Have you ever found yourself feeling paralyzed by a circumstance that occurred in your life? Perhaps it was the loss of a job, the passing of a loved one or a betrayal. Did you feel as though a part of your identity had been stripped away in the process? I, for one, can relate to all three examples, and if you have lived long enough, it is likely that you can too.
I believe that unfavorable circumstances as such have the potential of throwing us off course, which is natural for a period of time. However, if we are not careful, the affects of these circumstances can keep us from evolving into the men & women that we were created to be, if we hold on to them for an extended period of time. This will inevitably result in our God given assignments going unfulfilled or perhaps not at the capacity at which they were intended.
The good news is, those same circumstances have the potential of doing the complete opposite, if we change our approach to them. That is, if we will redirect our power towards the greater of the two. Take my daughter, Morgan, for instance. In 2009, she was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. After 3.5 years of extensive chemotherapy, which left her disabled, followed by 1 year of treatment for pulmonary hypertension, she was in remission for 5 years before relapsing in June 2018. Since that time she has been receiving various forms of treatment and has spent many days in clinics, labs and confined to hospital rooms.
My point? Although no one would fault Morgan for being bitter for the life that she has been given, she feels blessed because of it. The experiences that she has encountered over the years due to her illness, has created within her a grateful heart. Why? Because she knows first hand that tomorrow is not guaranteed and that each day is a gift. See, Morgan has chosen to give power to the gift of the present , not her disease. And she is using the gift of today to boldly share her story with a mission to bring hope to the world by showing the faithfulness of God, which she believes to be her assignment in this life.
So what am I saying? While unforeseen circumstances will inevitably arise and are out of our control, we get to choose how we will approach each of them. Our choices will ultimately move us closer to who we were created to be in love or further away from it out of fear. What will you choose? Will you DARE TO BE who you were created to be and do that which you were created to do? Or, will you allow your circumstance to dictate the outcome? Choose wisely, my friends…choose wisely!
Warmest Regards,
Salina Watson
At the beginning of the year, did you find yourself saying something like, “This year I’m going to get healthy?” Yet, here it is July and you haven’t taken a step in that direction. What about this week, have you agreed to do something for &/or with someone that you really don’t want to do? Or, have you had a dream tucked away in your heart for years and convinced yourself that you will get around to it some day? If we are honest, we can all relate to one, if not all, of these examples. I, for one, believe it is because we are not clear on the things that are truly important to us; therefore, we are not making, I repeat, WE ARE NOT MAKING the time in our schedules for them.
Have you ever noticed just how many things are fighting for your attention throughout your day? From your phone, to the news, and those surrounding you, everything and everyone seems to be saying, “hey, look at me”. It’s almost like they have little magnets on them and are fearlessly drawing us in. Well, each time we surrender to those things and give them our attention, we are essentially allowing them to control us. For the word says in 2 Peter 2:19 (NLT) – “You are a slave to whatever controls you.” And in case you didn’t know, things like “control” and “slavery” are the complete opposite of freedom. My friends, freedom is what we are all striving for here, right? I mean, the Lord did lay down his life so that we could have it.
The Faith Filled Traveler 