at all the wrong times to all the wrong people and typically for all the wrong reasons? Does this describe you … too often? Do you feel that there is nothing you can do to change this behavior? What’s happening that makes you feel this inadequate? You do realize, don’t you, that you don’t have to continue this self-defeating and counter-intuitive behavior? Will you change your mindset? Remember the saying attributed to Einstein… the definition of insanity: “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. So it is up to you to change this behavior… and you can.
When in a negative (your definition) situation, how do you respond? Throw your hands up? Have a hissy fit? Run away? Point fingers? Grin and bear it? Soooo… your response to negatives is to simply let it control? Or, do you attempt to respond? And your basis of response? Do you rush in to do something… anything? Or do you try and figure out what’s happening and why… and what you can do to effect a positive result? Obviously, I recommend this latter approach, but what do you do when you don’t feel you have any options?
If you’ve only learned to ‘live’ with this, then you are underestimating yourself. Much of how ‘change’ works is based in your fundamental approach to life – glass half full v. half empty, or seeing silver linings v. only cloudy weather. You can only change that which you are committed to changing. And don’t look at changing others or even situations until you look to yourself first.
I would suggest that the first thing you need to do when you are in these kinds of situations is to stop. It’s the stopping that allows time to begin not letting the emotion control and correct/respond to the situation proactively. And yes, scripture does speak to these kinds of situations. In fact there are over 20 verses related to making a mistake, 63 verses on making a bad decision, and 73 on making the wrong decision. These will undoubtedly cover every type of error.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7, ESV)
This has to be a purposed mindset to effect a better result and a changed behavior. But also remember that we have the assurance and foundation that:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
We can change the wrong to the right. It is, through Jesus, possible to make that change… but it has to be purposed and we need to realize it’s a process and rarely instantaneous. Right person(s) at the right time doing the right thing(s) for the right reason(s) – everything coming together. This is always a terrific merger with positive outcomes. How often does this happen? Probably more often than we know but less than we hope for. But it can happen!
