Overcoming Obstacles

Circumstance does not make the man. Circumstance reveals man to himself. ~Author Unknown~


Something is becoming very clear to me. Sometimes this clarity comes to me painfully, and sometimes the knowledge comes blissfully. I actually think that deep down inside, I've known this for a while now, and you might even be aware of this yourself. Whenever you put yourself 'out there' by expressing what you desire out of life or what you intend to accomplish, life will put you to the test. You become vulnerable to every test in the book to keep you from your goal or to see if you have the determination to press forward.

Once you have made up your mind to make positive changes in your life, and you speak it out loud to others, prepare to be tested. There will be tests that will come from outside forces that you must contend with. But, perhaps the most difficult test to pass will be the one within you. What I have come to know is that in your challenge, you'll find your victory. Your challenges reveal to you who you have been and give you a glimpse into what you are to become if you take that leap of faith and learn the lessons that life is trying to teach you in overcoming your challenges.

When you are blessed with someone or something in your life, it doesn't necessarily guarantee that things are going to always be smooth. Everything in your life that you have been blessed with is still a blessing even when it becomes challenging. I believe that is where most of us drop the ball. When things become challenging, we begin to doubt whether something is really meant to be when we are confronted with challenges. That is not necessarily the case. It could just mean that there is more for you to learn even inside your blessing.

I was recently transferred to another division on my job. I didn't say I applied for this position, but I was placed in this position. I faithfully believe that God knows what direction my life is going and what I need to be equipped with in order to handle the direction of my life. I have prayed and made my desires known of what I want to do. Now it is time to prove it. I often hear young people say "I hear you talking, but show me what you got". I believe that life, at some point, says the same thing to us. You see, when I was placed in this new position, I didn't have extensive experience in this division, but I was willing to learn, because I could see how it would be beneficial to me in reaching my goals. So, in other words, it was a blessing.

Now, to say that this last month was a challenging month would be an understatement. Every thing that I have spoken into existence, by faith, has been called to task. Everything that could go wrong has in this last month. It didn't feel like a blessing anymore. I began to do what most of us do when faced with a challenge. I prayed for God to take it away, then I began to doubt myself, and finally I questioned whether this was really where I was supposed to be. See how easy it is for us to deceive ourselves? There was STILL more for me to learn.

I have always been an independent person, and that, in and of itself, is not necessarily a bad thing. However, asking for what I need and want has always been a challenge for me, but it was always easy for me to pass it off as being independent. I prefer to work alone is what I told myself. However, when these challenges at work were presented to me, to keep myself from flipping out, I stopped myself first. Before I begin jumping to conclusions and acting out (I used to do that all the time, but knowledge is a powerful thing), I instead asked myself "What am I missing? What am I supposed to be learning here"? It became crystal clear to me that not asking for what I needed or asking for help ultimately led to my challenges of the last month. In spite of what anyone else around me was doing or what their intentions were, the lesson I needed to learn was asking for help. Once I grasped hold of this lesson, I was freed to go on to the next step on my journey.

How about you? Within your greatest struggle is where your breakthrough will be. Whether that means learning to stand up for yourself, letting go of things that serve to hinder you from reaching your goals, learning to focus and follow through on your goals,

Every hurdle you have to get over to reach your destiny, the course will be laid out to see if you will step up to the plate and get (or stay) in the race, or if you will bypass the course altogether and stay on the road you've always been on.

Don't miss the lessons life is trying to teach you. If you are experiencing repeated challenges in your life, listen to what the spirit is saying. The same way your body will let you know that something is not right, your spirit does also. The spirit sometimes has to scream at us that we need to address an issue in your life. So, for today, don't view your challenges as stumbling blocks in your way. Instead, look at them as a catalyst to push you forward into doing things differently or seeing things differently than you've always done and seen things before.


Exercise

Think of one challenge that you continuously encounter in your life (shyness, anger, passiveness, etc.) Then, list the ways your life would improve if you overcame this challenge once and for all.

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Think of a crisis you have faced recently or in your past. Can you think of another way to look at it to find something positive you can contribute to others from your tragedy?

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