Change Your thoughts. Change Your Life!
Hi! It’s Reen coming to you from our new home in Chattanooga, Tennessee. As we shared last week, in our desire to renew our lives and experience a fresh start, it’s easy to miss the fact that we may have a problem we need to identify which is slowing down our transition and ability to move forward. Progress takes courage to admit there is a problem and even more courage to resolve the problem.
So, if you’re like most people recovering from the pandemic and attempting to make sense of life, how do you identify your problem?
Ancient philosopher Socrates wrote, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” This is especially true when our goal is to move forward. This month we’ve mentioned Paul’s sage advice about forgetting what lies behind (Philippians 3:14). We’ve been talking about removing “Stinkin’ Thinkin’,” but there are other tangible patterns and habits that can also trip us up as we move forward to renew our lives, ready to anticipate God’s special new beginnings. We need to remove the stumbling blocks that hold us back from forward motion.
In our blogs we are transparent. Sometimes, like in today’s blog, this can be painful. But we share to help you avoid some of the mistakes we have made. I will share my own example. In my own life, the constant stumbling block that held me back in moving into God’s career for my life, is the constant returning to commission real estate sales as a “fall back” when things got tough or fears prevailed.
While I had a successful and profitable twenty-year career, I’ve come to realize without a doubt that when God closes one door, if you keep trying to go back, it’s pointless. Repeating our own mistakes is plain crazy. Proverbs 26:11 is clear, “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.”
With Linda’s patient, loving support…and a lot of prayer…I now understand the “stuckness” of going back to real estate held me pinned down in my career. Now that I built a writing platform, which is my passion, I am seeing forward momentum.
So, where are you stuck? In what areas of your life are you going back to what used to work? Many times, the stumbling blocks to our progress are not outwardly visible but our all-seeing God knows where the hangups lie. Spend time praying and asking for guidance. Or seek out a life coach (which we are), pastor, or counselor to gain objective perspective so you can get back on track.
The most wonderful gift you can give yourself is taking the time to meet with God in prayer and ask Him what thoughts and actions are holding you back from living the abundant, fulfilling life that is Your Refreshed Life, ordained for you today. God promised Jeremiah (and you today since His Word never returns void), “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:11-13).
Our prayer and desire is to help you find that life today!
