Do you think hell is a place or a condition?– ACID REFLUX! Oh, what a nightmare. I wonder if that is why the prophets of old in the Bible said they had fire shot up in their bones.  Hey! I know the feeling!

Last fall, I came home from a 31 event speaking tour that covered 11 states in 11 weeks. My souvenir was heartburn with acid shooting up into my throat and my jaws which I combated by downing a bottle of Tums and taking Pepto-Bismol non-stop. Since that time, I began looking at my options on how to deal with the unquenchable fire in my chest. I could go the way most do with pills, probes and aid along the journey. However, a good friend of my daughter, who is a nutritionist, asked me, “How desperate are you?” I replied, “Desperate!” She told me that it would take a different lifestyle.

Since February, I have changed my eating habits and the icing on the proverbial cake – a loss of 40 lbs and less fire. Unfortunately, she told me it would take one year for the healing of inflammation. I am six months into the process with loads of homemade chicken broth and yogurt to go. I never knew my lifestyle change would make me domesticated too! However, it is working and I feel much better.

Life often causes acid in many diverse flavors. resentment, stress and relationships are more toxic at times than reactions to certain foods or distressed digestive systems. What has increased your acid lately?

Overbooked lives and non-stop schedules can cause some tightness in the chest along with daily performances, hoping for recognition and approval. How do you get it all to settle down and become manageable?

Take inventory of the things that set you on edge. Is there a solution beyond you just reacting? Do you know your own trigger points? More than knowing what they are, what about finding out why they make you hot. Is there a peaceful resolution or strategy for dealing with your life and it’s conversations? How desperate are you to live in peace, with peace and at peace with yourself and others?

One sure fire remedy is the anti-acid of prayer. “Cast your care on Him for He cares for you.” Something that helps is to not “absorb” life, but live it in the abundance He promised.  Ironically, I have a little acid pill that helps with the digestion processes. The aid to your “mounting acid in life” might be things like: asking for forgiveness, intentional conversations, releasing your expectations for His strategies and wisdom and choosing not to be offended.  You are welcome to work on it with me as we blaze a fiery trail of a new way to live.

What “acids” are eating you up inside?

When you choose to look past the horizon… the sky is the limit!