Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:5
Sometimes life happens. In spades. We’re reeling with events beyond our control and feeling powerless to control the chaos swirling around us. Perhaps you or a loved one has received an upsetting medical diagnosis. Perhaps you’ve been “downsized” at work once again or hit yet another rocky phase in an exhausting marriage or parenthood.
How do you allow those events to shape you? Yes, that’s right. “Allow”. Even when we feel helpless, we still have choices. We may not be able to control a raging disease, a devastating financial situation, or a gut-wrenching relationship, but there is one thing we can control. We are not as powerless as it seems.
Years ago, I remember reading a book by author and pastor Chuck Swindoll. This phrase has stuck with me over the years. He says that our lives are impacted by 10% of what actually happens to us and by 90% of how we react to it. We have more power than we realize. Our attitude impacts us more than we think. I would even rephrase Swindoll’s thought to say our attitudes impact us even more than our life-events.
There are many facets to our attitude and the choices we can make. We can choose to find joy even in the midst of sorrow. We can decide to muster our courage and face the issue head on or wallow in our misery. We can even allow whatever has happened to define us, to shape our identity, so that this life-event permeates the rest of our life, sucking the energy out of us while this circumstance controls us. Or, we can choose differently. One of the biggest choices we have is to decide whether we are going to be a victim of what has happened or whether we are going to be the victor.
The dictionary defines being a victim as one who suffers from a destructive or injurious action or agent. While we may be physically or emotionally suffering, we can choose to not let it define us. If we give in to that destruction or injury, we are giving up our power. This life-event can then control us, including our thoughts, our actions, and what we talk about. We can play the victim, but if we do, we will rob ourselves of life, of the very joy of living. We will quench the Holy Spirit working in us and will not experience the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We will lose hope.
Victor, on the other hand, is defined by overcoming or defeating an adversary. Yes, we can choose to be the victor. We don’t have to allow our circumstances to rule our minds and our hearts. We can choose to operate with a hopeful attitude, knowing that our hope is from God. Romans 5:5 says, in reference to suffering, “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” While it may sound “Pollyanna-ish”, we can decide how something will impact us internally. We can choose to be victorious and overcome. We can choose to be resilient and not wallow in defeat. We can choose to be hopeful because our hope is in God, in His mighty power and strength, and His great love for us.
Jesus said in John 16:33 that in this life we WILL have trouble. We’re not protected from suffering or trials. But what we do with them is what really matters. We each have a choice – to be a victim or to be a victor. Which will you choose today?
Heavenly Father, even when life’s circumstances are painful, help me choose to overcome with an attitude based on Your power, strength, and love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Want to subscribe to future posts? Click here.
Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of snow-capped Andes towering over high desert topography, Uco Valley, near Mendoza, Argentina.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Sometimes life happens. In spades. We’re reeling with events beyond our control and feeling powerless to control the chaos swirling around us. Perhaps you or a loved one has received an upsetting medical diagnosis. Perhaps you’ve been “downsized” at work once again or hit yet another rocky phase in an exhausting marriage or parenthood.
How do you allow those events to shape you? Yes, that’s right. “Allow”. Even when we feel helpless, we still have choices. We may not be able to control a raging disease, a devastating financial situation, or a gut-wrenching relationship, but there is one thing we can control. We are not as powerless as it seems.
Years ago, I remember reading a book by author and pastor Chuck Swindoll. This phrase has stuck with me over the years. He says that our lives are impacted by 10% of what actually happens to us and by 90% of how we react to it. We have more power than we realize. Our attitude impacts us more than we think. I would even rephrase Swindoll’s thought to say our attitudes impact us even more than our life-events.
There are many facets to our attitude and the choices we can make. We can choose to find joy even in the midst of sorrow. We can decide to muster our courage and face the issue head on or wallow in our misery. We can even allow whatever has happened to define us, to shape our identity, so that this life-event permeates the rest of our life, sucking the energy out of us while this circumstance controls us. Or, we can choose differently. One of the biggest choices we have is to decide whether we are going to be a victim of what has happened or whether we are going to be the victor.
The dictionary defines being a victim as one who suffers from a destructive or injurious action or agent. While we may be physically or emotionally suffering, we can choose to not let it define us. If we give in to that destruction or injury, we are giving up our power. This life-event can then control us, including our thoughts, our actions, and what we talk about. We can play the victim, but if we do, we will rob ourselves of life, of the very joy of living. We will quench the Holy Spirit working in us and will not experience the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We will lose hope.
Victor, on the other hand, is defined by overcoming or defeating an adversary. Yes, we can choose to be the victor. We don’t have to allow our circumstances to rule our minds and our hearts. We can choose to operate with a hopeful attitude, knowing that our hope is from God. Romans 5:5 says, in reference to suffering, “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” While it may sound “Pollyanna-ish”, we can decide how something will impact us internally. We can choose to be victorious and overcome. We can choose to be resilient and not wallow in defeat. We can choose to be hopeful because our hope is in God, in His mighty power and strength, and His great love for us.
Jesus said in John 16:33 that in this life we WILL have trouble. We’re not protected from suffering or trials. But what we do with them is what really matters. We each have a choice – to be a victim or to be a victor. Which will you choose today?
Heavenly Father, even when life’s circumstances are painful, help me choose to overcome with an attitude based on Your power, strength, and love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Want to subscribe to future posts? Click here.
Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of snow-capped Andes towering over high desert topography, Uco Valley, near Mendoza, Argentina.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
RSS Feed