Centered
“How you respond to a setback exposes your faith, your fears, and your future.” Dan Skognes
I saw a two-wheel concept car (or motorcycle in a shell) from Lit Motors that was really cool. You could try to knock it over from any side and it automatically self-corrected to right itself. They use similar technology in robotic dogs. They compensate for the obstacles encountered and recalibrate to get centered again.
Is that what you do? For some reading this, you think, “Yes, I adjust well to whatever comes my may.” For others, you might think, “No. I melt down when unforeseen circumstances trip me up.”
When something unexpected happens like a loss of a job, a relationship ends, you get diagnosed with a deadly disease, someone close to you dies, or you take a financial hit…whatever it is, there are basically two responses: faith or fear. You either have faith that you will get through it and continue to move forward, or you cower in fear and retreat.
There are many things in life that we can’t control, yet we are tasked with getting through them. If you want to get through the storms, you have to be centered. You have to have the ability to stay calm when all hell breaks loose around you. I realize that it is easier said than done, but that is our reality. It applies to everyone.
Whether we respond with faith or fear will determine our future. Nobody in their right mind would choose to respond with fear, and yet it happens on a daily basis to people all over the world.
Some people would say that ignorance is bliss, but I think ignorance can be fear of the facts. It takes courage to have faith in the midst of a storm when you can’t see the horizon. In the example above, the car and robotic dog do not have a mindset of fear. They are programed to adapt and overcome. We need to program our minds to have that type of mindset. “When we get a setback, we need to think about our comeback.” Anticipate what is coming. “You may not be able to stop the wind, but you can learn to set your sails.”
Shalom!
Dan Skognes