Identity of Brokenness

Why is it hard to hope?

We work with men and women but most of our clients seem to be women and often women with very similar stories.  The Tummy Team specializes in core rehabilitation however most people do not truely understand what their "core" is.  Not only do we not understand the physical nature of the muscles but we also do not understand the emotional and spiritual nature of our "core". 

The "core" is the structure and the foundation that everything else is built upon.  It is the stabilizing force that allows for effective, pain free movement.  It is the internal support for all of our external activity.  It is essential for life.  It is essential spiritually, emotionally and physically.

Many of our clients are women who come to us weak, disconnected from their core and ultimately feeling broken. At some time in their life they were either violated, hurt or rejected.  At some point in their life they believed on some level that their body failed them (abuse, injury, infertility, miscarriage, rape,difficult birth, unexpected c-section, poor birth recovery, etc). At some point they had to survive and push through.  At some point they found themselves feeling like they were somehow living in a strangers body.  Disconnected and weak. And many have sought help and received little encouragement.  Many have chosen to accept weakness, pain, disconnect and more.  Many have believed this is the cost of motherhood and growing older as a woman.  Others have become obsessed with looking for solutions. Obsessed with all of the broken pieces of themselves.  Obsessed with analyzing and evaluating every piece of themselves that is not working.  Whether they have given up or are obsessively seeking help- most have little to no hope of getting better.

It is interesting how many women come to us at The Tummy Team and have very little hope or expectation that they will get better.  Our first session is almost completely based on helping these clients to understand how their body was designed and why it is not functioning well and to give them HOPE.  Some of our clients cling to this hope like it is a lifeline.  Sadly many of our clients on some level reject the hope.  It seems just too hard to hope.  At least in the beginning.  As we slowly begin changing things, hope starts to spring up, only to be squashed by the fear of healing.

Why would we be afraid to heal?

Healing can be scary.  When we have decided to accept our situation (usually not an easy task),the thought of hoping with the risk of disappointment can be overwhelming.  If we have adjusted our entire life around our weakness or our pain, it can be terrifying to consider what life might be like without those adjustments.  We sadly can use pain and brokenness as a soft padding that buffers us from the world, that excuses us from connecting or investing or really living.  If we have spent a large part of our life looking for "cures" or "treatments" or explanations for why cannot do certain things- without that need, what will we do with our time? 

The truth is you were placed here to live your story.  Our stories are not without pain and suffering.  However, the truth is your body was created out of a perfect design.  The truth is women were designed to have babies and not fall apart.  The truth is our bodies were designed for a beautiful balance between stability and mobility.  The truth is pain is your bodies way of revealing its boundaries so you will protect yourself.  The truth is you were not designed to live broken, merely surviving and powering through life.  The truth is you were designed to thrive and stand tall and walk as a glorious daughter of the one true King.  The truth is healing is available.

There is a difference between hope and expectation.  We as humans cannot help but compare ourselves to others and place expectations and therefore disappointment on our perceived failures. We all have a story. We all have our own unique journey. (I believe nothing is wasted in these stories.) We have hope in all things and we expect that healing will happen, yet we must be open to what that healing will look like.

 Remember what the "core" is.  The "core" is the structure and the foundation that everything else is built upon.  It is the stabilizing force that allows for effective, pain free movement.  It is the internal support for all of our external activity.  It is essential for life.  So healing your core is much more about what you are healing on the inside than simply what we look like on the outside.

As a culture, we focus so much on the external components of our life and even in our bodies and we forget that without the inside being solid, eventually the outside fades and fails. It is from within that healing comes.  It is the structure, that sometimes you cannot see but you can absolutely feel that begins the transformation process.

Do not be afraid.  You were not designed for an identity of brokenness.  You were fearfully and wonderfully made.  

In our clients we see true healing occur once they trust the truth.  Once they trust that their body was designed for strength and balance.  Once they believe in the power of the perfect design to heal and thrive.  There are often external changes that are evident, but these changes are always as a result of an internal restoration.  The light shines out of that solid foundation.