Bring It On
Good Morning Girls! When it comes to trials and tribulations, it seems there are two kinds of people: those who thrive and those who survive. The thrivers are the ones who step up their game and accomplish even more during the hardest times in their lives. They are fighters. They see trouble and say "Bring it on" and stand there with their fists up ready to go. In fact some times they even throw the first punch. Now don't misunderstand me. I am not talking about those who thrive off of drama. The so called "drama queens". They are very real, and we all know one or two, but that is not the kind of crisis thriving I am talking about. I am talking about the ones who faith is fired up and ready for whatever comes their way. Not only are they not brought down, but they actually come out on top better than before!
The survivors on the other hand are the ones who "get by" and "hang on" when trouble starts. Their faith is shaken. You hear them say things like "I missed God", "This is happening because I did this, or didn't do that","All I can do is pray and hope that he hears me", and my personal favorite "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away"....(seriously...are you kiddin' me on that one?) They still come out victorious in the end, I mean they are Gods children after all. It's just that there journey during their trials are much different than that of the thriver. When you listen to a surviver you can tell their faith is shaken and they are filled with doubt and worry. When you listen to a thriver you want to join them in their fight and kick some hiney because they fuel your faith and make you feel that it is in fact true.....nothing is impossible with God!
I've always been more of a thriver. They more that is one my plate, the more I accomplish. The more packed my schedule, the more organized I become. The bigger the trial, the louder I speak the promises of God in my life. I've always been that way. Again, even before I was a Christian. I am one of those who performs under pressure.
Imagine my frustration a couple of weeks ago when I found myself in survivor mode. I would lie on my bed for hours, doing nothing, simply desiring an escape. I wanted to sleep until the tribulation passed. I begged for the rapture....not so I could be with the Lord, but so I could escape from my life. I was sick of fighting. I was tired of confessing. I was done....period. I slowly became bitter and angry. "Whatever" was basically my response to everything in my life, both the good things, and the bad.
Then one day my sister said to me "I am so sad for you. I am so sorry for you. I can hardly sleep at night because I am worried and thinking about you!". Now, bless her heart, she is the sweetest most thoughtful girl you will ever meet. There was nothing wrong with what she said. It's just that as she spoke those words, a spark lit up in me, and it very quickly turned into a flame. My "gut" response was "Don't worry about me. I am not worried about me. It's all going to work out fine. In fact, regardless of what happens, we are going to come out in a better position. I have no control over the outcome so I am not going to waste one more minute thinking about it!" and I didn't! From then on I got on a preach to anyone and everyone who displayed any type of pity or even sympathy towards me. I preached to Charley's teacher and she said "wow, I needed that....I think you should write a book...(hhmmmm....). I preached to my husband. I preached to my friends. And most importantly, I preached to myself. Now I confess I still had a couple of hissy fits and anger spells, but to me, these are signs of fighting, not giving up.
If you find yourself in survivor mode, I would like to share with you the 3 things that turned my flame into a full blown wildfire. We'll talk about those things tomorrow. Until then, think about today's verse. A perfect example of Gods children in thriving mode!
Exodus 1:12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more quickly the Israelites multiplied. (which means they weren't saying things like "I am just to stressed out to have sex".........)
Love you all-
Jen
The survivors on the other hand are the ones who "get by" and "hang on" when trouble starts. Their faith is shaken. You hear them say things like "I missed God", "This is happening because I did this, or didn't do that","All I can do is pray and hope that he hears me", and my personal favorite "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away"....(seriously...are you kiddin' me on that one?) They still come out victorious in the end, I mean they are Gods children after all. It's just that there journey during their trials are much different than that of the thriver. When you listen to a surviver you can tell their faith is shaken and they are filled with doubt and worry. When you listen to a thriver you want to join them in their fight and kick some hiney because they fuel your faith and make you feel that it is in fact true.....nothing is impossible with God!
I've always been more of a thriver. They more that is one my plate, the more I accomplish. The more packed my schedule, the more organized I become. The bigger the trial, the louder I speak the promises of God in my life. I've always been that way. Again, even before I was a Christian. I am one of those who performs under pressure.
Imagine my frustration a couple of weeks ago when I found myself in survivor mode. I would lie on my bed for hours, doing nothing, simply desiring an escape. I wanted to sleep until the tribulation passed. I begged for the rapture....not so I could be with the Lord, but so I could escape from my life. I was sick of fighting. I was tired of confessing. I was done....period. I slowly became bitter and angry. "Whatever" was basically my response to everything in my life, both the good things, and the bad.
Then one day my sister said to me "I am so sad for you. I am so sorry for you. I can hardly sleep at night because I am worried and thinking about you!". Now, bless her heart, she is the sweetest most thoughtful girl you will ever meet. There was nothing wrong with what she said. It's just that as she spoke those words, a spark lit up in me, and it very quickly turned into a flame. My "gut" response was "Don't worry about me. I am not worried about me. It's all going to work out fine. In fact, regardless of what happens, we are going to come out in a better position. I have no control over the outcome so I am not going to waste one more minute thinking about it!" and I didn't! From then on I got on a preach to anyone and everyone who displayed any type of pity or even sympathy towards me. I preached to Charley's teacher and she said "wow, I needed that....I think you should write a book...(hhmmmm....). I preached to my husband. I preached to my friends. And most importantly, I preached to myself. Now I confess I still had a couple of hissy fits and anger spells, but to me, these are signs of fighting, not giving up.
If you find yourself in survivor mode, I would like to share with you the 3 things that turned my flame into a full blown wildfire. We'll talk about those things tomorrow. Until then, think about today's verse. A perfect example of Gods children in thriving mode!
Exodus 1:12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more quickly the Israelites multiplied. (which means they weren't saying things like "I am just to stressed out to have sex".........)
Love you all-
Jen
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