“Try this”,
my daughter said. “Look up and stare at
a star and then spin around in a circle.
When I say ‘stop’, see if you can run to me.” You can likely guess how that worked
out. I was so dizzy that I stumbled all
over the place and ended up falling over.
Oddly, I
have felt that feeling before. There
have been times in my life when things seemed out of balance and like I was
just barely stumbling along. Maybe you
know that feeling too. If so, you may be
interested to know that the Bible offers lots of advice to help us “find our
footing”. Here are three of my favorite
suggestions.
1. Avoid other people’s drama. Some people love to stir up controversy. In fact, some people are not happy unless
they are not happy. Do not buy into
their issues. Titus 3:9 sums it up well when it says, “Avoid foolish
controversies… because these are unprofitable and useless”. Help if you if can, but make sure that you
are not just wallowing in other people’s muck.
2. Avoid seeking everyone’s approval. It is natural to want others to like you, but
the fact is that not everyone gets along or sees things the same way. Constantly taking opinion polls or trying to make
everyone happy will paralyze you into inactivity. Instead, find the good you
know you should do and do it. That was
Jesus’ example. In the face of
criticism, he often said, “I have come to do the will of my father” (John
4:34/6:38-39). He knew what he was here
to do and he did it regardless of what others thought. Waiting for everyone to “rubber stamp”
everything you do means that you will do nothing.
3. Avoid thinking in terms of “success” and
“failure”. Life is not usually that
clear cut. Therefore, the challenge is to focus less on the results and more on
the process. When we do that, even our mistakes can be part of our path to
success. That is why the apostle John
tells his readers to “walk in the light” (1 John 1). The process of walking with God through both
the good and the bad will produce the blessings that we are seeking.
Jesus said
that he came that we might have an “abundant life” both now and in the future
(John10:10). Why not give God’s approach
a try?
After all,
life is hard enough without creating our own problems.
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