Friday, August 24, 2012

Press

Faith is a process and patience is something that must be practiced. So many of us (including me) expect fixes to be easy, and our gratification to be instant. But the things that take the longest to learn are usually our hardest and most valuable lessons. 

If everything in our lives really is positive (I personally believe it is as stated here) then even the bad things that happen to us serve a good purpose. Being a Christian doesn't exempt you from dealing with difficult situations, people, or times in your life. I believe Christianity gives us a positive way of dealing with difficulties when they arise. Sure, we could ignore them, try to run away from them, even let them overtake us completely, but by taking positive action we show ourselves and others that it's possible to face hard things and become stronger because of them. Paul says in Phillipians 3:14 that he must "press on toward the end of the race [life] and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us". Pressing on implies going through, not giving up, and straining for what you want (the prize). 

By accepting ourselves (and others) where they are on their journey, it is easier to have patience with our lives as they are right now. So you're not perfect, so they're not perfect, so your job, house, car, clothes etc. aren't perfect. So what.  Looking at everything as an opportunity to become better, different, stronger is a lot more helpful than looking at everything as a burden. I've had (and still have) problems in my life that I used to let hold me back and keep me in a negative state of mind. I've tried avoiding them, ignoring them, and even just wallowing in self-pity. None of that helped me at all. Now, I consciously, everyday if necessary, remind myself that my circumstances are opportunities for growth. By growing in Christianity, we find the patience and persistence to deal with anything that life throws our way. We can learn to be affected by our circumstances (whatever they may be) for  better and not for worse. That's true power. 

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