In today’s episode, we’re going to discuss the importance of why we should never get tired of doing the right thing.
One of my favorite things to do during the summer, especially during the evenings, is to sit on my balcony and watch the sunset over the lake with my mom. We will sit out there for hours just relaxing and talking. For those of you new to the show, my mom is retired and lives with me. She is my best friend. I’m not saying this because she’s my mom, but she’s also incredibly savvy about business and law.
One evening, I was sitting there staring off into the sunset reflecting on how blessed I felt and how much I’m enjoying my ME season! Putting God first and being selective with who I let into my life and the activities I wish to engage in have done wonders for my soul. Yes, some of the adversities I’ve gone through were out of my hands, but my reaction to them as I’ve gotten older is completely different.
Rather than freak out, I try to calm down, assess the situation to see if I’m the problem, go to God in prayer, and then I fall asleep. Nine times out of ten, depending on the complexity of the situation, when I wake up, God’s typically given me a blueprint in how to resolve my issue.
My calm demeanor, allowing myself to stop being so Type A, and letting God drive is why He’s been opening a lot more doors than I’ve ever imagined. Throughout my life, I’ve had so many hurdles to jump through it felt like I would never reach the finish line. I could see it, but every time it felt like I was getting closer to it, someone would move the line back even further.
Every time I wanted to give up, God would remind me of Gal 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. I’m 40. So needless to say, I can’t tell you how many times I have repeated that verse to myself…That and then having my mom yell, I mean strongly encourage me out of my pity party.
You may be in a season right now where you can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. I’m here to tell you that regardless of what obstacle you’re facing, you cannot afford to give up. It took me a minute to realize this but God can and will leverage our situations in order to strengthen us. He knows the plans He has in store for us (Jer 29:11).
God doesn’t want to set us up for failure so He allows trials in our lives in order to show us the areas of weakness we need to address before He can bless us. Like Job said, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” (Job 23:10) Just like a loving parent wouldn’t give a baby a toy that could hurt them, God’s the same way. He’s got to make sure I can handle the blessing He wants to give me. Oftentimes, I’ve noticed in my life, that the size and amount of obstacles I encounter usually serve as an indicator of the blessings and impact I’ll end up having on those around me.
I’m not naive, so I know it’s not a coincidence. Despite going through some of the most painful moments in my life, speaking positively throughout those situations, and my willingness to be vulnerable and share my experiences with people has without a doubt motivated others not to give up.
You’re going to feel even more frustrated if you don’t have someone rooting for you and you’re constantly surrounded by negativity and seeing evil people prosper. The thoughts that are most likely racing through our minds are, “There’s more folks against me than for me, so I must be doing something wrong” or “It’s going to take me forever to achieve XYZ because I’m doing things the “right way”.
Our negative thoughts prompt us to leave God out of our endeavors. Due to fear or complacency, we start looking for shortcuts. We start asking ourselves, “What’s the quickest way I can get out of this situation, so I can get to the finish line?” When we don’t include God in our plans, we’re destined to get in trouble. In order to stay motivated in doing good, you need to stop comparing yourself to other people. If you’re not willing to do exactly what they did or stoop to their level then stop looking at them. We get so caught up in wondering what other people think about us that we forget to fear the One that can kill the body and the soul…God.
One lesson I learned the hard way is that we play a significant role in the length of time we stay in difficult circumstances. God’s a teacher. He wants us to learn our lesson the easy way, but we all have free will. If we insist on looking for shortcuts or even worse avoid facing our problems head-on in hopes that they’ll go away we’re inadvertently lengthening our stay in those negative situations. The quicker we attain the faith of a mustard seed and fervently pray for God’s guidance then we know we’re destined to pass God’s test with flying colors (Matt 17:20, James 5:15-16).
Another reason so many of us get tired of doing the right thing is that we’re relying on our own strength instead of God’s (Phil 4:13). He literally told us in Phil 4:13 that we can do all things through His strength. Yet, many of us, myself included, get duped into thinking that we don’t have help because we’re mesmerized by our circumstances. We’re so focused on what we see that we fail to take the extra step and acknowledge what we don’t see. I’ve said this before but if all we see is what we see then we’re not seeing all there is to be seen.
The main reason we fail to see the big picture is because our priorities are out of order. God communicates with us by daily spending time with Him and in His word. So many of us have got our schedules so jam-packed that by the end of the day we’re too tired to talk let alone listen to God.
Does this sound familiar? If so you’re caught in a horrible catch-22 cycle that can only be broken by you. God is a jealous God. He doesn’t want our leftover time and energy. He wants to be first and this is the only way we’re going to get the answers to our prayers so we can continue our journey of living the extraordinary life God has planned for us.
If this episode is resonating with you and you need help starting or resetting your priorities. During the month of September in addition to my regular episodes, I’m going to be doing a September Self-Care series. This series is going to focus on getting your mind, body, and soul to give you the much-needed push to start or get back on track. I’ve got some amazing guests discussing topics ranging from nutrition, career development, entrepreneurship the list goes on that will motivate you to take time out to address the various aspects of your life.
My guests all have unique gifts and talents that will leave you feeling inspired to learn and do more. I enjoy exercising. It’s my way to relax. A phrase you will hear runners say a lot is, “Run your race at your pace.” That’s how I want you to view this self-care series. It’s my attempt to give you some of that much-needed energy to keep going. You got this crazy thing called life in your bag if you put God first and take heed to the people and resources He’s put before you.
Always remember that It doesn’t matter how you start the race, but it is important that you finish. We may look a hot mess when we get to the finish line, but I want to do my part so we can cross it together.
