Don’t Let Defeat Hold You Down

27 Oct

“History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.”  ~ Bertie Charles Forbes

Yesterday, I decided to watch one of my favorite movies:  The Shack.  If you have not seen it, I would highly recommend that you do so.  It’s presently on Netflix.  Without ruining the entire story, I will say that it is about a person who is invited to spend some time with God after a tragedy severely altered his life.  At one point in the movie, the man asked God, “Why did you bring me back here?”  God responded, “Because this is where you got stuck.”

We have all been stuck, at one time or another, in our past because of some kind of event.  Perhaps it was the death of a loved one.  Maybe it was a terrible loss in a sporting event.  Perhaps it was the failure to achieve the recognition we felt we deserved at work.  Maybe it was an unhealthy relationship.  Perhaps it was something that brought us ridicule and rejection.  Whatever the event, we might have quit growing because we got too mired in the feelings of the moment.

As time went on, those feelings may have remained inside of us and festered.  They caused us to sour our relationship with God.  That, in turn, made our relationships with others become more strained because, if we are not right with ourselves and with God, there is no way to have a healthy, wholesome relationship with others.

God certainly does not desire that for us.  He wants us to be healthy.  He wants us to be whole.  He wants us to be fulfilled.  In order to do that, we need to move on with our lives.  We cannot allow thoughts, words, or deeds of the past to bog us down.  I know that it is easier said than done; however, with God’s help, all things are possible.

We do not have to live stuck in the past.  We have a friend who will help us to look at what has kept us locked in place so that we can break free and move forward again.  All it takes is a conscious decision to ask for help and to trust that God will give us exactly what we need.

Facing our failures, facing our pain, facing our frustration might be just what we need so that we can move away from them and become healed again.

FAITH ACTION:  Has a past failure or event held you back?  Ask God for the grace to let it go so that you can get back to doing what He asks of you.