Life doesn't always play fair....
You know when we're struggling with a tough situation or issue... And sometimes when we feel like there is no way up or out, we give in or up....
Forward Friday is an encouragement to keep moving forward, even when it seems darkest. Sometimes, we're closer than we think but we've got to keep moving to get to where we need to go!
And as always, there's good medicine at the end!
Let's Get Into This!
Being at the gym, a lot of conversation occurs and one of the comments that come up often from new people is how hard it is to change or get moving in a positive direction.
There was one that stuck out and that was a woman who had been coming for 3 weeks but kept saying how hard it was to want to get healthier.
She kept saying I feel like quitting......... over and over again until.... she didn't come back.
Sometimes, the cares and worries of our day weigh heavily on our minds and we can't think straight...
It could be relationships, money issues, job, family, future and the list goes on..
We've invested in the outcome; some much, some a little, some in between but we've made some sort of investment and even though we're doing our best to hang in, it feels like we're slipping.
And then, at a certain point, whether by stress, inward defeatist thinking, even external pressures, we give in or give up.
We abandon the course we were on because it just seemed too insurmountable. Couldn't take the pressure or possibility of defeat so we gave up...
The trouble with downward spiraling in moments like this is that although we wouldn't see it that way, there is always fallout from those decisions.
But Here Are Some Things To Think About:
1. You Have Already Come So Far
We have started the journey and already come so far. Even if it's hard to believe, we have a better probability of achieving success compared to if we didn’t even start.
Every day moving forward, our probability of success is increasing.
But if we give up, all those efforts will be wasted. And we never know how close to success we are when we give up. We could be just a few inches away from victory; maybe just taking a few steps, we would achieve what we had set out to do.
2. Self-Doubt Is Common
Sometimes, we may give up when we begin to doubt our potential.
We doubt whether we would make it.
We doubt whether we are qualified enough.
We doubt whether we are on the right path.
And for most of us, we take these doubts seriously and get affected by them.
Self doubt is more common than we think.
Many who achieved great things in the past doubted themselves, and it’s not like they felt confident and optimistic every time.
It’s not the absence of doubt which led to their success but their habit of ignoring their doubts and moving forward.
Dale Carnegie said, “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
3. Uncertainty Is Where Extraordinary Happens
Sometimes, we may give up because things are uncertain; we're not sure what will happen tomorrow, where we are heading and whether our hard work will pay off.
Sometimes, there is a malaise where we are tied to certainty and safety, our lives become very limited, and we live a mediocre life.
Looking at the stories of people who led incredible, positive lives, many took risks and embraced the uncertainty.
It's not a well liked reality of life but many times if not most uncertainty is where we grow, experience new things, and create something ground-breaking.
Uncertainty is where the extraordinary happens. Success and achievements are never certain.
Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
4. No Regrets
What if we gave up today and later realize that we were just a few inches away from success? We will live the rest of our life with regrets.
I lived with some coulda, woulda, shoulda moments and I vowed to the best of my ability to never live like that again.
Regret in my opinion is one of the worst feelings out there.
Those feelings will grow and fester if we give up.
As my dad would say, "What is the worst that can happen if we don’t give up? The worst-case scenario is- we fail. But even if we fail, at least we would not regret that we didn’t try; at least we would be satisfied that we did our best."
Thomas Edison said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
4. It Is Always Darkest Just Before The Dawn
It's funny how in so many moments, things will be the most difficult when we're almost where we're about to reach wherever we're headed.
We're in that uneven position; we may not have any hope left or so it seems; tired and maybe ready to give up or so it appears.
But it's interesting how nature works; it is always the darkest before the dawn.
Giving up too soon or when we feel like we've got nothing left to give, everything stops.
If we don’t give up, we could see one of the most miraculous things we have ever witnessed just because somehow we refused to give in or up.
Push Past Failures
There is a lesson to be learned from one man who faced many hardships.
At age 23, this man failed in his bid for the legislature.
When he was 24, he failed in business.
At age 25, he became a legislator, and it seemed as though things were getting brighter for him.
However, within a year, his sweetheart died.
He later suffered a nervous breakdown; and at 29, he faced another political defeat.
Not only that, but at the ages of 31 and 34, his election attempts were also fruitless.
This man was elected to Congress at age 37, but at 39, he was again defeated.
He ran for the Senate when he was 47 and again at age 49, but failed both times.
You may have heard of this man.
His name was Abraham Lincoln, and at the age of 51, he became the 16th President of the United States.
Now For Some Good Medicine
The Bible is full of men and women who didn't give up even when the outcome seemed like there was no way for anything positive to come out of the situation they found themselves in.
Joseph Was Such A Man.
(The Story is in Genesis 37, 39, 40, 41,42,43,44,45/Fascinating Account)
His Highlights
-Has a dream about what his life was to become; told his brothers who were jealous. They intended to kill him but chose to sell him into slavery.
-That setback set up his ascent into the house of an influential Egyptian officer.
-Joseph excelled to the point where the officer was exceedingly blessed because of Joseph's favor.
-The Egyptian officer's wife accuses him of trying take advantage of her. Joseph is throw into prison.
-Yet Joseph not only doesn't get bitter but the favor on his life was such that he won the favor of the warden and ran the whole prison so that everything ran smoothly.
-It was 2 years before Joseph was called from the prison to interpret a dream for Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt and because of that, he made Joseph ruler over Egypt and control over all things short of Pharaoh.
-Remember those brothers who sold him in to slavery? That dream he had that got him sold into slavery, almost killed, well, it came to pass that he was able to rescue his family from the famine that hit the land.
But what if he gave up in those tough moments? Not only does Egypt miss out on his wisdom in dealing with the famine but his family would have suffered the consequences of that famine.
Maybe we can't see it or believe it or want to believe it but God wants to be part of our story; all of it but especially today wanting to give us strength, encouragement to never give up.
But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Genesis 39:21
Maybe today is the day we finally figure out that we don't have to face our days alone anymore.
So we can say just like Joseph's life was and take it to heart: No matter who we are or where we are, God finds us. We can see that God never leaves Joseph and He won't leave us if we give Him a chance to help us succeed and grow.
Last Good Medicine Moment:
If we are tired, run down, feel like giving up, seems like there is no use for moving forward, take in some good news medicine today!!
Hebrews 12:12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.13 Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
I just can't give up now; will you join me in strengthening our grip so we can see some victories that a few moments earlier might have seemed impossible?
Walking the road of progress with you!!
Dave
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