gut! In other words, it will continue to burn you, agitate you, bewilder you and antagonize you. And the even stranger notion about buried anger and resentment is that the longer it burns in your belly, the bigger the burn becomes!
- “Pie in the Sky” becomes “Stuck in the Mud” – Are you a master of great ideas but a “doer” of none of them? How frustrated are you then? General Patton once said, “A good plan executed right now is far better than a perfect plan executed next week.” (The emphasis is mine.) The reality is that when great ideas and unfinished business merely sit in the gut, they resemble another boulder the size of your house!
- Unrelenting Guilt and Shame – Sometimes we need to feel these emotions so that action can be taken toward forgiveness, reconciliation and self-care. BUT … when those qualities just sit and stew in the belly of discontent, they can be paralyzing and debilitating in their scope. We have a forgiving Father; let’s take that example and begin the process of self-forgiveness and remedy! If not, you will continue to carry the rock in your belly, and it will keep banging against and bruising your heart.
- The Mirrored Image of Self-Condemnation and Self Image – One of the heaviest and most debilitating boulders in the gut consists of the distorted/negative/defeated/disgusted view that one often sees of self. Look at yourself in the mirror! If all you see is distaste and disgust, whew! Your hardened box of rocks in the belly just fossilized! YOU are made in the Image of the God of the Universe … try that on for size!
Yes, that box of rocks in the belly can be labor-intensive! Just imagine how light on your feet you could be, if only those rocks didn’t weigh you down!
So … here’s the deal. Unload them, dump them and choose to never again pick them up! I know it’s not easy, but it starts with a decision … then an action … then a refusal to reconsider … then a declaration that you are Boulder-Free!
What happens next? Getting rid of that basket of burden in the belly allows us to see things so much differently. Let’s examine:
Alerting the World – Here I Come! … (Box of Rocks GONE)
- I have come to know that my Attitude and Belief System will help create, perpetuate or eliminate and disintegrate old patterns.
- I know and understand that things rarely travel in straight lines – there will be setbacks and difficulties – but I will keep my eyes on the prize!
- More important than adding minutes to my life is adding life to my minutes. I can’t forget the value of Serendipity!
- My thoughts, when empowered, become who I am!
- I will remember: The person who risks nothing does nothing has nothing and is nothing … and I am a SOMETHING!
- My success will come, not from the things around me, but from the things in me!
- Efficiency gets the job done right – Effectiveness gets the right job done!
- If I’m not actively involved in getting what I want – then I guess I don’t really want it!
- In order to grow, I must be open-minded, not empty headed!
Now … feel lighter? Didn’t it feel so good to unload that Box of Rocks?!
