Brick Walls of Life: How Badly Do You Want It?

To initially want to do something different in or with your life is one thing but to go through with it can be a completely different story. We all have our "stories" and they all have their own brick walls in them, located somewhere in your journey. Once you arrive at that wall, the question is, what will you do?

Many times movies portray someone running from someone else and the chase comes to an end at a brick wall. It is now a dead end. What is one to do? Many times the one in the corner is the underdog hero and can find their way out. However, there is the occasional time when that isn't the case, especially if the good guys are not the ones against the brick wall.

As I mentioned earlier, all of us encounter brick walls in life and that brings us to this week's quote...

The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They're there to stop the other people. ~ Randy Pausch

Life's brick walls may not be there to entrap us. I liked how this quote portrayed the brick walls, not as dead ends, but as means to an end. They were almost like doors. We see them as a dead end, nothing to look forward to on the other end. However, if you saw the recent release of "The Lorax" then you know that "Ted" was trying to get on the other side. The other side was there to portray opportunity and a sense of freedom.

The brick wall did not stop him from getting to his opportunity, but it gave an opportunity to find something good.

What brick wall in your future will provide opportunity and not a stoppoing point?

Now it's your turn...when has an obstacle turned into an opportunity?

Stand Up to Your Obstacles - it's about perspective

My life has been filled with procrastination. Some of you can probably relate. If you didn't procrastinate in school, maybe you did with your household chores as a child. Most of the time that we tend to procrastinate or avoid an area in our life is because we view the task/situation much larger than the actual size.

It is similar to the light on a small object will project something quite large a few feet away. Also, depending on the closeness of the light the object will appear much larger. Sometimes life can be much the same way, which brings us to this week's quote...

Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have. ~ Norman Vincent Peale

When situations are closer to us, or more present, they appear much bigger. It can be both the positive and the negative things. If success is near then it may give the false appearance that success will always be that big. When, in fact, it is the same size always and we may need to take a step back to see the reality of it.

Maybe it is a certain problem in life, it appears quite large because we are upon it, but if we take a step back or move past it, we see it wasn't as big as we made it out to be.
When I went to see Mt. Rushmore, I was "initially" disappointed. Not in the craftsmanship but in the size. When you see it at ground level, it doesn't appear that Washington has a 12-foot nose. If I were to be right up on the nose, it would appear huge. It is all about the view.

Let us take situations and obstacles for what they are, not necessarily what they appear to be. Maybe you need to take a step back (or a few) to see what is going on and not just what you see.

Obstacles are not gernally as challenging if you see them for what they are and start to do something about them. However, if you don't then you can get a false view of your obstacles and they will appear bigger (and possibly scarier) than they are in reality.

Now it's your turn...what do you need to take a different look at?

The Extra Degree: Tearing Down the House to Get to Jesus

There is just something pretty cool about watching a big building be demolished. Whether it comes from implosion or a wrecking ball, I find it fascinating. Maybe it is somewhat of a guy thing, I cannot pinpoint it, but it is still fascinating.

When it comes to a wrecking ball, that big ball coming and knocking out entire areas of a building is cool. You may not think along the same lines as me, and that is OK.

Sunday, we looked at Mark 2:1-12 where Jesus heals a paralytic that has been brought to Jesus as a result of four friends. Thinking about our 212-degree theme for the month, these four men went that extra degree to be able to make a difference in the life of their paralytic friend. They did what they needed to do to take him to Jesus, no matter the obstacles that were in front of them.

Thinking about the text, here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

• Look for the Opportunity ~ The men approached the place where Jesus was at to realize that it was crowded. It would have been easy for the men to turn around and not want to go through the effort to get their friend to Jesus. They decide to cut a hole in the roof - who would think to alter/destroy someone's house to make sure their friend sees Jesus? Not many, but these men did - that's possibly one of the reasons Jesus says to the man "your sins are forgiven." Who do you have as a friend that you would like to go through the extra effort to make sure they get to Jesus? Think/pray about it...
• Excitement of the Arrival ~ I can remember one family vacation that we went on when I was around 4-5 years old. We went to our state's amusement park and my family rented a van to take. This was a family van, not a 15-passenger van. I had a blast, as we didn't have a van. I was so excited! The paralytic must have been even more excited to have this opportunity to see Jesus. He was probably going to be able to be healed - because Jesus is the man to do it! With all that type of excitement to see Jesus imagine a friend of yours (or you yourself) getting to see Him, through having their sins forgiven. The Bible speaks of this in Acts 2:38, Romans 6:3-6, for example, to be able to be baptized! Are you ready? Who do you need to take to the crowded house and "tear it open" to make sure your friend "sees" Jesus?
• Go the Extra Degree ~ Don't let anything stop you to make sure that Jesus is brought into the life of others. You never know who is sin-paralyzed and needing the Savior! Make sure your you make sure they get to Him!

How far will you go? Don't make the thought of taking a person to Jesus or showing them Jesus an unnatural concept. The more natural the approach, the easier it is to talk. Also, don't use the same talk for each person, we're all different. Just make sure He sees them!

Now it's your turn...if you are apprehensive, why are you apprehensive to take your friends to Jesus?

Obstacle vs. Opportunity

For many, during the holiday season, presents obstacles. Some would be categorized under financial. Buying or the desire to buy gifts for others becomes rough, due to limitations.

However, there are other obstacles that may come about. Relationships, job, weather, etc. may bring about issues that financial cannot even fix. But what do you do with obstacles, do you allow them to become opportunities? That brings us to this week's quote...

"What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? Our attitude toward it. Every opportunity has a difficulty, and every difficulty has an opportunity." ~ J. Sidlow Baxter

Whether life is in the holiday mode or just going from day-to-day, obstacles present opportunities. Where are the opportunities? Right there! We must open our eyes to see them. The opportunity in a financial situation may not be to cause you to be better off but to learn to do something better in the future.

There are opportunities all around you. Opportunities to smile during a busy holiday season. Opportunities to be patient in a long line. Opportunities to show your faith to those who do not know Christ.

Make the the most opportunities this holiday season! Now it's your turn...how do you feel about the quote?

Getting Over Hurdles

Horses are unique.  They are big and powerful can be spooked with the smallest of things.  They have to be "broken in" in order to submit to the rider.  (or is that broken down).  Horses can leap over obstacles that would amaze us. However, based on my small observation, they may not have a lot of self-esteem.  They aren't depressed or have pity parties, but they seem to need a lot of coaxing.  They need to know that things are going to be alright before they can perform.  I gather this conclusion because I've seen horses run up to a barrier and just stop, sometimes knocking the rider off.  The barrier they stopped at is easily able to be jumped over.  It is not difficult in the least, however they stop.  Oddly enough, they may work up the ability to make it over that one, but then there is another one waiting around the next turn.  

People, too, can exhibit that type of behavior.  We come upon some type of obstacle or difficulty and we stop.  It is almost always something we can easily "jump over".  We've been created with the ability to do it, but we just refuse to jump.  Been there? I have.  This sets us up for this week's quote...

You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you.  If you don't have that kind of feeling for what it is you are doing, you'll stop at the first giant hurdle.  ~George Lucas

Hurdles, brick walls, and other obstacles are in our way every day.  They can take on many forms.  Sometimes they are actually formless in the sense that they are self-induced obstacles that we must overcome.

Do you love what you are doing to the point of jumping over the hurdle?  Or do you dislike it to the point that you may be going full force, but you will stop at the first obstacle that you come to?

If your week is incorporated with obstacles, risks, or hurdles, take the risk and jump...Go on, you can do it!

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Ride On...

When I was just young enough to play with "big boy" toys, I remember a toy that was a lot of fun to play with. It was called a "Stomper 4X4". It was battery operated, by one AA battery. It was four-wheel drive. It was designed to be able to go over all kinds of terrain and obstacles. It didn't move fast, but it made it to the end.

Life is not a race, either. We're going to get to the end when we get there. People "cross the line" at different times and some win or lose, at that time. However, we have a lot of obstacles to go over in the meantime. That thought brings us to this week's quote...

Ride on!
Rough-shod if need be,
smooth-shod if that will do,
but ride on!
Ride over all obstacles,
and win the race!
~ Charles Dickens

Ride on! We will come upon some type of obstacle in life...probably today. Maybe you'll get a day that you get the smooth road (those days are always nice). However, be like the Stomper, encounter every obstacle with the idea of getting over it. Use all "4 wheels" to keep going and going until you are over it, don't allow obstacles to get in your way!

May your life be filled with flat roadways, but if it includes obstacles, may God get you over them as you seek to "win the race!"

Riding on...

Unleashed Imagination

One question every American child is asked sometime during childhood is "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Some will state the occupation of a parent. Others may say to be a sports star, an actor/actress, or another type of celebrity. What was your answer?

Why didn't we make it to that goal? I think that part of the problem lies in this week's quote...

Nothing limits achievement like small thinking;
nothing expands possibilities like unleashed imagination. ~ William Arthur Ward

At some point, either you or someone very close to you will start to limit your achievement by thinking small. In the movie "Rudy" there is the transitional scene where the main character, who happens to be the baby of the family, says "Someday, I'm going to play football for Notre Dame." Laughter and doubt comes forth. "Yeah right" are the thoughts. This small thinking and the many obstacles in life didn't stop him from making his dream come true. If you saw the movie you cheered along with him when he accomplished his goal.

What small thinking has limited your possibilities? Financial, doubt, fear, whispers from your conscience, life going in a different direction, jeers, faded passion? What about seeing where you're at and re-routing your direction so you can still expand the possibilities? Don't let things stop you, just use the obstacles as opportunities to be re-routed and see what is around the next bend, but keep on going! Imagination is absent of boundaries. Let yourself dream, then start seeing how you can get from where you're at to that point!

Don't think small, and maybe one day you'll get to "play for Notre Dame" too!

Enjoying imagining...

Kick in Teeth...Good?

Walt Disney, the man, was so poor, at one point, he was forced to eat dog food. He also realized that releasing Bambi (1942) during wartime was not the best thing to do (imagine seeing Bambi's mom being shot and it reminding you of loved ones at war). (website reference at bottom)

Walt suffered through lots of difficulties, but if you look at what Disney has become, the end result is definitely worth the persistence and perseverance. Look at this week's quote about Walt Disney...

"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me ... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you." - Walt Disney

I did some searching and found that Walt Disney Incorporated did a total of over 37 billion dollars in revenue in 2007. That looks like 37,000,000,000 with the zeros involved. That is over six times more than the population of the planet! Success doesn't come in a short time. Success doesn't come without troubles.

What are you passionate about in life? What are one of your goals for your life? If you could do anything for a hobby or job, what would it be? What keeps you from pursuing that goal? Walt had a talent and dreams. He pursued them and found success. May we look for ways we can pursue our goals - who knows what the future holds!

Anticipating the future...

http://www.disneydreamer.com/Pin.htm