No matter how much dirt was thrown on him, he just kept shaking it off and stepping on it until finally he stepped out of the well.
Life will either BURY you or BLESS you; the difference lies in having the right attitude. Paul had it. "In all these things we are more than conquerors..." (Romans 8:37). When they throw dirt on you - and they will - just shake it off, and use it as FERTILIZER and grow STRONGER.
Jesus said, "Offenses will come..." (Luke 17:1). Expect them. You'll be taken advantage of. You'll be criticized, misquoted, misrepresented and misunderstood. The way to avoid this is to do nothing and stay in your comfort zone.
Every leader has to learn to PERSEVERE. It's not what others say about you, but what you say about yourself after they get through talking. Kenneth Tynan says, "Critics are people who think they know the way; the problem is, they can't drive the car." When you understand that, you'll be able to love them, forgive them and keep moving forward.
David tells us a wonderful story about the PALM TREE. Psalms 92:12 says "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree." Here's some observations about the palm tree:
- You can cut it, but you can't kill it. It's life comes from it's heart not it's bark! It thrives even under attack.
- It bends, but it won't break. Storms will blow other trees away, but not the palm tree. It's resilient. It may bend all the way to the ground but when the storm is over it will straighten back up and actually be stronger in the place where it bent!
- It's depth always exceeds it's height. It's roots go deep in search of water. When you stay connected to the streams (Psalms 42:1) you'll never be uprooted, barren or blown away.
Difficulty and pressure is par-for-the-course. It doesn't matter how many Scriptures you read, conferences you attend or seminars your absorb, you are not exempt from struggle. We do not live in a bubble. Ask Job, Joseph, Daniel or Paul and you'll hear them speak about PERSEVERANCE.
Perseverance Produces:
- Willingness to accept whatever comes.
- Determination to stand firm
- Insight to see God in it all.
If you're feeling discouraged today...know that you're NOT finished! That only happens when you quit...and quitting isn't an option for YOU!
Storms come for a reason. They also come for a season. Discover the reason and become wiser. Outlast the season and become stronger. But never quit!
- Adjust your sails.
- Measure your growth.
- Choose kindness instead of criticism.
- Choose cooperation instead of independence.
- Choose discipline instead of impulsiveness.
- Choose professionalism instead of incompetence.
Charles Lindbergh said, "Success is not measured by what a man accomplishes, but by the opposition he encountered, and the courage he maintained in his struggle against it."
Drive and Determination, not talent, will lead to your success! Anybody who ever did anything worthwhile had it. Jesus gave us the formula for success when He said, "Staying with it - that's what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry." (Matthew 24:13 TM).