Beautiful Imperfection…part two

Of the many things we have been taught that cause us to become negative about ourselves and our present circumstances, there are a few that stand out above the rest.

Discouragement –  is a huge obstacle to succeeding in our purpose. Its so easy to become discouraged.
One of the main reasons for discouragement is a focus on self and our particular brand of brokenness. We get a great idea, or someone invites us into an opportunity and at first it sounds great. Or some circumstance or life event fires us up to pursue a new career. Its exciting at first, but almost immediately we start thinking about reasons why we cant do it.  Our mentor Chris Brady calls that the \”Second Second\”. We start telling ourselves that we’re not good enough. Or we dont deserve it, or we’re not smart enough. Or we\’ve failed too many times. On the other hand as we take up the task of preparation and study we find it becomes increasingly difficult to make it through…transport problems…time away from the things and the ones we love…late nights and tough assignments. Thats the enemy doing what he does best. His task is to \”dis\” the courage we started out with, and in this he has become very proficient over the eons. But he underestimates those such as yourself who are saturated with a Divine passion that can deflect anything he can throw at you!
So discouragement will try to hold us back. When we feel that way, we must try to look at it from a different perspective. Maybe speak to someone who knows you and who you trust. Someone who has walked down that road and has got the results you want. Press play and listen to a CD that will silence the voice in your head and the discouragement of the loser next door. Most of all your Heavenly Father will renew courage if you press into him and allow him to. Perspectives outside of our own are valuable and enlightening.

So discouragement will cause you to be negative.

Change can also result in negativity.
When things are not the same as they were. We can become negative because we miss some of the old habits, relationships, activities – the \”familiar\” zone.. This is normal. Remove a boil from the butt and you’ll miss that too if it’s been there long enough! Well here\’s a hard truth. Change is inevitable. Growth is optional. It’s ok to miss as long as we get past it and do not dwell on it. Change will occur all around you, but the end goal remains true, so keep your focus on that. That is your great prize, and the joy of accomplishing that, in crossing the finish line is greater than anything you could possibly imagine.
We will either hate losing enough to change, or we will hate change enough to carry on losing.
George Bernard Shaw said “Progress cannot happen without change.”

A third one is Problems, Issues and challenges
Problems should never be a negative obstacle to our future best life. For the Rascal warrior, problems are mere challenges that are invited as a conduit for growth. Many of the social benefits we enjoy today were a result of problems. One of the most unjust social systems of all time, slavery, resulted in one of the most treasured gifts of all time…Freedom. We know that In Psychology for instance, some of the best counselors come out of the deepest personal crisis. Above all else, always remember that through thick and thin there is One who really does care and will see you through. You can trust Him. Heres what one of His followers writes about Him: \”So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.\”

Here’s a few good quotes I found about problems and adversity (isn’t Google amazing?)
“Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has.” – Billy Graham
“Obstacles can’t stop you. Problems can’t stop you. Most of all other people can’t stop you. Only you can stop you.” – Jeffrey Gitomer
“You may not realize it when it happens, but at kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” – Walt Disney
“Nothing is predestined: The obstacles of your past can become the gateways that lead to new beginnings.” – Ralph Blum
“I would never have amounted to anything were it not for adversity. I was forced to come up the hard way.” – J. C. Penney
“The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration.” – Confucius

Another negativity builder is fear. This one is not always self evident.

Bill Lewis, another great mentor once said that fear can actually bring into reality the very thing that we fear.
As with discouragement, fear is also often the result of a focus on self. Self centeredness can be a major cause of fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of loss, fear of loneliness, etc, etc…
I have come to realize that the less I am concerned about myself, the more I truly believe that I am born for a loftier purpose than just me and pursue self surrender, the more courageous I become. In the movie First Knight, when Lancelot was courting Geneveve, he had saved her life a few times and then he competed on the gauntlet at King Arthurs palace and got through it without a scratch. Arthur pulled him aside and asked him the secret to such courage. He answered “When you have nothing to lose you have nothing to fear”. Awesome words.
The truth is, you cannot ever lose the things that matter to your Creator or those who truly love you. You cannot lose their love and protection, nor can you lose their acceptance, approval and appreciation. When we take our focus off ourselves and seeking the approval of those that have no vested interest in our success or failure in life, we will soon learn that our fears are unfounded and powerless to stop us from fulfilling our great purpose.

So let not your heart be troubled… Let this be true, and every man a liar.
Finally, Failure. At first I thought this did not apply to me. I thought I was pretty much invincible and fail proof. Failure was only for the weak, and I was not that! But then I learned that what got to me was not whether I felt that I had failed or not, but what others felt about me. Whether they thought I had failed. Well Iv\’e learned through some very positive end encouraging relationships that it doesn\’t really matter what others think, because there is nothing wrong with failure. If you’ve never failed at anything lately its probably because you haven’t made any decisions…and what good is that? Actually, when it comes down to it, most failures are not so much failures as they are \”quitting\”.
So never walk away from your passion just because someone else might think you’ve taken too long, or you’ve found a couple of detours along the way…screw them. Its your life, not theirs. Take as long as it takes. Just never quit!