My Difficult Week Leads Me To The Realization That There Is One Key To Success In Life…That Works Ev
My Difficult Week Leads Me To The Realization That There Is One Key To Success In Life…That Works Every Time
Saturday marked the anniversary of 9/11. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was living in a suburb of New York City, so it touched many people I know personally. That day is burned into my memory with such vivid emotion tied to it. Without getting political, I had to endure watching our President look us in the face and tell us Americans, the most humanitarian, generous country in the world, that we needed to be tolerant. Excuse me Mr. President, we didn't fly jet planes into Mecca. Try preaching tolerance where it belongs, to the ones who are the furthest from tolerance.
Today, Monday morning, I got a text that a dear friend of mine had passed after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He was 36 years old. We coached our son's baseball team last year together. I will cherish those memories. The one thing that struck me as I read the text was a sense of peace. Sure I was sad, but more than that, I was happy for him. I was happy for him for two reasons.
The first is because he was in such pain and discomfort, his passing ended that, but the second was…he lived a faithful life as God asks us to. He never complained once during his sickness. He never asked why, or complained that it wasn't fair. My friend had a good Christian upbringing and his faith never waivered. He never let the power of temptation creep in to cast doubt on God's love for him. He passed the ultimate test and is reaping everlasting peace and happiness in God's kingdom.
The one thing that he had is perspective. Perspective is a powerful word. If you have perspective, your ability to handle adverse situations is greatly increased. Likewise, it brings you back to earth when things are going really good. It brings back humility. Where does perspective come from? I maintain that perspective comes from your relationship with God.
Let me use sports as an illustration. Human emotion is a powerful thing. Peaks and valleys of emotion keep you from performing. How many times have you seen NFL players overrun with emotion to a point where two plays later they get burned for a touchdown or make a mental error? Do you remember players who seemed to have ‘ice in his veins'. He was the guy who never celebrated, or got to down on himself. He was just able to outperform the ones who couldn't control their emotion in the big spot. Joe Montana comes to mind. Dan Marino also.
But sports isn't life. Life brings much deeper, and more real adversity. Sickness, death, loss of your job are all deep valleys of adversity you need to deal with. Without perspective, those valleys can swallow you whole.
So the point I am trying to make is this. Perspective is only truly gained by having a relationship with God and understanding your real reason for being here on earth. Without faith in God, and a relationship with Him, you can easily fall victim to human emotion.
Everyone has emotions, it's how you keep them in check which determines whether or not you will be successful in pressing on. I hear every day about more and more people being put on anti depressants and prescriptions to help them ‘cope'. If you are trying to ‘cope' on human terms, your chances are far greater of needing 'something' tho help, like prescriptions or some other chemical escape.
I'm not saying there aren't people who truly need them, but with the attack on Judeo-Christian values in this country, we are getting further away from our relationships with God, and our ability to truly deal with our issues in our lives. We need to expose our children at an early age to Christ, and teach them what is important and what isn't, so they can survive in this world. Prescriptions and psychiatrists are a sorry replacement for God.
So after I read the text of my dear friend's passing, I switched to my email. There was one from my mother in reference to 9/11. It was a reminder of the people who just missed being in the towers that morning. One man skipped work to be with his son on his first day of kindergarten. Another woman was late due to traffic on the Jersey Turnpike. Another man was late because his car battery crapped out. The point was to say that we should no longer get upset and curse everything because our car battery died, or that you are stuck in a traffic jam. Perspective will tell you that where you are at that moment is exactly where God wants you to be. He is working in your life. Compare that to thinking in human terms within emotion that tells you that you are cursed and everything is against you.
If this makes one person think twice about their relationship with God that has been lacking, and recommits themselves to Christ, I will be happy. You can handle anything, or achieve anything when you understand your real purpose is far more important than everyday drama.
Perspective…it works every time.
I will miss you Brent.
Saturday marked the anniversary of 9/11. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was living in a suburb of New York City, so it touched many people I know personally. That day is burned into my memory with such vivid emotion tied to it. Without getting political, I had to endure watching our President look us in the face and tell us Americans, the most humanitarian, generous country in the world, that we needed to be tolerant. Excuse me Mr. President, we didn't fly jet planes into Mecca. Try preaching tolerance where it belongs, to the ones who are the furthest from tolerance.
Today, Monday morning, I got a text that a dear friend of mine had passed after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He was 36 years old. We coached our son's baseball team last year together. I will cherish those memories. The one thing that struck me as I read the text was a sense of peace. Sure I was sad, but more than that, I was happy for him. I was happy for him for two reasons.
The first is because he was in such pain and discomfort, his passing ended that, but the second was…he lived a faithful life as God asks us to. He never complained once during his sickness. He never asked why, or complained that it wasn't fair. My friend had a good Christian upbringing and his faith never waivered. He never let the power of temptation creep in to cast doubt on God's love for him. He passed the ultimate test and is reaping everlasting peace and happiness in God's kingdom.
The one thing that he had is perspective. Perspective is a powerful word. If you have perspective, your ability to handle adverse situations is greatly increased. Likewise, it brings you back to earth when things are going really good. It brings back humility. Where does perspective come from? I maintain that perspective comes from your relationship with God.
Let me use sports as an illustration. Human emotion is a powerful thing. Peaks and valleys of emotion keep you from performing. How many times have you seen NFL players overrun with emotion to a point where two plays later they get burned for a touchdown or make a mental error? Do you remember players who seemed to have ‘ice in his veins'. He was the guy who never celebrated, or got to down on himself. He was just able to outperform the ones who couldn't control their emotion in the big spot. Joe Montana comes to mind. Dan Marino also.
But sports isn't life. Life brings much deeper, and more real adversity. Sickness, death, loss of your job are all deep valleys of adversity you need to deal with. Without perspective, those valleys can swallow you whole.
So the point I am trying to make is this. Perspective is only truly gained by having a relationship with God and understanding your real reason for being here on earth. Without faith in God, and a relationship with Him, you can easily fall victim to human emotion.
Everyone has emotions, it's how you keep them in check which determines whether or not you will be successful in pressing on. I hear every day about more and more people being put on anti depressants and prescriptions to help them ‘cope'. If you are trying to ‘cope' on human terms, your chances are far greater of needing 'something' tho help, like prescriptions or some other chemical escape.
I'm not saying there aren't people who truly need them, but with the attack on Judeo-Christian values in this country, we are getting further away from our relationships with God, and our ability to truly deal with our issues in our lives. We need to expose our children at an early age to Christ, and teach them what is important and what isn't, so they can survive in this world. Prescriptions and psychiatrists are a sorry replacement for God.
So after I read the text of my dear friend's passing, I switched to my email. There was one from my mother in reference to 9/11. It was a reminder of the people who just missed being in the towers that morning. One man skipped work to be with his son on his first day of kindergarten. Another woman was late due to traffic on the Jersey Turnpike. Another man was late because his car battery crapped out. The point was to say that we should no longer get upset and curse everything because our car battery died, or that you are stuck in a traffic jam. Perspective will tell you that where you are at that moment is exactly where God wants you to be. He is working in your life. Compare that to thinking in human terms within emotion that tells you that you are cursed and everything is against you.
If this makes one person think twice about their relationship with God that has been lacking, and recommits themselves to Christ, I will be happy. You can handle anything, or achieve anything when you understand your real purpose is far more important than everyday drama.
Perspective…it works every time.
I will miss you Brent.
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