Anyone who has read this blog, even a few times, knows that I am deeply concerned and involved in the well-being of those who are hurting. People who come here are usually in some kind of pain: emotional, physical, psychological, etc. Readers here are seeking relief to fairly specific problems: emptiness; depression; concern for a loved one; feeling lost in this world we live in; incarceration; incarceration of a loved one.
Because I have been involved in the field of mental health for nearly 30 years…I KNOW some things about people’s responses to “Self-Help” writings, such as this article. ARE YOU PREPARED FOR SOME TRUTH…SOME TRUTH THAT MAY HURT BUT WILL THEN BE HELPFUL?????
MOST OF YOU ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING POSITIVE TO HELP YOURSELF. You read these suggestions that CAN help and then you continue in your old ways or continue to sit in your misery.
There is a story that will help you to understand why you do this…why you do not take steps to help yourself. READ THIS SHORT STORY! There was a bird flying south for the winter, but he became very cold and began to doubt he could make it. He decided to “take a break” and he landed in a pile of cow manure. “OH MAN…what a mess I’m in now…I thought I had trouble before but now look where I am – sticky mess….and oh Lordy…the smell…I can’t stand this!” The bird started to struggle to get free of the mess when he noticed some seeds were in the manure also…he ate a few and after a very bad first taste – he found the seed was good enough to eat. Then as he continued to struggle to free himself…he noticed how warm the slimy mess was. “Hmmm,” thought the bird, I will just rest a while and warm up. It wasn’t long until he didn’t notice the bitter taste of the seeds and after a while, he didn’t even notice the smell.” Thus…he began his life of jumping from one pile of manure to another and forgot his goal of flying south. He became accustomed / “used to” AND even comfortable in his pile of manure…
ARE YOU JUMPING FROM ONE PILE TO ANOTHER? Have you forgotten your purpose in life and you now don’t even notice that your life stinks?
I realize that as we continue down a bad path – WE DO NOT STAY IN THE MESS BECAUSE WE LIKE IT – WE ARE MERELY USED TO IT and have lost our passion to reach our goals in life. Some of you have not even established any goals!!! What will it take for you to crawl out of your pile and rediscover life – or discover a good life for the first time?! You MUST be willing to TAKE SOME ACTION on your own. For most of us – there is no Superman who will come along and rescue us! It is OUR responsibility to take a stand and improve our life…improve our circumstances! Stop waiting for your hero – he or she is not coming. Our True Hope in is our Lord GOD and no man or woman on this Earth can continually sustain us…even if we want to be taken care of. Remember when Jesus said, “Pick up your bed and walk!” It is time for you to move forward.
I believe that each of us know what the “next step” is that we need to take. I don’t know your personal circumstances, but I know this: when I sit and talk to people .. people who have serious problems – 99% of those persons already KNOW what they need to do to help themselves!! This is the truth! People who have been in a lot of pain or depression have gotten bogged down and have lost the will to pull themselves up and out of their mess. Is this you?
Renew your HOPE! Renew your BELIEF that you can be successful in your attempt to make your life better! Take action now! You know what to do…do it with the strength of the Lord and your own determination! Trust that God is in full control. Surrender to Him completely and then take action!
Passage Romans 8:28: And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Loving Him, loving you,
Macky
