Something to Hold Onto
We use the word hope so casually. I hope it doesn't rain. I hope the line at the store isn't long. In that sense, hope is just a wish. That's not the hope I mean.
In today's episode of Truth in Motion, I shared something I find beautiful. In Hebrew, one of the main words for hope is tikvah. It comes from a root that means to wait, and also to twist strands together into a cord. When Rahab hung a scarlet cord from her window so her family would be saved, the word for that cord is tikvah. Hope is a rope. Something you can hold onto.
Something solid to hold
When people come to see me, many of them have been hurting for a long time. They've tried everything else. Often, what they need most isn't one more answer. It's something solid to hold onto while their body does its work.
And here's what I believe is solid: you were made to heal. Your body is repairing you right now. It stopped the bleeding the last time you cut your finger without you asking it to. It hasn't given up on you, even if you've felt like giving up on it.
My job isn't to heal you. It's to help clear what's in the way and support what your body already knows how to do. That's what I mean when I say you are the healer and I am the facilitator.
You don't have to wait until you're hurting
Most of us take better care of our teeth and our cars than the rest of our bodies. We go for cleanings and oil changes so small problems stay small.
Your body deserves the same kind of care. Regular tune-ups. Support through hard seasons. Paying attention to the small whispers before they become shouts. And the daily things you do at home, what Chinese medicine calls yang sheng, nourishing life.
Looking back on our week
All week, we've been noticing. Where our attention goes. Who holds the power in the room. What we reach for when we don't feel well. Which health concerns travel together.
Take a few minutes today to look back. What did you notice this week that surprised you? What do you want to keep paying attention to?
Noticing is where change begins. And you may find that just by noticing, something has already started to shift.
Your one next step
Hope doesn't require perfection. It requires a next step.
One better night of sleep. One walk. One meal made with care. One question you finally ask. One appointment you've been putting off.
What's yours?
Questions to sit with
What does hope feel like in my body?
What am I holding onto right now, and is it holding me up?
Where have I been waiting until things get bad before I take care of myself?
What would it look like to care for my body before it shouts?
What is one next step I'm ready to take this week?
As you sit with these, you may notice hope growing a little stronger, one strand at a time.
Words to Carry
My body was made to heal.
My body has not given up on me.
I don't have to wait until I'm hurting.
I take one next step at a time.
Hope is something I can hold onto.
Share your story
If you're one of my patients and you have a healing story, I'd love for you to share it. Leave a Google review, or tell me your story. Someone out there is hurting and needs to hear that someone else made it through. Your story could be the cord they hold onto. To all those who have shared their stories, please know, it means so much and I appreciate you.
Next week on Truth in Motion, we step back and ask what must be true for us to look honestly and meaningfully at health, and begin laying the foundation for understanding what evidence-based medicine really is.
With you every step of the way,
Dr. Jocelyn
