How Walking With Wisdom and, Holding Yourself Accountable, Can Improve You Mentally and Spiritually.

• Walking in acceptance Means...Understanding who I am.
• Taking responsibility Means... Blaming any other man isn't part of the plan.
• I'm learning to be accountable...Because through wisdom I've come to know. That walking in humility is the only way my spirit will grow.

There may come a time when you begin to search for the meaning of your life and your purpose in it. This poem is a refection of my inner thoughts as I searched for healing and truth.

As I began to reflect on my past and, the mistakes that I made, I discovered that I wouldn't be able to heal unless I turned my eyes inward and learned to take responsibility for the choices that I made.

For me walking in wisdom meant walking in truth. The truth about myself, the truth about other's and, the truth about life. The root of pain begins when we start avoiding things that are too difficult to deal with or choose to blame others instead of taking responsibility for not understanding.

Taking responsibility is not easy it entails going on a self-search and not searching others. It's easy to see where everyone else needs work but painful to see our own weaknesses and flaws. Although ignorance can be blissful it's detrimental to our mental health and spiritual growth.

There was a time when I ran from situations that were difficult to deal with eventually, I became rooted in pain. Learning this about myself was painful but now I understood where my stumbling blocks were and I was able to make changes in my life that gave me peace. This is why I say - 'It's not what you know...but what you understand that brings change'. You may know something, but unless you understand it and, be willing to change from it, things will always stay the same.

Depression and anxiety is on the rise. These illnesses changes your quality of life and robs you of your joy and peace. If you have been depressed for awhile, it can feel like you're floating in a sea of hopelessness. According to the Federal Government health statistics, one out of every 10 Americans take some form of antidepressant. But are antidepressants such as: Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft helping people? Or, is it just another way of numbing people and hindering them from dealing with their issues.

Many health professionals feel that depression has been under-treated and antidepressants are helpful for people suffering from depression and anxiety. On the other hand, some people feel depression and anxiety is a persons way of not coping and, that pharmaceutical companies have made a fortune out of giving people quick fixes instead of trying to provide real healing.

Jesus Christ came and brought truth to the world. He said: " I Am the truth. "I Am the light". The light is the clarity in which we can see. The darkness means blindness and ignorant of the truth. I remember when I walked in blindness. I would do things that I knew were not right and it seemed as if I got away with it more often than not. However, when I began to be filled with wisdom I noticed I didn't get away with anything, I felt as if I were being held accountable for every thought and every choice I made.

This brought me a lot of stress until I began to see that as a result I began to make better choices and, became more consciously aware of the things I said and did. I understood that for every cause there would be an effect and, I would have to live with the choice I made. I began to examine my motives and, re-examine my past and saw clearly choices I made and choices I could have made that would have eliminated much of my stress . This enlightenment brought healing to my life. I began to heal old wounds as I learned to be responsible for the choices I made and, became more humble as I learned the power of forgiveness.

Forgiving others who had hurt me was a challenge. My mouth would say it, but for my heart, it was a different matter entirely. Unforgiveness makes the heart sick. It's a stumbling block which keeps us from moving forward and block future blessings. I once had a friend who did not treat me well and I blamed them for years, although I tried hard to forgive them I found I could not until I understood why.

We've all heard the saying how forgiveness is not for the other person but for yourself. I'm going to say it differently. You can't forgive the other person until you forgive yourself first. I had to take responsibility for not understanding myself- for not understanding myself worth- and, choosing to stay in a situation where I was not valued.

I am responsible for my own life and that includes how I allow people to see me and treat me. We don't live in a perfect world I can't demand that people respect me. I can however, remove myself from any situation where I don't feel respected I have that choice.

Once I held myself accountable I learned from my mistakes and this is what I learned. Why this person mistreated me was their issue and, why I chose to stay was mine. learning from my mistakes allowed the healing and forgiveness I needed for myself which eventually extended to the other person.

• Walk in acceptance: Accept who you are as a person, your abilities, your strength's and weakness's. As with everything on earth we are constantly growing, changing, evolving. Mistakes are only mistakes if you never learn from them.
• Take responsibility: Taking responsibility helps you move forward in life holding on to anger and bitterness stunts your spiritual growth and if you're stuck in the past you're missing a beautiful future.
• Hold yourself accountable for every choice you make although this may be hard because (lets face it} we are use to blaming everyone else for our problems, this mind-set will hinder you. Holding yourself accountable allows you to make better choices.
• Be humble: Never be too embarrassed to admit or show areas in which you are struggling with, you can never strengthen yourself from your weakness, if you hide it in the dark. Talk with someone you can trust, your pastor, or church if you go, or, my personal confidante, the Lord. Acknowledging to God that you need Him is the "beginning of healing" and the bible says " a humble heart is the Lords delight."

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