This statement is the proof between maturity and immaturity.
It is the difference in the choice driven life and victim driven life.
It is the challenge of every human being alive.
You can either grow through your pain or allow it to consume you.
You can either choose to let it change you for good or for evil.
You can either live with determination or excuses.
It is up to you, and what you choose, what you allow will determine not only your outcome.
It will very likely determine the outcome for your children and/or those around you.
So, what will you choose?
How will you grow?
And who will reap the benefits ..or consequences?
Choose wisely, please.
And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Too often, people blame their circumstances for their behavior.
They blame someone else for their poor choice.
They blame their upbringing for their bad response.
They blame this one or that one for their own failure.
Tragedy comes to all us in one way, shape, form or another.
Trauma befalls every individual on the planet.
(If it hasn’t hit you yet, just keep on living.)
It’s not the events that matter.
As much as, it’s what you do with it.
It’s what choices you make to get out of it, to keep fighting, to win.
A champion never wins by staying on the mat when he’s knocked down.
A hurdle jumper never sees success by remaining on the asphalt on top of the broken hurdle.
A rower never receives the medal by flailing in the water once knocked out of the boat.
We’re not promised good fortune simply because of what family line, nation, or skin color we have.
Our modern society claims if you’re born into the right circumstances, you will always win.
And those same people claim if your birth brings you into the wrong heritage, wrong race, or wrong town, you’ll never achieve more.
Lies. All lies. Never embrace those fallacies.
Show me a person who cannot succeed when effort is made.
Show me a person who cannot achieve when sacrifices are made.
Show me a person who cannot triumph when the passion is deep within.
Does it mean some have it easier than others?
Sure. That’s the life we live.
But never hate someone for the blessings she has been given.
You never know the cost that has been paid.
Never curse someone for the accolades he is presented.
You never know the hell he had to live before you saw the crown.
Stay focused on your purpose.
Stay tuned in to your faults.
Grasp the convictions needed.
Stay fixed on your goals.
Your success never depends on them.
It depends on the determination within.
And sometimes, you’re no longer winning because you’ve lost the two vital ingredients to score:
Coaching and support.
Everyone needs someone better in their corner. Let them refine you.
Everyone needs someone to cheer them in the darkness. Let them soothe you.
But never let them coddle, pacify, or justify your resignation.
Fight to win.
Win to testify it can be done.
Extend a hand to someone else.
For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
2 Timothy 1:12
The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do,forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
It’s so true that there are many things of which we have no control of our choices.
Decade in which we are born.
Parents. Birth location. Upbringing.
Physical attributes. Talents. IQ.
These things are given to us, and we have no say.
Yet, we do have a say in how we respond, in how we handle, and in how we carry on once we have them.
And this choosing results in our character.
Which is also a choice.
And it also will become our voice.
How we respond to the things we cannot control will determine our promotions, our successes, and our influences.
We are never a victim.
Being a victim is a choice. And that choice brings about our character.
When we choose to hate these things out of our control, or maybe just fight against them in a rage that wounds all those around us, it shows our character as rude, spiteful and selfish.
When we choose to embrace these things out of our control as chains, and we are just a martyr for the cause, or maybe we just can’t do any better because of all that has befallen us, it shows our character as weak, whiny and self centered.
Yet, when we choose to accept these things out of our control, fight against the things that would try to inhibit us, and become overcomers inspite of the pain, the turmoil and the difficulties, it shows our character as bold, courageous and focused.
And when we take this tenacious attitude a step further and begin to show others how to overcome their own obstacles, it shows our character as loving, giving, and outward seeking.
We can be a hero or a zero.
The choice is ours.
What will you choose today?
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Romans 8:37
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28
Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Sometimes, you just have to saddle up and ride the horse scared.
Sometimes, you’ve just got to take a deep breath and dive in deep.
Sometimes, you’ve got to put one foot in front of the other and keep climbing.
If you don’t, you may never see the landscape from the mountain too.
If you don’t, you may never experience the exhilaration of exploring the utopia of the abyss.
If you don’t, you may never realize that he courage you had hidden deep within.
So, take the plunge.
Take the ride or die.
Chase the dream and see what is to come.
You never know the freedom of success until you do.
And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.
1 Chronicles 28:20
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
When you come through it, those who saw your wound will be amazed at the lessened scar.
When you survive, those who didn’t begin with you will nod in agreement to your strength.
When you are thriving, you will be rejoicing how far you’ve come and how far you’re ready yet to run.
Let the silence scream.
And heal on.
He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is consideredperceptive.
And bonus: when you’ve walked through the fire, and you’ve slain your dragon, there are those following.
And they need your victory.
So, be like Joan. Be not afraid.
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Grief is like the boulder hopping moments of life.
To succeed in getting to the sunset, you’ve got to keep moving.
To achieve the goal of the setting horizon, you’ve got to keep taking the jump.
To get past the hardest points, one foot must stay in front of the other.
Even if you slip. Even if you stumble.
Keep going forward. Keep going beyond.
You’ll get there.
Eventually.
And you’ll be so glad you did.
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.
My journey didn’t stop with mere time travel or writing; it led me to become one of the most sought-after empaths, a soulful psychic who reads the hidden depths of the human spirit. I’ve been blessed—or perhaps burdened—with an ability that allows me to feel the emotions of people from every corner of time.
I am a licensed psychologist based in Greece. My love for housekeeping has inspired me to create this blog about home management and family relationships. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing!
Dedicated to movie nerdom, nostalgia, and escape. In the late 90s, I worked at Blockbuster Video where they let me take home two free movies a day. I caught up on the classics and reviewed theatrical releases for Denver 'burbs newspapers and magazines. Today, while raising two young, beautiful daughters with my amazing wife, I look forward to anything rated R and not Bluey. Comments and dialogue encouraged!
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