Perspective Change: Shift in Thinking

Last week the Pastor said: "Things will be different"

They were

No, I didn't have a huge shift in circumstances.  Instead I noticed a shift in my thinking.  I wasn't so fixated on my problems and shortcomings and when confronted with "temptation" I did not go back to my default thinking.   

I did have moments of Doubt and Fear, but instead of dwelling on them and analyzing it to death..I shared it with a supportive group and kept on going.

Shift in my Thinking

As I have stated before, I am very results and achievement oriented.  If I have a goal, I want to find out what I need to learn to get there and proceed to do it.

This was the approach I took to self development.  I have certain goals that I would like to achieve, so I would focus on what I thought needed to be fixed and then try to fix it from there.

Big Mistake.

I can't fix myself.  What I can't fix, solve, or handle God's power will fix, solve, and handle.  The Apostle Paul said that he asked God to take away whatever thorn it was he had in his side and you know what God told him?

2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

There you have it friends.  I prayed last year that whatever happens will not happen by force or by might, but by His spirit.  Clearly I am out of my league trying to force myself to change or try to do it in my own strength.  

Boasting about Weaknesses

I don't know anyone that likes to boast about weak areas.  Most everyone I know tries to hide their weaknesses. This poses a problem for Christians:  How can we prove the power of God in our lives without people knowing our weaknesses?  Someone once pointed out that one of the reasons non believers have a hard time believing Christians is because they don't have powerful testimonies of faith.  

I can totally agree with that because in church everyone likes to pretend they have it all together  or they don't want people to know their weaknesses because they don't want those weaknesses to be used against them later on.

The other reason I think we don't boast about weaknesses is because we don't think God will change us.  We won't even ask God to change us...We will ask him to change our circumstances and everybody else, but we won't ask him to change us.  We won't take that risk and thus we don't change.

One of the reasons I did this blog is so people could see the WHOLE testimony.  The good parts and also my weak areas.  I am ready to go out on a limb here to witness the power of God in my life.

Not focusing on weaknesses/shortcomings

This may seem contradictory but it isn't.  I made the conscious effort not to focus on my weak areas last week because I am no longer trying to fix myself.  I noticed that I was in much better spirits.  I also noticed that I was less focused on what was wrong and more focused on what was going well.

At the beginning of the week, I realized I was sick of listening to people talk about the past and also talking about tired subjects which have nothing to do with what's going on right now.  I said very firmly "Let me handle my own life.  Let me do it my way.  Let me figure it out".  Not listening to negative comments every single day made a big difference.

Not Falling Into Temptation of Default Thinking

 I did share that I saw Brother Bad News this week and I did not go back into default mode.  I didn't feel rejected or anxious to make something happen.  This all seems so trivial and silly, but it fits in with the topic at hand.

The thought of rejection didn't even cross my mind.  I just thought "Oh well I hope he shows up every week.  I have about 18 weeks until the fitness competition and he would make the workouts more interesting"

What I was most pleased with though was my reaction.  I didn't go straight into rejection, doom, and gloom gonna end up on Hoarders headspace.  Instead I thought "Oh we're trying it aren't we?  But I'm not giving into distractions"

Whispers of Doubt

This week I finished my first cycle of training for the Fitness Competition and I thought "Why did I sign up for this?  Yeah right like I will be able to do this.  Look at the other people, I don't have what it takes.  This is going to be too hard and I will probably be laughed off of the stage.  I should just give up."

I shared with my teammates about how I was feeling and people offered some wonderful words of encouragement.  They had all been there before and had felt the very same things.  I was happy I shared with them how I was feeling and I resolved that I was going to keep on keeping on.  I am not going to give up.  I have a tendency to back out of things if I don't feel that they are going to be a sure thing or turn out successful.  I refuse to do that because this is a lesson I need to learn.

The preacher made a good point in church today.  He said that so many people go through terrible things all alone.  They aren't connected to people who can pray for them or offer encouragement.

One of my Big 5 Goals for this year is to form a Spiritual Mastermind group where we get together and do just that.  I don't want it to be a meeting for complainers and grumblers, but a group where people can share their hurts and people in the group pray for them.  I want people to feel comfortable in the group and know that we are there for their best interests.  I also want us to get better by encouraging each other to do more and grow more in faith.

I really believe we need to be more connected with people and we also need to cool relationships with people who are negative.  Some people do not have anything to say unless it's negative.  I think that it is important to set firm boundaries with these people:  I'm not interested in listening to tired topics about the past that has nothing to do with moving forward.

As the word went forth today:  I am no longer a PRISONER to my past.  I am a PRISONER of Christ Jesus.

To God be the Glory

Amen