We humans!  We fight change, discipline, advice, obedience.

Often we feel that “we’re good enough” right where we are!  Might even be true… for now!

But staying there can absolutely produce stagnation and a stubborn “Settler’s Mindset” that says, “I’m not willing to travel and work further. Deal with it people!”

🤔 So….  How then do our emotions, become habits?  Like this.  If we habitually PRACTICE being Pessimistic, Cranky, Moody, Depressed, filled with Rage, It becomes habitual.

A way WE CHOOSE to react and respond to Life and its trials and tests.  (We all have those tests and trials by the way!)

Beware of those glib statements like, “I’m fine just the way I am.”  If you believe this….  You won’t find the full freedoms that are just waiting to be explored and that build your character in Christ.

They won’t stroke your ego, or opinions though!  Those will forever bind you to …. YOU and they prefer complete “you-ness”.

No sanding away of those rough, prickly edges of “selfie-ness”. 🤣

The following absolutely 💕most favorite story💕 of mine from a devotional says more about this “Challenging Gift of CHANGE” than I ever could.

RISK 2 MINUTES…. Read it.

It’s absolutely energized with the answers to the questions,

“WHY?  Why grow and change and struggle?

Why must I face this on my own?

Who says I need to have any challenges anyway?!”

THE STORY: 🐛 🦋

The Butterfly’s Struggle

(From O. Chambers )
“A man found a cocoon for a butterfly.  One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole.  Then it seemed to stop making any progress.  It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no farther.  Then the man decided to help the butterfly.
He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon.  The butterfly then emerged easily.  Something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings.  The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.  Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings.  It was never able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the small opening of the cocoon are God`s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.  Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.”
– Oswald Chambers

Dear Reader and Friends!

The Practicing of optimism, being gentle, being thankful being determined to remain patient, when practiced, becomes Fruitful living.

Yes, through emotions, we express our feelings and communicate our thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and personal desires.

But learning how to be honest with those, and communicate honestly about them and learn that if we are believers, emotions are products of our thoughts, beliefs and attitudes.

Emotions practiced, produce habits, either negative or positive!

If God allowed us to go through all of our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

Not only that, we could never fly.

Keep learning to think and act biblically!

YOU CAN DO THIS!

Right thinking produces right words and right actions.

Right actions produce right habits and lifestyles.

Positive emotions are really the byproduct of getting our thinking about “thinking wrongly and negatively” addressed!  And this will absolutely produce good and rich actions.

Keep going!  Keep Growing!

Don’t settle for mundane fatalistic living.

“So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of god, praising him always,”   Philippians 4:8.

 

In His Shadow,
~ Mary Lindow ^©

Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed as long as complete message and website information for Mary Lindow is included.  Thank You!

” THE MESSENGER ” ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
Global Prayer Rooms

---

Mary Lindow has a passion for encouraging others – all generations, careers or vocations to live expressing excellence through personal integrity, healthy accountability, and wise management of talents and skills. She’s a sought after keynote, inspirational, humorous speaker and teacher across the USA and internationally in Ministers & Spiritual leaders Conferences, and training seminars for various organizations.

Back to Top