Because it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY

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I have noticed, that at times, I find it difficult finding the silver lining in adverse situations. I sometimes question myself about whether my goals and ambitions are truly MY goals and ambitions and even question God about what He has in store for my life. A couple months ago I went through a 3-day period of depression while dealing with various situations. Those who were around me daily noticed that I was not being my normal self. The joking, smiling, loud and energetic Jonathan was nowhere to be found. (Anyone that knows me well will tell you this is VERY RARE.) About the third day of my depression, I really became discouraged. I called a close friend to talk about it, and he spoke words that changed my entire mindset. He told me that the things I was dealing with were ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY in order for God to mold me into the person He predestined me to be! Some of these situations are premeditated by Him (such as Job) and some are consequences of disobedience (such as Jonah), but they all serve the same purpose -- qualifying us for the position He has for us. When entering the job market, most employers seek those who are certified (hold degrees), but more importantly, those who are qualified (experienced). Life's circumstances are ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to give us the qualifications required. They put our attitudes, desires, and passion to the test. Once we start to view our situations in this manner, we begin to see them as being worthwhile, not easier, but worth the effort. As Matthew 22:14 states, "Many are called but few are chosen," or as I translate it, "many are CERTIFIED but few are QUALIFIED." I'm sure everyone knows an athlete that was the hometown hero and had all the potential in the world, but lacked the ambition necessary to capitalize on it. When tests came to "qualify" them, they were not found worthy of being "chosen." There are only a select few that meet all of the criteria to be deemed worthy of accepting the calling God has for us and no one makes it there overnight. It is a process that begins with us understanding that everything is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

Why treat the SYMPTOMS but neglect the PROBLEM?

                                    


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Lately, I have been dealing with a situation that was caused by me failing to identify the underlying cause of my actions. I have let this same insecurity cause me to hurt people in the past, but it recently caused me to hurt someone I care for dearly. I have been neglecting the real source, the PROBLEM, and only focusing on the SYMPTOMS. I have found that this is not uncommon at all. Everyone has insecurities in one area of our life or another, but if we do not wish for these insecurities to control us and affect our relationships with others, it is of the utmost importance that we identify the source and deal with it. The initial step of the process is realizing that an insecurity is present. I never realized that being unsatisfied with a certain aspect of my life was caused by an insecurity. I was confusing it with striving for self improvement. Whether the aspect that we see the need to change is something for the better or if it is something that we should learn to accept, it is still an insecurity until we find a way to deal with it. In order to begin addressing the PROBLEM, we must be able to differentiate the PROBLEM from the SYMPTOMS. SYMPTOMS can masquerade as multiple issues when they are actually the collective results of one PROBLEM. It is easier for us to take medicine to alleviate a cough, runny nose, or sneezing rather than consulting a doctor to identify the cause. Attending to the PROBLEM tends to require more effort and admitting vulnerability; two things that are not typically enjoyable to us, so we settle for placing a band aid on the SYMPTOMS. But, these very SYMPTOMS control not only our actions, ambitions and desires, but also, our relationships with others. Insecurity breeds a lack of confidence in ourselves causing us to abandon the cultivation process. In turn, we deprive others of the opportunity to gain encouragement from our testimony. As I explained in WHAT IS FEAR?, God wants better for us than we want for ourselves, but if we continue to let our insecurity prohibit us from acting, we will never receive it. As in my case, insecurity has affected others as well. Not being totally satisfied with who I am has, at times, caused me to seek validation from outside sources. On more than one occasion, what I felt was necessary to fill my void was out of bounds in respect to the relationships I was in. The people I was involved with were caused emotional pain simply because I chose not to treat the PROBLEM, but instead patch up the SYMPTOMS. The PROBLEM was not so clear to me at first but became evident during a trip to the mall with a friend. After expressing my feeling of being overdressed, he told me, "Never feel out of place (while being yourself)." I realized at that moment that my SYMPTOMS were results of me never truly being satisfied with who I am. So now that I have come to terms with my PROBLEM, I have addressed it. I no longer try to band aid or patch the SYMPTOMS because diagnosing and treating the PROBLEM cures them. I encourage everyone to look within yourself to diagnose and TREAT THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SYMPTOMS.

GETTING OUT OF OUR OWN WAY

In most adverse situations we face in life, we tend to blame others rather than realizing that WE are our OWN biggest enemy. We are our OWN biggest hinderance. It seems as if we do not realize that we have the ability to overcome any situation we face, even if the "situation" is ourself. One of the biggest roadblocks that we encounter is our failure to plan. Too many times we tend to just "play it by ear" or "see what happens" rather than putting forth the effort to develop a strategy. King Solomon states in Proverbs 28:19, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." As I stated in a previous post, TRAVELING THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED, 'Creating a vision of the end result allows us to mark our progress along the way.' We also tend to allow our fear of failure to keep us from stepping out on faith and beginning our journey to success. This can only be overcome by changing our mindset about failure. Thomas Edison was quoted as saying, "I haven't failed. I've found 10,000 ways that don't work." We should see failure as a learning tool that carries us one step closer to success. What if Thomas Edison had given up on inventing the light bulb on the 9,999th try? We would still be finding our way through the dark by candlelight. Fear of the "unknown" is another contributor to our lack of progress. In a world filled with uncertainty, it is ludicrous to expect to have all of our questions answered before we ever begin. It is also this fear of the "unknown" that causes us to take on the fear of others. We tend to become fearful of the things those whom we seek guidance from are fearful of. Many of our fears are not truly our own. They are those of our parents, mentors, friends, and loved ones. What may not be right for one person, may be perfect for another. We get stuck in traditions and stereotypes that cause us to fail in evolving to truly fulfill our full potential. It prevents us from stepping outside of the box and experiencing new things. It is often the things that we shun that we learn the most from. Choosing to not always be orthodox gives us the chance to grow and become well rounded. Even when we are able to overcome these fears, we still face the task of putting the plan into action. Many times we put things off to a later date that ultimately never comes. Procrastination hinders our progress more than anything else because it is totally internal. It is the one thing that we truly control. There are no external factors involved with taking action right now! All that is required is for us to GET OUT OF OUR OWN WAY.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post as well as those previously posted. Please subscribe to RANDOM THOUGHTS to stay informed of new posts and feel free to leave feedback and comments about each one. Thank you again

-Jonathan

Distractions

Proverbs 16:32 "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."

Honing in on our ability to focus and block out DISTRACTIONS is one of the most difficult things to do, yet, when accomplished can break down all barriers that stand in our way. I'm sure we can all think of certain DISTRACTIONS that we face in our lives everyday but some are not so evident. Anything that prohibits us from placing our total focus on the task at hand is a DISTRACTION. Procrastination, or putting things off until a tomorrow that is not promised, is the worst form of DISTRACTION because it takes place within ourselves. We must strive daily to claim victory in what Joyce Meyer calls the "Battlefield of the Mind." When we learn to control our own minds we gain the ability to overcome all external factors. DISTRACTIONS can take the form of a phone that conveniently rings during our time of meditation, our favorite show that just so happens to come on when we are attempting to focus, or worrying about our circumstances rather than trusting in God to provide. He attempts to speak encouragement into our lives but, we are often too DISTRACTED to hear Him. It seems that the discouraging words spoken by those with the intent of DISTRACTING us tend to resonate louder than the soft spoken words of encouragement offered by loved ones. Today's society is one of the biggest DISTRACTIONS that we face on a day-to-day basis. When we find ourselves trying to fit the stereotypes that are portrayed in the media we are actually being DISTRACTED from being the "peculiar people" that God called us to be. Just as I stated in a previous blog post TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE "WE are better at being OURSELVES than 'trying' to be anyone else." It seems that during times of adversity it is most difficult to remain focused when it is, in fact, most necessary. Our circumstances cannot be allowed to DISTRACT us and cause us to become discouraged before our breakthrough.  My dad always tells me that, "the closer I get to the city, the heavier the traffic."  In this he means when situations seem to become unbearable our breakthrough is just around the corner. Our state of mind must allow us to realize that God uses adversity to strengthen our faith, confidence, and the bond between us. Once we conquer the DISTRACTIONS we must still be careful not to allow pride to set in. We must remember that God gives us our strength. Therefore, we must control our minds and keep them free from the DISTRACTIONS such as the "PRIDE (that) COMETH BEFORE THE FALL."

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

Dress For Success
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Icon Beats

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PRIDE Cometh Before The Fall

First of all, I want to thank God for everything 2011 had to offer and for allowing me and my loved ones to see 2012.

"PRIDE goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). One of the many lessons that my parents instilled in me from childhood was to remain humble. I was always taught that nothing I had done or accomplished was by my own merit. It was the favor of God on my life that presented me with these opportunities and God-given talent that allowed me to take advantage of them. I have been blessed to earn a Bachelor's degree (University of Southern Mississippi) without paying a dime, travel the country, meet celebrities, attend of the most prestigious universities in the nation (Vanderbilt University), and have my name known by people in places I have never been because of talents that God entrusted me with. Through it all I remain humble. I have encountered situations that remind me that my accomplishments are not of my own doing. There have been occasions where I have planned things out to the "T" and everything still fell apart. In contrast, there have also been times when I could see no reasonable solution to my problem but "just in the nick of time" one presented itself. St Augustine defines pride as "the love of one's own excellence." A perfect example of this is Sadaam Hussein. He spent much of his lifetime building Iraq and accumulating a fortune through his is own efforts, greed and PRIDE. His palace was one of the most beautiful and lavish throughout the world. He lived a dream. The same PRIDE also led to his eventual demise. When inspectors from the United Nations requested to search for weapons of mass destruction his PRIDE caused him to show resistance. In just a few days he had lost everything he had spent his entire life working for and was eventually sentenced to death. The worst part of it all was the fact that there were no weapons found. It was truly his PRIDE that caused him to act in such an arrogant and boastful manner. PRIDE will also keep us from receiving our blessing. We can at times feel that was is required of us is "beneath us." The story of Naaman in the Bible illustrates the point of almost missing a blessing because of PRIDE. Naaman was the most highly touted general in the army of King Aram and had command over the Syrian Army. But, he also had a problem- he suffered from leprosy. God touched the prophet Elisha's heart and led him to call for Naaman to visit him. When Naaman arrived Elisha only sent a messenger outside to instruct Naaman to "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you and you shall be clean" (II Kings 5:10). At this point Naaman allowed his PRIDE to take control and was furious that Elisha had not even shown him enough respect to come out to meet him personally. He felt that a man of his rank should have been given a dignified greeting so he became furious and left. Not to mention the fact that the Jordan River was not the clear, blue, see-through stream that comes to mind. It was muddy and disgusting. PRIDEFUL arrogance almost caused him to give up on being healed until, "his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, my father, [if] the prophet had bid thee [do some] great thing, wouldest thou not have done [it]?....." (II Kings 5:13). It took his servants' love and concern to allow him to realize that he was about to forfeit his healing because of his PRIDE. We shouldn't let PRIDE and arrogance cause us to miss out on what God has in store for us. We only hinder ourselves. We must learn to thank God for our blessings and stand by his word because PRIDE cometh before the fall.