Every Mat Has a Story
The first time I tried Yoga it was probably one of the most challenging things I had done in a long time; but challenge wasn't what I was seeking at the time, it was Peace. When I moved on my mat I felt at peace. When I found Faith based yoga I knew that was where I was supposed to be. It turned my practice from being ‘Me’ centered to being ‘Christ Centered’. At that time I didn’t see what the Lord was doing, but He was preparing a journey I could have never picked for myself. I guess that is why we should never be the one controlling our own life. Can I get an AMEN?!?!
A day came when the Lord made my calling very clear to me. I had no doubt what He wanted from me; but I did doubt my capability to fulfilling that call. I had a moment on my mat while reading 1 Peter 5:10: ‘After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal Glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.’
I was in a time of great suffering in my personal life. It felt like it wasn't ever going to end. Most days I threw my hands up and said, “it is just meant for me to always suffer.” Through the Word, God's voice spoke very clearly; ‘Sally you have a purpose beyond this momentary time of suffering. This is just a blink compared to the eternal life I need you to focus on.’ After that, I took a shift in everything in my life. I began focusing on what I knew God wanted me to do. That is when everything in my life changed!
When I started Sally’s Mat it was because I was looking for something to call my Yoga Ministry. Facebook and social media are all about self; that was what it was designed for. You tell the world about you, your likes, your friends, your mood. When I returned to the social media world. after spending some time off social media, I no longer desired to tell the world so much about me; I wanted to tell the world my ‘Mat’ stories.
I have found after telling my ‘Mat’ stories over the years, that these stories aren’t about who Sally is at all. These stories are about God and who He is. We all have things… life circumstances, life events that we feel can somehow define who we are. I missed the mark on this for a while. Making the ‘Mat’ stories about me. It is about the Power of a Holy God who has a rescue plan! (Thank you Lisa Nance) Whether it was grief I was struggling with, He had a rescue plan. My Marriage’s struggles, He had a rescue plan. Those battling Addiction, He has a rescue plan. Whatever things we go through in this life, God has a rescue plan. That plan is Jesus; the Son He sent to be our Rescuer. We miss this so much because we are so fixed on ourselves. That day on my mat, reading His Word, I was awakened to the fact that He rescued me on the Cross; and while I was suffering in my flesh there was a story that needed to be told. It is His story; I just get the privilege of bringing people to their yoga mat to hear it.
Sally