Lisa shares how her Christian fitness class helped her family heal years after divorce.
One Family
What does Christian fitness have to do with healing from past family trauma? A lot more than you think.
God has done mighty work of healing my wounded and divided family. The fruit of this mighty work is playing out right in front of me in my Zoom chair fitness class each week.
My parents divorced 30 years ago. There was much turmoil leading up to the divorce, as is common with divorce. And there was much turmoil that followed, also common.
What we don’t always get to hear about is how a family heals years following the divorce. Divorce includes separation and division within the family. It is very difficult to see how healing can occur when the divide is so wide.
Both of my parents ended up remarrying other people not too long after their divorce. And we all began the process of relearning family. New family traditions. New ways to celebrate holidays. New relationships.
Years later, after I suffered a serious health trial, my family was shaken with new perspective on old family wounds. We slowly tested the waters of having some family gatherings, both my parents and step-parents, all under one roof. It felt both miraculous and natural at the same time. After all, we were all family under that one roof.
But God wasn’t finished with us yet.
More Healing to Come
When I became a Fitness Teacher Gospel Preacher, I knew God wasn’t calling me to increase the size of people’s biceps, decrease their waistlines, or lower a number on the scale.
But I didn’t know He had called me to teach an older generation. I also didn’t know my soul would find healing because of two special participants in my Zoom chair fitness class.
My mom has always been active, walking four miles a day whenever she could. In more recent years, she added stretching and strength work. It seemed natural to invite her to the chair fitness class I was beginning.
My stepmom has been active for years, going to the gym pre-Covid, and faithfully completing YouTube workouts at home post-Covid. It also felt natural to invite her to the chair fitness class I was beginning.
And, so my chair fitness class began with my mom, my stepmom, and a few other faithful ladies…all somewhere in their 70s, full of lessons to teach me.
The healing that began in those initial whole family gatherings has gained momentum for me while teaching both my mom and my stepmom in my faith-filled fitness class.
More Than Fitness
The Holy Spirit is present each week, prompting my teaching, giving me the words for my own soul, and knitting our hearts together under His truth and love.
Moving, sweating, stretching, breathing together, and marinating in God’s word together is a recipe for healing even past family trauma.
Each week, I get to hear my mom and my stepmom both share their gratitude for the same grandchildren. It is powerful and beautiful because these are grandchildren they share. Grandchildren that know nothing about the past trauma of divorce. They are blessed to only have the experience of their two sets of grandparents being at peace with one another.
My mom and stepmom even check in on each other and the trials they each face. It’s healing to hear their concern for one another and to know that there is unity in my family.
Praying with my mom and stepmom at the end of class is the icing on the cake. The Holy Spirit who had led our hearts, minds, and bodies during the exercise portion of the class can now meet with us as we share our joys, concerns, and needs in prayer. Just like the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are unified, my mom, my stepmom, and I can be unified. Family. United. Healed. All within a 45-minute chair fitness class.
Family healing doesn’t always happen in a fitness class. But keep watching. Expecting. God is working in mighty powerful ways within Revelation Wellness classes. Look for the miracle in your next class. I can’t wait to hear about it!
Lisa Ostreim is a Certified Revelation Wellness Instructor from Platoon 28. She is a wife, homeschool mom, and Certified Health Coach. Lisa is passionate about helping to set others free.
2 Responses
I love listening to alisas podcasts while at work. I am working with a damentia person who need prayers. I fine I can put my headphones on and just relax in god’s presence
Thank you for sharing! We will be praying for the person you’re caring for. God sees you!