Have you ever walked past someone on the street, stepped into a space, or at any time had an unexplainable or unsettling feeling wash over your body? Sounds crazy, huh? Well, call me crazy because I believe that for a large majority of my life I have been able to tap into this “sixth sense” if you will and feel something bigger than me. It’s not always a positive feeling, though. It comes in many different forms and at unexpected times. I have only recently disclosed this piece of me to only the closest of people in my life, but it has been laid upon my heart here recently to not be ashamed of what I would classify as my “weird talent.”
We all come into contact with things that give us good and bad vibes and I believe we all have this ability. It took me a very long time to really open my eyes to what I believe God was telling me to do. God has blessed me with many special things and people in my short (almost) 22 years of life, but he has also challenged me a lot through those years. The trials he has put me through has shaped me into the person I am today, and although I am very pleased with the person I am today, I look forward to growing into the woman I aspire to be.
“Good Vibes Only.”
We see it everywhere, shirts, Pinterest, signs, etc. Well, that is all I believe this “weird talent” of mine to be. In short, I believe I have an open enough mind to feel people’s inner heart and feelings, as well as, be aware or read an atmosphere’s good or bad sensation it holds. My favorite is the spiritual feelings I get when almost my body defies gravity and I become lifted in that moment. I cannot tell you how many of these instances I have had, but they have all held a purpose for me and brought me to something amazing.
This past Friday I went to Healing House. For those of you who do not know what Healing House is, it is a nonprofit, faithbased substance abuse recovery organization, working in the Kansas City metropolitan area to provide safe and stable homes, with opportunities for spiritual and personal growth, along with purposeful guidance and support, for men and women who are committed to overcoming their addiction and becoming responsible, productive, drug and alcohol free members of our community. In 2001, Ms. Bobbi Jo Reed, herself a recovering alcoholic, purchased a single residence home in the historic (but currently downtrodden and crime riddled) northeast section of Kansas City with the goal of providing transitional housing for up to ten women following completion of inpatient substance abuse treatment. As a former addict and alcoholic, Ms. Reed understood the many challenges recovering substance abusers face as they transition back into meaningful roles in society.
Just two years later, in 2003, Ms. Reed founded Healing House, Inc. predicated on the fundamental belief that the surest way to lifelong recovery is through exposure to, and active participation in a safe, spirituallycentered home environment focused on individual and group support in which opportunities to build and restore healthy relationships would be available. At the time Ms. Reed founded Healing House, there were approximately 900 women in Kansas City undergoing inpatient treatment but only 24 residential beds available to these women the following treatment. In the ensuing 14 years since its formal inception, Healing House, Inc. has markedly expanded its scale and reach. Under Ms. Reed’s leadership, Healing House has now purchased and refurbished seven vacant homes, several of which were former drug houses into safe, sober homes for both men and women. Healing House also purchased two apartment buildings, where families can be restored and parents reunited with their children. Recently, Healing House purchased and renovated an eighth home, and transformed it into a daycare center for children. Each year, Healing House provides services and programs for nearly 300 individuals. More than 3,000 individuals in recovery have been served by Healing House with an unprecedented 80 percent success rate. Transitional housing is currently available for up to 150 adults and 25 children in the same historic northeast Kansas City neighborhood where the first residence was established. This area (once riddled with drug dealing, prostitution, and gang violence) is rapidly being transformed into a safe and protective neighborhood through the joint effort of Healing House, numerous volunteers, and likeminded residents.
The second I walked over the threshold of that space I felt lifted. My heart rushed over warm, I got goosebumps, my chubby cheeks stretched out a big smile and I felt lifted. I was lifted. I have attended many a handful of services with one of my good friends whose family has a close connection to Healing House, but this time was different. I had always left feeling spiritually “high” if you will, but I had never felt this overwhelming warmth of immense satisfaction. That night’s message as about evil and how people give it power but we should allow evil to have come over us. The speaker made us repeat “there was good before there was evil” multiple times doing the sermon. That message rang the loudest bell inside of me. Recently, I have encountered a lot of evil acts, people, and things in my life that I have let overtake my brain, heart, and body. We all encounter evil and we all participate in evil acts, but it is our job as Christians, and as humans to not allow evil to overtake the good. Evil only has power if we give it power.
After the sermon, the routine is to break into small groups and discuss how the sermon translates over into our lives. All is open for discussion and it quickly becomes a very powerful 30 to 45 minutes. The leader of the group usually ends the discussion with a challenge linked to the message given earlier in the evening. For example, he or she would say something along the lines of “I challenge you to steer clear of any eve that knocks on your door this week and answer it will good and politely close the door when it wants to steal your power and rightful doings.” So I would like to challenge all who read this to do the same. Go into this week with an open mind. Be aware and openminded to people’s needs around you and the atmosphere that surrounds you. Reject evil knocking on your door to steal your joy. Spread the positive light that burns from a fire within us all (relight it if you must). Go out and conquer this week with joy, selflessness, love, sympathy, and inspiration. The irony is silly. You never know when you’ll be placed in the right place, at the right time, talking to the right person, about the right thing.
"Good Vibes Only."
