Have you ever felt like you’re living life as usual, following the same routines and schedules, connecting with the same people and doing what you always do, but it just seems like hard work? Something isn’t quite right? Almost as though you’re not firing on all cylinders but you are not sure what’s different? If you can relate to ever having felt this way, can I suggest to you that maybe what’s needed is a detox.
Say what?
If you’re not familiar with the term, a detox is:
A process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances.
It’s basically about getting rid of all the things that are bad for you. Kind of like an internal spring clean. In many cases a detox is all about the food and drink we consume but there are times in life when it’s a good idea to detox in other areas.
Last year 1Africa published a piece about toxic friendships. It may not be something you’ve ever considered but there are things (other than food and drink) that we allow into our lives that are in some way toxic and unhealthy. Whether the toxic items are unhealthy relationships, circumstances or attitudes, they have just as much ability to drain our energy, make us sluggish and stunt our growth as the worst diet imaginable.
How’s your health?
If something is healthy then it will be fruitful and grow. That being the case, then conversely, something that isn’t producing a good end product is probably not healthy. The bible talks about branches that don’t bear fruit and says that they should be cut off and thrown away. It’s basically saying that the things in your life that aren’t adding to you and producing good things shouldn’t be left to use up energy, space and resource. For the sake of the health and future growth of ‘the plant’ (that’s you!) fruitless branches must be removed.
It has to be said that doing a detox isn’t always easy. Anyone who’s ever detoxed and experienced withdrawal from things like caffeine will tell you that you feel worse before you feel better, and removing deep-seated attitudes and unhealthy relationships from your life may not be a comfortable experience either. The benefits however, will outweigh the sacrifice in the long run.
God wants you to be fruitful. He wants your life to be healthy and producing good results that benefit you and those around you. So look at your life. Where are you fruitful? Which relationships are encouraging you, challenging you and bringing out the best parts of who you are? Which relationships are draining your energy, taking up time and giving you very little back in return and causing more pain and frustration than they should? What about your attitudes and beliefs? Sometimes the most toxic things in our lives can be our own thoughts. Are you self-centred and only concerned about your own rights? Are you negative? Maybe you are stubborn or always finding fault in yourself or others. What kind of fruit are those mind sets producing in your life?
If you would like to know how you can begin to make changes in your life or would like to know more about how you can be fruitful please click the link below.