A New Hope Sample

POWERLESSNESS

No one likes the feeling of being powerless. Hope deferred often triggers these feelings as we are powerless over the outcomes of hopes and dreams. A couple of key thoughts are important to consider when navigating the space of feeling powerlessness.

1. Becoming Fixated: “Someone once told me to marry my vision but date my path.” In other words, be clear on what you want from life, but be flexible on how you get there. Often what we do is marry both our vision and our paths. Then when a roadblock gets in our way, we become fixated on the roadblock instead of allowing ourselves to consider alternative routes.
2. Rigid Thinking: One of the fruits of becoming fixated is rigid thinking, for example. A person may feel powerless over becoming pregnant. Rigid thinking will keep them from considering other options for parenthood, such as adoption. Rigidity negates flexibility and adaptability, which are key skills for creative thinking and navigating the complexities of life.
3. Escaping Powerlessness: When a person feels powerless, it is easy to choose behavior that makes them feel powerful. However, often the behavior is destructive. It is important to consider if the chosen behavior is helpful or harmful. For example, a person may feel powerless over their relationship status, and therefore, choose to feel powerful by never allowing themselves to be emotionally vulnerable. However, hardening one’s heart can end up blocking a person from potentially meeting someone.

In spaces of powerlessness, we must fix our eyes on Jesus, who is powerful and our ultimate source of strength and support. Philippians 4:13 reminds us that he will strengthen us as we depend on him.

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS:

• Write down a list of things you feel powerless over versus what you have a choice over.
• Consider where you are stuck in your thinking.
• When feeling stuck, how have you chosen to respond to give you a sense of feeling powerful? Has it been helpful or harmful?

PRAY

Lord, help me see what you see. Help me lift my eyes off the spaces that have hooked me to see the possibilities before me.