You CAN Make It Through Dark TimesSample

Introduction:

My friends, I am a firm believer that The Lion King is one of the greatest movies of all times! One of my favorite scenes is when Rafiki smacks Simba on the head with a stick. In my younger days, I loved that scene solely because I thought it was hilarious. Well, I still think it's hilarious, but now I have a more profound understanding of why Rafiki smacked Simba. Rafiki was challenging Simba to adjust his perspective about his circumstance.

That brings me to this quote: Life is like a weight room: full of things that can either crush you or make you stronger. It all depends on your perspective.

Devotion:

So, how do we transition from feeling crushed to building strength? We must adjust our PERSPECTIVE in the following areas:

1. Pressures of life. According to Oxford Languages, "pressure" is defined as a “continuous physical force exerted on or against an object.” When most of us describe the “pressures of life,” we often think of a continuous crushing feeling that breaks us down or holds us back. However, as a person who spends a fair amount of time working out, I think of the word “resistance” when I describe the pressures of life. For years, we have acknowledged and enjoyed the benefits of resistance training (i.e. we build muscle strength as our body adapts to the continuous force against it). I challenge you to view the pressures of life through this lens. The pressures of life are opportunities for you to grow in Christ, develop, and get stronger and wiser than you were before!
2. Encouraging Thoughts. As I've said many times before, “You are what you think.” I admit that this merely scratches the surface and may give the illusion that maintaining a positive outlook on life is derived from simply maintaining happy thoughts. Let’s develop a deeper perspective. In addition to “happy thoughts,” we must live a life of hope and anticipation to maintain a positive outlook about our current situation. The key is to always remember Romans 8:28. Everything will work out just fine no matter how heavy the resistance is.
3. Relationships. Transactional relationships have become the norm. I was alarmed when I reflected on my own current network and noticed how many of those connections were formed for transactional purposes. Are we evil for wanting to build our network to grow our businesses or platforms? Absolutely not! The focus here is to transition current and future contacts from transactional relationships to genuine relationships. Be true to and transparent with your personality, characteristics, and values. Doing so will allow you to surround yourself with people who refresh you as you refresh others in dark times. (Proverbs 11:25)
4. Seasons. Life’s seasons change based upon the world around us just as the four seasons are associated with a change in climate. We must be aware of and adapt to these many changes. Don't mistake this for changing who you are and/or abandoning your values. Instead, develop creative methods to serve others in ways that align with the season. For example, if you enjoy social media and your passion is teaching others to dance, why not combine the two during this season when social media continues to thrive? Eagerly welcome change and thrive in every season!
5. Patience. Dictionary.com defines "patience" as, “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.” We will discuss the emotional control aspect a little later, but let’s first discuss the “capacity” portion of this definition. We expand our capacity each time we learn to delay gratification or lessen the importance of immediate results to prioritize long-term objectives. To do so, hope and anticipation (or faith) become extremely important. Our belief that everything will work out just fine drives our hope and anticipation which expands our capacity to accept delay without negative emotions. Let’s normalize waiting with anticipation. (Romans 8:18)
6. Endurance. Earlier, we discussed how the pressures of life aka “resistance” helps us build strength. Well, consistently building strength over time creates endurance. Fun fact: Your body continually adapts and strengthens which requires you to increase resistance to continue to get stronger when you exercise consistently. As goes life. You are stronger today than you were yesterday. So keep building that strength! Keep working hard and pushing! You are strong and resilient, and you have the endurance to continue growing from the pressures of life! (Romans 5:3‭-‬5 NLT)
7. Chance. Life is full of risks; however, I encourage you to believe in yourself and take a chance. There are numerous psychological benefits to taking chances to include the following:
   1. Find new opportunities to pursue your passion.
   2. Grow your confidence while developing new skills.
   3. Gain momentum as you pursue your God-given purpose.
8. Time. Time is one of our most precious nonrenewable resources– once it’s gone, it’s gone. On one hand, that's great news because it encourages us not to dwell on our past failures. Like Rafiki said, “It doesn’t matter! It’s in the past!” On the other hand, it reminds us that we must budget our time the same way we budget our money. Don't obsess over time; instead, be intentional about how you spend it to avoid wondering, “Where did the time go?” every day. Develop priorities and be intentional about who and what you spend time on.
9. Inspiration. Sometimes, it gets tough to maintain hope and anticipation. So how do you continue to push? What drives you? What is your “why?” Your inspiration is the wind beneath your wings during thriving times and the force that drives you through low times. This is your purpose, conviction, and mission in life. Three quick questions to ask yourself: 1. What activities, thoughts, or passions energize me? 2. What are my greatest strengths? 3. What value do I bring to those around me (hint: We all bring value to those around us)? The intersection of these answers will reveal your inspiration.
10. Victories. Celebrate wins! I don’t care how “small” they may seem. Establish and achieve positive habits each morning. Then, allow these daily victories to set the tone for your entire day, which sets the tone for your week, which sets the tone for your month, and so on until it sets the tone for your life. Your daily victories reinforce the fact that you are a victorious person (one who consistently wins)! (1 Corinthians 15:7)
11. Emotions. I've always been fascinated with how our mind is capable of processing complex thoughts, languages, memories, and emotions. This fascination caused me to shift how I view our emotional responses. Unlike other mammals, we have complete control of how we respond or react to a given circumstance. This emotional control is fed by all of the previously mentioned tenets and like the others, takes practice. Food for thought: How will you respond to adversity? Will you use your admirable complex mind, or will you revert to a primitive response? You have the power to choose.

Life throws so many things at us. The weight of the world often makes us feel as if we are unable to cope. This is your encouragement: You CAN make it! The resistance is making you stronger! You have what it takes! Let’s adjust our PERSPECTIVE on our circumstances and pursue a more fulfilling life in Christ.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for your encouraging Word! No matter how much life seems to crush me, I trust You. Exodus 15:2 reminds me that You are my strength, so I am able to become more resilient through my troubles because You strengthen me in my weakest moments. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within [me], to accomplish infinitely more than [I] might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20‭-‬21 NLT)