Amanda Lewallen

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Archives for March 2021

When You Don’t Know What to Pray

Anxiety We throw that word around a lot. And there’s a little too much of it to go around these…
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Mother’s Day is coming up. Some of us have warm

Mother’s Day is coming up. Some of us have warm and loving relationships with our mothers and this day is a time to celebrate that. For many of us, however, Mother’s Day can be complicated by feelings of loss, grief, disconnection, and trauma. Maybe our mothers didn’t offer the warm, accepting presence that we needed in order to learn that we’re loveable. Maybe Mother’s Day is difficult because we’re grieving a deep loss. And maybe because we aren’t mothers ourselves, we feel like we have no way to participate in this day. Feelings that don’t fit into the Hallmark box of Mother’s Day can leave us feeling deeply isolated and filled with shame and just maybe we notice the dread that fills our bodies every year around this time? But what if we tried something new this year? What if grief and isolation and shame aren’t the only choices for Mother’s Day? I wonder what would happen if we asked the daughter inside ourselves how she would like to spend the day? Perhaps it might feel right to explore places, foods, music, memories, or anything else that brings comfort. Maybe the answer is to let the day pass by without acknowledgement. Maybe it feels right to spend the day with our children and celebrate the making-of-all-things-new. It’s ok to create a safe space for yourself if you need to. You are worth making a plan. Once we ask the question, opportunities for healing open up. #mothersday
#motherwounds
#emotionallyhealthyspirituality
#christianmentalhealth #christianencouragement #hopewriters #compeltraining #healingshame #ptsdrecovery #cptsdrecovery #complextrauma #cptsdhealing #seekingchrist #mothersdayplans #mentalhealthmatters #hopewriterlife

Heaven (Spoken Word Poem). This is an original spo

Heaven (Spoken Word Poem). This is an original spoken word poem, written and performed for @riverbankchurch. If you would like a printable pdf of the words, follow the link in bio to be notified when one is available! #spokenword #spokenwordpoetry #heaven #emotionallyhealthyspirituality #christianencouragement #hopewriters #compeltraining

So what if we just took a moment to pause? To let

So what if we just took a moment to pause? To let the weight of knowing and being and doing fall away for a moment, to let all that rests on our shoulders be taken into the arms of the One who brought all things into being because he just wants to shoulder it for us. What if we took a moment to wonder at the felt sense of being loved? Just as we are, just in this time. #ptsdrecovery #seekingchrist #traumarecovery #cptsd #christianquotes #hopewriters #compeltraining #christianencouragement #shewritestruth #cptsdrecovery

To all of us in the midst of the hard and holy wor

To all of us in the midst of the hard and holy work of healing: you are seen. You are held. You are beloved. When the heavy weight of shame tells you that what’s broken can’t be repaired, remember that it can always be redeemed. The God of all the ugly things walks the winding road beside you and His steps are sure. You don’t have to heal alone. Swipe for shareable graphic. #emotionallyhealthyspirituality
#christianencouragement
#christianmentalhealth
#mentalhealthmatters #traumarecovery #cptsd #abuserecovery #learningtobeloved #hopewriters #compeltraining #healingshame

Tiny fingers wander their way around these keys, s

Tiny fingers wander their way around these keys, sometimes stumbling sometimes striking the right notes with the sweetest joyful surprise. It’s a wonder watching their melodies unfold. I taught myself piano many years ago, a labor I’ve never regretted because it was only for the sheer joy of creating something beautiful with my own two hands. A thousand combinations of notes exist, different keys and different blends, played fast or slow, together now separate, lilting, lifting, soft and slow. The only way I could ever make sense of them all was to head back to middle C. Just to the left of the two black keys in the center, middle C is the mark between left and right, up and down, treble and clef. If I got lost in the mess of notes, I’d just head back to my beloved middle C and find my way from there. Home base. Don’t we all need one? Where do we head back to when we get lost in the mess of life, when the pain comes calling and tangles us up in the not-enough of this world? Let's let our souls attune to His timing today, find the miracles of His measures because He is home. #emotionallyhealthyspirituality #christianmentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #hopewriters #compeltraining #learningtobeloved #traumarecovery #ptsdrecovery #cptsd #seekingchrist #middlec #abuserecovery

Maslow's hierarchy of needs sometimes rings in my

Maslow's hierarchy of needs sometimes rings in my ears, calling from way back in my high school psychology class. Food, shelter, and clothing were the basics and without our physical needs met, we aren't able to meet our emotional and relational needs. Seems to make sense, right? But the subtle implication is that our emotional and relational needs rank lower than our physical needs. Actually, we have basic emotional needs too and they are just as important. Love, safety, and the knowledge that we are seen are the foundation of our emotional and spiritual lives. May you have your basic needs met in all their fullness today. #emotionallyhealthyspirituality #christianmentalhealth #cptsd #traumarecovery #hopewriters #compeltraining #ptsdrecovery #christianencouragement #selfcompassion

Here in Vermont the weather gets crazy in April. Y

Here in Vermont the weather gets crazy in April. Yesterday we had snow in the morning and by afternoon we were back to the clear, blue skies and warmer temperatures of spring. An emotional swing from the deep disgust and discouragement most of us feel when we see a late April snow, to the bone-deep joy at the sight of a blue sky and the feel of the sun on our skin. Many seasons and many emotional miles traveled in just a few hours. Healing from hard things is a little bit like that- we can emotionally travel from discouragement to joy and back again and maybe we’re so busy moving between them that we can’t find the time to step back and look. Healing is coming but, more importantly, there’s beauty in the now. Even in pain, there’s beauty. Hard feelings are hard and we should always seek support however that looks for each of us, but may we never forget that the highs and lows are always governed by the One center of gravity we all share. The beauty is that He is holding you and holding each experience WITH you. And me too. #christianencouragement
#christianmentalhealth
#emotionallyhealthyspirituality
#traumarecovery #ptsdrecovery #cptsd #soulcare #hopewriters #compeltraining #cptsdrecovery #cptsdhealing #mentalhealthmatters #grief

I listened to a podcast from @moodypublishers the

I listened to a podcast from @moodypublishers the other day about neurotheology. A fascinating listen if you have the time. One of the things the guest talked about is that our brains have to re-orient themselves six times every second! Six! Our brains constantly need to ask the questions: Who am I? Where am I going? Who are my people and what do they need from me? It's no wonder our brains get tangled up in questions of identity. What if we took some time today to intentionally and consciously answer these questions? Comment below if you have an extra busy brain, like me, that needs it! #christianmentalhealth #emotionallyhealthyspirituality #hopewriters #soulcare #spiritualpractice #gospeltruth #ptsdrecovery #traumarecovery #hopewriters #compeltraining

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