Healthy Living — Discovering Jubilee

When Everything Falls Apart

March 26, 2013 By JulieBastuk 1 Comment

Chinua Achebe died last week. The great Nigerian Nobel prize winning author wrote Things Fall Apart in 1958, helping to revive interest in African literature. The book shined a spotlight on the effect of Western imperialism on Africa and the breakdown of traditional culture with the influx of white missionaries and oppression from various Nigerian ethnic groups.

I always thought this book and it’s title were a great metaphor for the general happenings in the world. Things tend to fall apart. The scientific term for this is “entropy.” The ordered, if left alone, becomes disordered. The structured becomes chaotic, and as history has shown, every great empire eventually collapses. Everything in the universe will atrophy over time if energy is not inserted to inspire reordering, structure, and purpose.

One of the great aspects of God’s story, I believe, is the redemption of broken things, over and over. Christ generously offers his creative power, again and again, restoring the broken and offering new hope. It’s interesting, knowing this, how we tend towards nostalgia, looking back at “the good old days”, failing to realize that better awaits us.

Though I am familiar with the words of the Bible, sometimes I need the words offered by the “great cloud of witnesses” to remind me that God is faithful, that even though everything appears impossibly broken, glory awaits. So, I look back to words penned by the saints, the ones who overcame, and lean on their trust and faith to guide me back to Jesus.

If you are in this space, and find that things do indeed fall apart, even those things that seemed impenetrable to entropy, consider the words of those who have gone before.

“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.” -Corrie ten Boom

“Evil is real – and powerful. It has to be fought, not explained away, not fled. And God is against evil all the way. So each of us has to decide where WE stand, how we’re going to live OUR lives. We can try to persuade ourselves that evil doesn’t exist; live for ourselves and wink at evil. We can say that it isn’t so bad after all, maybe even try to call it fun by clothing it in silks and velvets. We can compromise with it, keep quiet about it and say it’s none of our business. Or we can work on God’s side, listen for His orders on strategy against the evil, no matter how horrible it is, and know that He can transform it.”
― Catherine Marshall, Christy

“Surrender–stillness–a ready welcoming of all stripping, all loss, all that brings us low, low into the Lord’s path of humility–a cherishing of every whisper of the Spirit’s voice, every touch of the prompting that comes to quicken the hidden life within: that is the way God’s human seed-vessels ripen, and Christ becomes “magnified” even through the things that seem against us. “Mine but to be still: Thine the glorious power, Thine the mighty will.”
― I.Lilias Trotter

“Your real, new self (which is Christ’s and also yours, and yours just because it is His) will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him. Does that sound strange? The same principle holds, you know, for more everyday matters. Even in social life, you will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making. Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it. The principle runs through all life from top to bottom, Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

“God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty.” Peter Marshall

“If I had not felt certain that every additional trial was ordered by infinite love and mercy, I could not have survived my accumulated sufferings.” Adoniram Judson

“The other side of it is understanding the greatness of God, how great God is. If you believe in the
greatness of God, you will believe he will solve the problem and it will be a good solution. That’s where
as Christians we come to the problem with an understanding of God that comes from Jesus Christ. He is
the one who helps us understand the goodness of God and the greatness of God by his own death and his
resurrection and his triumph and his continuing existence. He calls to us and says, “God is good, and God
is able.”
If we will accept that, then we have a way of approaching it. If we’re just thrown the problem, the problem
is dunked in our lap, and we don’t have any resources to deal with it, the natural response is, “I don’t want
to have anything to do with God.” It’s when you begin to understand the greatness of God as it is revealed
to us and as we love to sing about these wonderful songs we sing about the greatness of God. See that’s an
expression of a God who will see to it that everything comes out right. We have to have that and bear
witness to it between us and in our own minds, or we’re helpless with our suffering “- Dallas Willard

“Well eternity, of course, is a part of the picture. The child who is starving to death in the
Sudan this very moment, when it dies it enters into the presence of God, and it will affirm the goodness of
its existence because now it lives in the presence of God and will do so forever. God’s life is eternal, and
he gives that to others. A little child who dies is in his care. Without eternity, there is no solution to this
problem, and that’s just one dimension. The short thing you have to say is the greatness of God is what
sees to it that eventually everything comes out good and comes out right”.-Dallas Willard

What about you? What words have sustained you, and pushed you to Jesus when it seemed all was failing?

Seeking to fully live,

Linked up at:

Filed Under: Christian Living, Depression/Anxiety, Healthy Living, World Events Tagged With: Suffering

The Importance of Moderating Your Children’s Stress Level

March 12, 2013 By JulieBastuk 1 Comment

I just listened to a segment on NPR talking about the rapid increase in app development for people to monitor data about themselves. A new industry is emerging from this, and sites such as The Quantified Self. People are constantly evaluating stats about themselves, and trying to understand how that mass of information can make their lives better. This is just another example of the technology influx that is helping to steadily increase the pace of life in America.

Technology, longer working hours, massive amounts of media and information, and general discontent are driving Americans harder and faster to reach some nebulous goal. And while we are racing along in our pursuits, we are dragging our kids along, and developing our bad habits and discontent within each of them.

Stress has been studied quite a bit in adults, but has recently been researched more among children, to determine what is causing their stress, and how stress is affecting them long term. The results of these studies are serious, but shouldn’t necessarily be shocking. Either way, they should encourage us to stop, slow down, and think hard about how our busy lives are benefiting or hurting our children both short and long term.

Here are some specific examples:
Stress effects on children begins before they are born. Studies have shown that maternal stress on the fetus contributes to mental and motor delays in the toddler stage, and can also increase the chance for anxiety and chronic stress.
Bergman, K., Sarkar, P., O’Connor, T., Modi, N., & Glover, V. (2006). Prenatal stressful life events predict child cognitive outcomes. Journal of Early Human Development, 9(33), doi:10.1016.
Weinstock, M. (2008). The long term behavioral consequences of prenatal stress. Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews, 32(6), 1073-1086.

Stress has been shown to negatively affect memory retrieval in children and increase the frequency of nightmares.
Quesada, A., Wiemers, U., Schoofs, D., & Wolf, O. (2012). Psychosocial stress exposure impairs memory retrieval in children. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 37, 125-136.
Schredl, M., Biemelt, J., Roos, K., Dunkel, T., & Harris, N. (2008). Nightmares and stress in children. Sleep and Hypnosis, 10(1), 19-25.

Chronic stress in children is correlated to obesity and consumption of fatty and sweet foods, and can also impact immunity
Michels, N., Sioen, I., Braet, C., Eiben, G., Hebestreit, A., Huybrechts, I., … De Henaux, S. (2012). Stress, emotional eating behavior and dietary patterns in children. Appetite, 59, 762-769.
Danese, A., Caspi, A., Williams, B., Ambler, A., Sugden, K., Mika, J. Werts, H., Freeman, J.,…Arseneault, L. (2011). Biological embedding of stress through inflammation processes in childhood. Molecular Psychiatry, 16(3), 244-246.

Stress can cause poor decision making in immature young brains, cause family and social interaction problems, and lead to lifelong self confidence and relationship struggles. Research has shown that 25%-33% of all psychiatric disorders stemmed from early life experiences.

Willemen, A., Koot, H., Ferdinand, R., Goossens, F., & Schuengel, C. (2008). Change in psychopathology in referred children: The role of life events and perceived stress. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(11), 1175-1183.
Hodges, D. & Woon, F. (2011). Early life-stress and cognitive outcome. Psychopharmacology, 214, 121-130.

Finally, in cases of abuse, poverty, and high aggression households, stressors are even greater for children, and can affect things such as onset of menarche, brain cortisol levels (that are crucial for proper brain function), and their overall allostatic load (the accumulative effect of numerous stressors on the body over time.)
Blair, C., Raver, C., Granger, D., Mills-Koonce, R.,& Hibel, L. (2011). Allostasis and allostatic load in the context of poverty in early childhood. Development and Psychopathology, 23, 845-857.
Mendle, J., Natsuaki, M., Leve, L., Van Ryzin, M., & Ge, X. (2011). Associations between early life stress, child maltreatment, and pubertal development among girls in foster care. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(4), 871-880.
Towe‐Goodman, N. R., Stifter, C. A., Mills‐Koonce, W. R., & Granger, D. A. (2012). Interparental aggression and infant patterns of adrenocortical and behavioral stress responses. Developmental Psychobiology, 54(7), 685-699.

I encourage you to consider what activities or relationships in your life might be negatively affecting the stress levels in your children. Do you actively monitor the media and information content your children are exposed to? Do you pursue close, bonded relationships with them where they can process through injuries or hurts openly with you? Do you intentionally shield them from people or situations that could threaten their emotional and physical safety?

Two final tough questions. Are you striving to maintain a peaceful and healthy marriage for your kids’ sake, and not just yours? Are you working to slow down the breakneck speed of life, seeking quality and not quantity, and teaching your children contentment with what they have and in God?

I constantly have to evaluate these questions in my own life. It is so easy to maintain the status quo and float down the river in the same direction as every other American, but unfortunately, the Bible and data from the scientific world aren’t lying….if we don’t heed their warnings, we will have to bear the responsibility of many of the difficulties our children struggle with throughout their lives.

Seeking to fully live,

Linked up at:

Filed Under: Christian Living, Depression/Anxiety, Healthy Living, Homemaking, Kids Stuff, Marriage, Parenting, Uncategorized

Impossible Situations

March 8, 2013 By JulieBastuk 1 Comment

Mike and I were so excited to move to New York at the end of 2011. Our dream goal was to move to Vermont, but since the only industry in Vermont are things like Ben and Jerry’s, Cabot Cheese, and Lake Champlain Chocolate, we knew that finding a job for Mr. Diesel Engine Guru was going to be tough there.

Driving home from our yearly summer Vermont trip in earlier in 2011, we brainstormed for hours on how we might maneuver a move closer to New England. And on a crazy whim Mike thought of a contact to touch base with that led to his current job out here. Everything fell into place in an unbelievable way for our transition. We even sold our house without having to do a corporate buy-out, which had not happened in our previous two house sales. Wow, we finally had some equity….it was like $3000, but who cared…it was real equity! Granted, to get ready to sell the house we had to remove wall paper from cathedral high ceilings to make the entry way room more neutral, which was awful. Note to everyone…never wallpaper in any sort of way cathedral high ceilings and over staircases. Just saying.

To top it off, Mike and I ACTUALLY agreed on which house to buy! There were no arguments about it or what offer we should put on the house. Jaw dropping! So, we moved our pretty little selves out here, And….within six months we were ready to die. At the end of the first year, I told Mike we could move anywhere, even gulp, Arizona or New Mexico…just get us out of this situation. His perspective wasn’t too far off mine.

Our feelings had nothing to do with New York. We love it here…..the people, the landscape, the CLOSENESS to VERMONT. No, what has been making life so painful is the ever increasing pace of corporate America, passed down to Mike in rapid fire chunks from a certain un-named New England city. That misery, combined with our own brokenness and baggage, the craziness of life with three young boys, the loss of a major support system, and several other factors makes it feel like we are in an impossible situation.

Ever felt like that? Ever felt like you were being directly led by God into a place, and then the bottom dropped out from underneath you, leaving you to second guess all your decisions, your priorities, your basic daily steps to emotional survival?

I don’t like being in this place at all. Not New York, but the place of seeming impossibilities and struggling to understand what is happening.

Last night, I feel like I heard God tell me why he has let so much of the circumstances of the last year come to pass. “Julie…I’m doing this to squeeze the life out of you and Mike.”

Of course, being God, he relayed this to me in a really nice way. But, I think this is true…he’s not trying to ruin my life, but to make me desperate enough in my current life that I will finally completely surrender, and die, and give everything over to him, once and for all. It’s pretty easy to go through life in America without a huge desperation for God, and to fill up the empty places with distractions, media, Christian books, and “doing stuff.” I’m an expert at this, but I don’t want this to be my life legacy. It’s purposeless.

So, I’m trying to be OK with letting God squeeze the life out of me, but I don’t like pain. And the last 10 years have just been really painful…I wouldn’t mind a reprieve. . To take Dallas Willard’s advice, I’ll be honest about where I am, no facades. I don’t want to die, but I want to want to die. I think God can use that as a starting place.

How about you? Have you ever been in impossible situations where you’re only place to turn was God, but turning yourself over to God completely felt like a painful, confusing, slow death? Did you find life on the other side?

Seeking to fully live,

Filed Under: Christian Living, Depression/Anxiety, Healthy Living, Homemaking, Marriage, Parenting

When Boasting in Your Weaknesses Is Painful

February 10, 2013 By JulieBastuk 1 Comment

I used to try and hide all of my secrets, and the junk in my life that made me appear weak. I always struggled to appear confident and sure of myself, and when if that failed, I would be sure to laugh and make fun of myself before anyone else had a chance to. Seemed to take the sting off of rejection a bit. Any of you ever do that?

Now days, I am much freer in opening up my life to people, am much more transparent. In many ways, doing this has been very liberating….I hardly ever stress anymore about whether or not people are going to discover something awful about me that I was trying to diligently to hide. I try to make sure that my personal and public lives are as identical as possible, and that people know what they are getting then they meet me in different settings and circumstances.

The apostle Paul wrote that he boasted in his weaknesses, because of the glory it gave Christ and how it showed His great strength. Recognizing our weaknesses is all about facing reality, what we are and what we aren’t, and acknowledging the broken pieces in us that need divine healing. It also aids in freeing us from judging others, and when something amazing happens in life, it’s alot harder to take credit for it and be prideful, especially when our brokenness is known to many.

However, the honest truth is that revealing your weaknesses to the world can often come back to bite you, be used against you, or be skewed completely out of proportion. Boasting in weaknesses then becomes not a “happy do da day! I’m nothing and Jesus is so amazing and isn’t this wonderful?” kind of boasting, but more of a sacrificial, “I will speak out about my brokenness for the glory of God and good of others no matter how painful it becomes and what treatment may come my way” sort of revealing of oneself.

I know, because I’ve been there. I’ve had honest information that I revealed about myself in good faith turned against me, exaggerated….I’ve been stigmatized by people. I’ve been labeled. I’ve been betrayed.

When this happens, it is so tempting to shut down, close up my heart, and no longer offer my real self to anyone for inspection. Some of the worst things in life are to be manipulated, misunderstood, and stereotyped. I’ve come so close to vowing to wear a facade the rest of my life, suck it up in public, and reveal noting of my inner self to people. I’m tired of being hurt and misunderstood and accused.

But, Jesus steps into these kinds of hurts. And in the midst of my pain and hurt he orchestrates magic…encounters with people that we need and they need us and nothing would ever result from these encounters had we not ripped the stitches out of our raw hearts, and open up ourselves for them to see inside. While some see the oozing, bloody mess of our brokenness, they won’t understand and will judge us incorrectly. But when Jesus sets up the encounter, the other person sees those oozing, bloody messes, is able to see past them and finds evidence of healing, hope, freedom, and grace in Jesus.

Those encounters make it all worth it to me. Let a thousand people judge me wrongly if one person can see how Jesus is making me strong in the broken places. If I am rejected by many because of my weaknesses, so be it, if one person is able to find restoration in Jesus because of them.

Seeking to fully live,

Filed Under: Christian Living, Depression/Anxiety, Healthy Living

Why You Should Tell Me Your Deep Dark Secrets

January 7, 2013 By JulieBastuk 1 Comment

Well, I either got your attention with that title, or you snorted, thinking to yourself “Why would I ever tell a stranger, let alone that Discovering Jubilee girl, things I’ve never told anyone else?”

I’m only half kidding with my title.

You don’t necessarily need to tell me your deep, dark secrets, but may I suggest that you find a safe person that you trust, and tell them?

I’ll be there first to admit that I’ve had my share of closet skeletons that I did not want anyone to know about. These ranged from the fear of going to the gynecologist for the first time because “God forbid, they might discover that I’m a girl down there”, to abuse that I suffered as a child, to mental issues and irrational fears, to compulsive behaviors that I haven’t seem to be able to rid myself of.

You know what I’m talking about…though they may differ, we all have these secrets. We stuff them down, trying to pretend they don’t exist and praying to God that no one will find us out.

Can I let you in on another little secret? When we bring our hidden burdens to the light, reveal what we don’t want to admit, and expose pain, hurt, lies, and illness….freedom comes.

The funny thing is, Satan has us believing that if we reveal the broken pieces of our lives to others, we will be rejected, ostracized, humiliated. In fact, the opposite is almost always true. When a flashlight is shined on the boogeyman, he doesn’t seem nearly so big.

The Bible says that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The Lord is the truth, wants us to walk in truth, and walk in the freedom that comes with it. The first step to getting there is to stop hiding our secrets.

Disclaimer: I am not advocating information vomit. You know, where you go to the wrong person or at the wrong time and just puke out your whole story with no boundaries or discretion. I’m talking about talking to a safe person or a counselor and finally getting those burdens off your chest.

In my own experiences I’ve learned that once you tell that big dark secret, a weight is lifted, and suddenly it doesn’t seem so big anymore. In fact, the more you tell your secret stories to people, the easier it gets, and before you know it…….Someone comes up to you and says “Oh thank you so much for sharing that. I have the same secret and was so afraid to tell anyone. I’m so glad I’m not alone!” Trust me, it will happen. If you don’t believe that anyone can top your secret, go watch some reality series on TLC…they feature people who have some of the weirdest quirks of any people I’ve ever seen.

Jesus wants each of us to be whole, and strong at the broken places, as Hemingway wrote. However, to be truly whole we must step into the light….completely, our secrets and all. The great news is that Jesus takes those horrible secrets, and transforms us in spite of them, and then uses us to reach those who have suffered in the same ways.

So, if you are carrying a secret that is so heavy and burdensome, or you have a foul skeleton that you are terrified people will find out about, reveal it, and revel in the freedom that comes when we hand those secrets to Jesus and allow him to carry the shame away.

Seeking to fully live,

Linking up at:

Filed Under: Christian Living, Depression/Anxiety, Healthy Living

A Look Back on My Goals for 2012

January 3, 2013 By JulieBastuk 2 Comments

At the end of 2011, I wrote a post outlining eating and menu goals I was setting for 2012. Now, that’s it’s 2013, I pulled out that list to see how many I followed through on, and which flopped completely.

1. Try to eliminate virtually all packaged or processed foods from my kitchen.

While I haven’t gotten rid of all packaged foods, I think we’ve done a good job of reducing the number of them in general. My main struggle with the packaged foods are at lunch time, when I’m seeking convenience and efficiency. We never seem to have leftovers from dinner, so I’m always tempted to give the boys a box of mac and cheese.

2. I want to endeavor to make as many dairy products at home that I can.

This goal largely flopped. I made yogurt a couple of times, but didn’t make any of the other dairy products I planned on. I chalk this up to the craziness of moving to another state, potty training, and generally having kids age five and under.

3. For whatever reason, maybe because I’m forgetful, I don’t seem to have a very green thumb. However, I still think I should be able to maintain and indoor herb garden, and maybe do some pot vegetable growing to get organic veggies.

Brown thumb is still alive and well. Right now, I’m just pretending that this goal never existed.

4. I’m just going to buckle down and start making my own bread each week.

Yeah, so this falls into the same category as the dairy products. Part of the problem, homemade bread is so darn good that it never lasts over a day, and so our waistlines couldn’t afford me making this weekly. New goal: develop more discipline so bread baking won’t be a problem.

5. Switching to healthy sweeteners.

Hooray! This is a goal I have really succeeded in! I think I used white sugar and brown sugar maybe a total of three times this year. Other than that, it’s been Stevia, agave nectar, honey, and maple syrup, with the occasional use of raw sugar. Huge improvement here, at least in what I bake with. Now, the ice cream and junk I buy outside my house is a different story.

6. Downsize drink options.

While not perfected, I downsized my pop intake significantly this year. I probably drank too much coffee, but doctors say it helps prevent prostate cancer. Oh….wait….nix that for me.

Overall, I didn’t reach all of my goals to 100%, but I’m happy with the progress we made as a family and continue to make. The most important thing I learned over the last year was to take one goal at a time. It is overwhelming and almost impossible to implement them perfectly all at once. Baby steps, people!

How about you? Any major food or product changes headed to your household this year?

Seeking to fully live,

Filed Under: Healthy Living, Homemaking Tagged With: food, goals

A Green Resource Everyone Should Check Out

December 19, 2012 By JulieBastuk 2 Comments

Today I’m sharing a bit of link love. While at the Allume conference, I met a sweet woman who told us about a “green” blog she writes. I finally got a chance to check it out, and it’s WONDERFUL! Hilary Bernstein writes on so many of the topics that I’m concerned about but don’t have time to research all on my own.

If you are interested in living a healthier life, steering toward green products that you can use in your daily routines, and want opinions worth listening to without having to stress yourself out by reinventing the research wheel, while keeping it all balanced with a Christian perspective, go visit Hilary at Accidentally Green. It will be well worth your scrolling time.

Seeking to fully live,

Filed Under: Christian Living, Healthy Living, Homemaking Tagged With: green living

The Divine Storm Door

December 13, 2012 By JulieBastuk 1 Comment

We’ve all heard the analogy concerning God’s will for our lives using the idea of closed doors versus open doors that we can walk right through. Recently, I have decided that there is yet another kind of door that fits into this metaphor: a glass storm door.

I know, you’re already thinking: “Julie, you’re taking this a little far.” But, bear with me…I can explain.

I tend to hear from God fairly tangibly through specific verses that he gives me. It feels rather extraordinary to me, but I’ll spare you the pain of having to read all that I write to explain alot of background and how I know that God is speaking to me in those ways.

Nevertheless, not long ago, I was given a pretty big promise from God through an Old Testament passage. (If you don’t believe God speaks that way, just keep reading….I still have a point that may be relevant). In my excitement about receiving this promise, I thought I saw an open door! Yay for open doors! Through the door, I was able to see so many good things for my future, and real purpose that I crave on a daily basis. So, with this new found vision and apparently no obstacles in my way, I jumped up and sprinted…..squarely into a glass storm door.

Ok, so you’ve all seen the commercials from Windex where the guy who is asleep in his recliner jumps up, and runs straight into his glass sliding door, not realizing that his wife had just cleaned it, and so it appeared open. Funny for the person watching, not funny for the person who now has a bloody nose.

So, what happened, you ask, and where are you going with this?

My point is this: obviously there are locked doors that we are determined to bang our heads against, hoping that God will open, so that we can go down the path that we think will bring us the most fulfillment and be his will. Then, there are the open doors where God is clearly saying, “This way! Walk ye in it.” When we’re smart, we hurry on through when we see one of those doors.

However, I think God gives us storm doors as well. He allows us to see a glimpse into the future, and his path for us, but he doesn’t let us walk through yet. There is a barrier set between us and that “thing” and if we run into it just as we do locked doors, it gets rather painful.

Why would God do this? In my case I’m pretty sure it was because he knows how important understanding purpose and my point in life are. I’ve been rather discouraged of late….OK, bordering absolute despair…so, in his mercy, he gave me a tiny glimpse of what he is training me for. The part that I didn’t pay attention to was that he was also asking me to wait, learn the lessons he is currently trying to teach me, and pray for the fulfillment of those promises he gave me.

That’s not what I did…I took things into my own hands, put words in his mouth, and decided specifically what those promises would play out like in real life. I didn’t wait on his timing, and by running after that vision (which is perfectly good and noble in itself), I ended up bruised, bloody, and stressed beyond belief.

From someone who has been there, please take my advice….when you see an open door, make sure there’s not glass or a screen in front before you take off through it. The consequences that result will thank you. When God gives you a promise, a vision…..seek his timing, and wait for him to reveal his blueprint without trying to draw your own.

How about you? Can anybody relate to my storm door experience?

Seeking to fully live,

Filed Under: Christian Living, Depression/Anxiety, Healthy Living

Finding Contentment in a Consumer-Driven Society

December 5, 2012 By JulieBastuk 2 Comments

Much to my chagrin, I’ve determined that I’m one of those people that the advertising world targets. I’ve always prided myself in the fact that I never click on those flashing buttons saying “You’ve Won!” on websites, I don’t have to have every new electronic gadget that hits the store shelves, and ignore the content of most commercials. (At least, I thought I did).

Not long ago, as I perused the shelves of Barnes and Noble, I was forced to admit that certain things will draw me in and entice me to lay down the money. Here’s a couple dumb examples: 1. I’m attracted to anything that is hot pink, lime green or red, preferably coupled with brown or black. (For all of you authors out there, I’m more likely to pull your book at B&N if it is wrapped in a jacket flap with the said colors.)

I’m also attracted by homemaking gadgets that promise to make the job easier. The sad part is, they are usually a disappointment. Really, I don’t think even Electrolux can make me look as cute as Kelly Rippa, and have a streamlined organized life that she portrays on those washer and dryer commercials. Yet, seemingly, there is something in me that draws me to products when ads promise just that.

I avoid walking past New York & Company and a few other selected stores because they have a magnetic grip on me, and I inevitably come out with a purchase. Coffee shops have the same pull.

Why? Why can’t I just go to a store, buy what I NEED, and leave? Why do I always crave that thing I don’t have? I think the reasons differ for each person, but at the core of my issue is a childhood wound that says: “If you have this “thing”, you’re life will go smoother, you will look more put together, you will create an image, and you will be accepted.”

Our society just plays on our childhood wounds, don’t they? It’s rather sadistic in a passive, unintentional sort of way. Advertisers know which places in our hearts have holes, and they promote products in such a way that we think that maybe, just maybe, if we get that “thing”, we’ll be satisfied.

It never works, does it? We get the “thing”, and then realize it wasn’t enough. We need something else. If we make a different purchase, things will be better.

So how do we get out of this crazy cycle, where enough is never enough? Jesus is the only one that can fill your heart holes, my heart holes. We find contentment in a consumer driven society by finding contentment in Jesus. Easier said than done, as shown by the rich young ruler who walked away grieved when Jesus told him to give away all he had.

As someone pointed out to me the other day, heaven is going to be about relationship, not “stuff”. All that we acquire here on earth will amount to nothing but ashes when we reach Jesus, and only the connections we make with people and God here on earth are going to remain. These days it has almost become fashionable or trendy to “simplify”, but it’s a trend I’m wholly on board with. Let’s let go of the frantic running after things, and let Jesus heal our wounds once and for all, so that when we die we can glory in the relationships we will carry with us forever, and not mourn over the loss of the insignificant things we worked our whole lives for that will just die with us.

May all of our celebrations of Christmas this year be about people and the coming of the great heart-hole mender Jesus, not what presents show up under the tree.

Seeking to fully live,

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Filed Under: Christian Living, Healthy Living, Homemaking, Uncategorized

Help For the Fractured Soul (Review) and GIVEAWAY!

December 3, 2012 By JulieBastuk 6 Comments

This GIVEAWAY is now CLOSED. Congratulations to Brandy on winning a copy of this book!

Trauma in childhood can wreak havoc on one’s life, especially when that trauma is the result of ritualistic abuse. In her book Help for the Fractured Soul, Candyce Roberts explores dissociative personality disorders, and gives valuable insight on how to minister to people who are struggling to recover from terrible soul wounds.

Before reading this book, I had a rather limited understanding of dissociative personality disorders, and was aware of only the former name: multiple personality disorders. Furthermore, I always assumed that these “multiple” personalities were simply the result of demonic habitation that required deliverance ministry. Finally, I was shocked at the frequency that ritualistic abuse occurs in our society according to Roberts.

Roberts’ book was eye opening, incredible insightful, and inspiring. She reveals that when someone’s personality dissociates, it is a defense mechanism to help them cope, rather than demonic possession. Roberts committed her life to helping people be set free from the damages caused by ritual and Satanic abuse, and goes into detail about the need for extreme grace and long term dedication required when working with people suffering from this kind of trauma, whether it be lay counselors or licensed therapists.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who has struggled with mental health issues, knows someone who has and desperately needs help, or who is considering a vocation in counseling. She offers wisdom, hope, and the reminder that Jesus can heal the deepest wounds.

Because I feel this book is such a valuable resource, I am sponsoring a giveaway of a copy. To enter, leave a comment on this post, like Discovering Jubilee on Facebook, or send me a tweet to @discoverjubilee. The recipient will be chosen at random,, and notified when the giveaway entry closes Sunday night (12/9/12).

Seeking to fully live,

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book to review from Chosen Books.

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