Maybe you have been brought down… at least temporarily… perhaps by a life circumstance, maybe by a person whose actions are comparable to a punch with gloves off… but fret not… let a few tears escape… lay on the cold hard floor and bite your lip till it nearly bleeds… lie there listening to nothing but your heart beating in the quiet surrounding you… and take a deep breath… deep breaths… let your stomach rise and fall… let your core and back relax… let it all go… and then after you've allowed yourself that momentary time of prayer and a rejuvenation of strength and strong will… you will leap upward again… you will spring forward like an arrow forced into the wind and sail along despite any push back… you will continue onward because you've been down before… you've been here in this pit of darkness… and yet you know it's never forever… it's not a destination of "this will never change"… but instead it's "this too shall pass".
Determination and strength from God is what fuels you… takes you far… and as wide as possible… determination is a willingness to change as needed… to go with the flow… keeping an open mind and being able to adapt… because often what causes the initial frustration of an obstacle in life is compounded by the inability or unwillingness to accept it… to embrace it… versus kicking it away and resisting it's presence. That resistance… futile resistance is mere stubbornness… an unwillingness to accept what is… and deal the hand dealt to us… versus fighting or sitting stagnant in our chair, arms crossed and closed off to the new chapter that awaits.
Instead we can free ourselves from that cage… we can be open to new possibilities… what our life now looks like… savor what is wonderful right now… and look to what is coming that holds promise and goodness… we can thank God each and every day for the blessings He lets rain over us… despite our condition as wretchedly human. Or maybe the cage is in our head… maybe it's a voice of limitedness that whispers tauntingly, that deceives and tells you that you aren't capable, you aren't worthy… that you cannot go any further because you feel too whipped by your poor choices in the past or life's hand dealt to you or by others… maybe you feel the injustice of it all… but those whispers are just that… whispers and lies of the evil one… in an attempt to keep you down, miserable and suffering… far away from victory… but freedom can be yours… it only requires telling that negative whisper to hush and go shrivel up to die because you, my friend… are a survivor and thriver.
In any life defeats there is a silver lining… where we have loss we always have gain… where one door shuts another opens… we have the ability to embrace something new, or someone and in that be with someone who makes you laugh… who notices the little things… who energizes you… who when you have doubts they acknowledge that no, you did do that… you did it and well… be with someone who gives you credit… who acknowledges your contribution, your efforts, your interest, your care… be with someone who will be straight with you… who doesn't bs you around… who doesn't make excuses, who doesn't pick and choose, who doesn't stall… who is forthright and gives as well, who shares their life, their thoughts, their history… if they aren't willing to do this or questionable flags rise... walk away... be with whom you can say without hesitation "I appreciate you" or "I'm thinking about you"… be with someone who knows what they have when they are with you, who isn't content with living in a relationship of gray but chooses you and commits… these little things from the heart are like rays of sunshine and create a bright glow even in the darkest day.
At the end of the day no matter what threatens our peace what matters is you are defined as God's beloved daughter or son… not merely who others believe you are as defined by our worldly consumerism of cars, clothes, homes, status, jobs, degrees, alumni, etc… we are not defined by our past, our family or the choices made by others. If we were stripped of all that "makes us worthy" in the eyes of man and each of us wore a t-shirt with all our life pains listed… what would yours say? Divorced? Cancer? Loss? Infidelity? Financial Struggles? Job loss? Alcoholism? Depression? Drug Addiction? … and yet it would also say… loved by God. Much of our happiness comes from knowing God's perspective of us… when we see ourselves as God sees us… whether we are on the floor wanting to melt into it from pure exhaustion feeling defeated by others choices that are out of our control or standing atop a hill in joyous liberating song… when we realize with a deeply planted knowledge that our Lord cares for us and will walk beside us no matter what storms occur, no matter the outcome, we will release the chains and absurdities of life to Him and walk free.
© gps-gracepowerstrength.blogspot.com ~ 2014
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