Tag: covid-19

Dark Times, Open Heaven

by The Author, posted in Blog

I feel saturated, bombarded by Covid-19 news. What about you?

Dr. Neil Levitsky, a Toronto, Ontario psychiatrist, says we should be aware of pandemic news but limit how much we watch.[1] I agree.

We recently celebrated the First Sunday of Advent whose first candle represents hope. For Christians, this hope exemplifies both the Nativity and Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Christian theologian John Piper thinks that Christ should be the rock on which we lean in the midst of the pandemic, a pandemic which is opening a way for transformation.[2] I believe that this transformation is both personal and societal.

You may wonder, ‘Luba, how on earth can I take my life to the Next Level in the middle of so much insecurity, division and change?’ ‘Luba’, you may say, ‘people are dying, and you expect me to believe that there is a God and that this God cares about me?’

Yes, I do.

God works best in dark times because God’s light shines most then. These are precisely the times we’re living in.

Dark Times, Open Heaven

Many believe that, in spite of the dark times we’re in, we are also living under an open heaven which means that communication is actively happening between heaven and earth.[3]  

As bleak as things appear around us in the physical realm, as dark as the situation seems to be, as uncertain as our circumstances are, there is an ‘openness’ that covers us through which blessings come. This is the hope that I refer to in this piece.

God has a plan for each and every one of us. God’s plan for me was to leave Bulgaria, come to Canada and become a chaplain in war time.[4] Although we are not in a traditional war, we seem to be involved in a new kind of warfare, an invisible war with an invisible enemy, Covid-19.

God’s blessings will pour on us when—in the midst of this warlike atmosphere, a kind of protracted lent from pre-Covid-19 activities we took for granted—we remember God.

What is impossible—Next Level thinking—suddenly becomes possible in a step-by-step, day-by-day reliance on the knowledge that we are living under an open heaven that is ready to pour out its gifts on us so long as we accept the transformation that is required of us now.

‘You mean, Luba, that more is required of me than being careful and wearing a mask?’

Yes, I do.

I think that we’ve been given this time of ‘straightening’ as a reprieve. You can think of it as grace or a grace period that’s been given to us to get rid of all the extraneous things and relationships in our lives that are preventing us from rising in life, being the person we were always meant to be.

Open Heaven

An open heaven is clear, bright, gracious, and freeing. It accepts us with our foibles and is ever ready to provide and guide, caress and bless, help, and support, acknowledge and rebuke and love us. An open heaven is uncomplicated and balanced, ruled yet tolerant, and fundamentally good. An open heaven is filled with goodness. It is ready to cover you in an abundance of beauty and goodness in the midst of your pain and suffering.

Feeling a little anxious because of the pandemic? Unsure of what to do next? Perhaps you’ve just retired and don’t know what to do with the rest of your life? As an experienced chaplain in a first class retirement home and psychotherapy intern at the University of Toronto, I can help you.

Let’s Take it to the Next Level together. Book your appointment today,

Luba

Follow Take it to the Next Level on Facebook here.

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Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

[1] Neil Levitsky, ‘COVID 19 coping strategies,’ YouTube, accessed online on December 1, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn7mKyKwPDI.

[2] John Piper, ‘COVID-19,’ YouTube, accessed online on December 1, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgfu6JLB_XE&vl=en.

[3] Dr. James W. Goll, ‘What Really Happens in an Open Heaven?,’ Charisma, accessed online on December 1, 2020, https://www.charismamag.com/blogs/a-voice-calling-out/22133-what-really-happens-in-an-open-heaven.

[4] Read the description on my website’s home page, https://lubarascheffconsultancy.com/.

Are You Focused or Other?

by The Author, posted in Blog

It used to be that when we opened our e-mail, there was one, monolithic column of e-mails to go through.

Now, there are two: Focused and Other.

It’s interesting and worth keeping an eye on because, in the future, perhaps there will be more columns or perhaps we, the so-called end users, will be given the ability to create columns of our own.

Whatever the case, if you want to Take it to the Next Level, you must be focused and nothing other.

To be focused means ruthlessly cutting out of your life anything that is a stopper toward growth, fulfilment, and joy. This kind of behavior will rub people the wrong way, but in the final analysis, it’s your life. We live in order to achieve a certain amount of success that is couched in quality of life.

The pandemic has forced us to focus more. In order to survive, we find ourselves prioritizing more. Do I go to the grocery store now or do I wait until tomorrow? What task is more important, blogging for my business or writing a reflection for class? In the end, we can do it all, but the key is to pace ourselves within a structured framework and not allow current circumstances to overwhelm us.

A steady pace

A structured framework and a steady pace are important  in maintaining balance these days. Keep your chin up, don’t despair, organize your affairs, and maintain your focus. Everything will be alright!

You must develop the ability to immediately separate the ‘wheat from the chaff,’ so to speak. Put aside—perhaps into the other column—that which does not merit your immediate attention, or never will.

The amount of junk mail that I find myself flooded with is amazing. Not a day goes by that someone isn’t trying to sell me something or promote an idea that is more fanciful than anything else. This is the bombardment of falseness that must be weeded out. In the end, the truth—represented by everything that is valid and true for us—prevails. Always.

Keep it simple

In our focused state—the only state that leads to attaining our goals—simplicity works best. When we do this, everything becomes clear—instantly.

Are you retired and perhaps feeling anxious or a little disconnected because of the pandemic? Unsure of what to do next? As an experienced chaplain in a first class retirement home and psychotherapy intern at the University of Toronto, I can help you.

Let’s Take it to the Next Level together. Book your appointment today,

Luba

Follow Take it to the Next Level on Facebook here.

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

A Powerful but Necessary Transformation

by The Author, posted in Blog

We are all languishing right now because of the global lockdown.

We can’t go outside unless it’s essential—needs or services—and find ourselves at home, perhaps wondering what to do.

Although Take it to the Next Level is about people reaching up and striving to attain higher ground in life, so to speak, the situation is such that the Next Level seems to be coming to us!

Who would have predicted some of these strange, positive and unexpected outcomes of the novel coronavirus: the atmosphere becoming cleaner, waterways  becoming clearer, and animals emerging while people stay inside, waiting for the ‘corona tide’ to wash over.

Today, I finished Module 8—Deep Introspection—for my upcoming book, Take it to the Next Level, How to Rise in Life.

This book will be a go-to resource for my clients, as well as others seeking more information, more details as to how to get there.

We’re living in very strange times indeed. Instead of making us stop and question whether we should take things higher, move up in life, we ought to be seeing the turn of events as a unique opportunity for personal growth and transformation.

The novel coronavirus—a wimpy little thing that dies when wiped down properly—is powerfully sweeping our planet. It is transforming the way we think, do business, communicate, teach, learn and live. We cannot help but react as it mercilessly kills thousands, and spares thousands.

I’ve heard it said that the reason for such strong emotional reactions to this virus, which is the sixth in a series of corona viruses, is spiritual. There’s a spiritual element to this. Some are falling into fear and despair, whereas others are strengthened by their faith in our Creator and can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It’s easy to forget that this is Holy Week for Christians and that yesterday was the first day of Passover. Can a wimpy little virus overshadow such great feasts? I should hardly think so.

Lately, to distract myself—and distraction is good since we all need to take a break from deep introspection which I describe in Module 8—I’ve been watching YouTube battles of super heroes. My favorite one is Superman versus Hulk – The Fight (Part IV). This spectacular video was viewed 157,609,421 times to date.

In many ways, the violent scenes depict a struggle between two primordial, archetypal forces vying for predominance. Which will win? Which will overcome?

The old biblical story of David and Goliath is analogous.

David—who would become king and replace a corrupted Saul—in spite of his small, physical stature compared to the giant Goliath, easily obtained victory. He didn’t do it alone, though, he had supernatural inspiration and backing. David famously said to Goliath, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied.” (1 Samuel 17:45)

If we are to understand the times we live in, it is imperative that we look back.

David defeated Goliath with faith, and we can defeat coronavirus in the same way.

Let’s take it to the Next Level, book your appointment today,

Luba

Follow Take it to the Next Level on Facebook here.