“There is something deeply hypocritical to pray for a problem you are unwilling to resolve” - Miroslav Volf

Let that quote sink in for one more minute. Did it hit you hard? I know it did for me a few weeks ago while sitting at church listening to a message given by a guest (speaker/pastor) Kristi McClellan. She was preaching about praying and we have to take an active role and be willing to wrestle, negotiate and partner with God through prayer when we are wanting something in our lives. After service, Paul and I went out for coffee and pondered the message we just heard. In talking about this quote, we realized how much we preach the same thing in our office every day, the terminology we use is just different. I don’t know how many countless times I have said ‘I can only do so much in about 30 minutes every 4-6 weeks. It is what you do when you are outside of this office that matters.’ There is only so much body work, supplementation, exercises, nutritional advice, etc. that we can give you while you are in the office but it is what you do with it afterwards that counts.

As I have been contemplating this blog and what I wanted to address - there might be several spinoffs of this message because I think it is that important - I wanted to share what has been on my heart. Leading up to this maternity leave, I have had SO many patients pay me the biggest compliment a practitioner wants to hear. I heard things like ‘What am I going to do while you are gone?’ or ‘How am I going to get through your maternity leave?’. And, while that is a huge compliment, I also have a heavy feeling about it. I feel like I have somewhat failed you all as a practitioner if this is what my patients think they need. I know that I haven’t failed in the sense of the word but have I failed you all in thinking that I am necessary in your health journey. Here at Live Free, we strive to give you the tools to live free from the struggle of the ‘normal’ healthcare world (i.e. prescriptions, unnecessary testings, subpar answers to ailments, etc.) through addressing the root cause of your physical, chemical and emotional health. And, just as much as living free from all of that, also it is living free from me (or any other practitioner for that matter).

Health is not a linear journey. It is a continuous process of ups and downs, struggles and improvements, good times and bad times. Pain and stress should be a guiding tool for us in our health journey, not a diagnosis of who we are. We have to take responsibility in our health. If we want to feel better, we have to navigate every pathway and truly check in with where we need to make improvements. Is it changing something in your diet? We have all said that we have tried everything but when we are truly honest with ourselves, we justify those ‘treats’ because they are ‘healthy’. Is it checking in with your emotions/stress in your world? Where do we need to make a change because it is unhealthy for me. At what cost - your health, your relationships with your spouse, kids, family or friendships - is that job or addiction or money or unresolved trauma really worth? Is it adding a movement or workout routine into your schedule? If we are stagnant in our physical body, we will be stagnant everywhere else too. At what point are we asking ourselves where we can make another change? Where can I continue to grow? If we stop learning or growing, we die. Our body will deteriorate, our minds will fail on us, our relationships around us will be non-existent. So, where are you taking actionable steps in your life to grow in your health? What is one thing that you can do today to start making a change? If we take it a step at a time, the tides eventually turn in our favor. Can you make a positive change and start to live free?

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Live free from the struggle of the ‘normal’ healthcare world