As we continue the journey of our lives, we are often slowed down or stopped by negative feelings that can overwhelm us. We might believe that we are helpless in resolving painful situations. This can take us further so that we also become hopeless. The combination of these feelings can destroy us – if we allow this to happen.
That is right; we don’t have to allow it! We can give in, which means give up, OR we can take a stand as we make a decision to go forward with our lives. We will then refuse to let negative thoughts, feelings or the words of others bring us down.
To feel helpless simply means that we don’t know what to do to resolve a situation. Maybe we don’t but someone else might. We can always seek guidance in prayer. Don’t be hasty, there is an answer; we just have to search for it.
To feel hopeless is much worse. This indicates that we have no hope for today or tomorrow…or any time in the future. This is a very lonely place to be. We believe that no one understands where we are or why we are there. We see nothing in our future but more of the nothingness of the past. Whoa!
At this point we must change our attitudes about ourselves. Apparently, we don’t like ourselves, or our lives, because we don’t believe we deserve anything better. LISTEN UP! God loves you, so you must be worth loving. Learn to love you, not in a stuck-up, egotistical way but for the person you are. A failed marriage, a divorce or whatever doesn’t make you a smaller person. It is too easy for us to allow any failures to make us less. You only fail when you refuse to get up again and move forward to a better life. Don’t even think the words, “I can’t” because YOU CAN! Grow a stronger backbone as you begin to believe that there IS a future for you. You might discover the best years of your life!
Though we seldom realize it at the time, the choice is ours. If we allow the words and actions of others to bring us down, we need to learn to stand up for ourselves. Too often, whatever we say can and often does make the situation worse. This is temporary and will change each time you speak up. You get stronger as you decide not to allow anything or anyone to destroy who you are. Now we are not feeling as helpless and we have the beginning of hope for tomorrow. THAT is progress from where we were! Any progress is worth notice as we begin to grow as a person…because we finally realize that we are someone special. Why are we special? We are special because we have God’s everlasting love. Because we are aware of any negative traits in us, we also learn about God’s mercy.
That moment brings the realization that He loves us anyway, with all our faults. He is interested in our potential, the things we can do for others as we use the abilities that He gave us. When we do for others, we are also doing for ourselves. Why? This is true because of the priceless joy we feel in being able to help someone else. Their ditch might have been deeper and more painful than ours. Because we care enough to help, we ease their pain just as someone might have made our paths easier to travel.
Whether or not we admit it, we need each other.
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ABOUT LURA ZERICK
82-year-old Lura Zerick is the mother of 5, grandmother of 12 and great-grandmother of seven. She was born and raised in the Florida Panhandle and now lives on six acres of woods in S.E. Alabama, near Geneva.
She has been writing since 1965. Her articles are published in regional and national magazines. She has authored five books: Who Do You Think You Are? (1989), The Golden Olden Days, (2002) River Villa (2007) The House of Esther (2011) Getting Older and Enjoying It! (2004) (The last book was one of three chosen nationally to be featured in an article written by Donna Childress and published by the National Council on Aging in the Fall/Winter issue of their publication, INNOVATIONS)
Lura has composed lyrics and music of 70 gospel songs and recorded 15 songs on 2 CDs.. She sang show tunes and popular songs in nightclubs, a cruise ship, with several TV guest spots.
She wrote and produced a weekly, then daily, radio program, “Encouragement for Today’s Woman”; edited and published “Living with Hope”, a quarterly newsletter of the writings of women across America; co-hosted a 2-hour weekly radio program, “The Saturday Morning Show”; participated in and co-produced a Sunday afternoon gospel music radio program.
Lura was Executive Editor of a regional magazine, Grassroots South; Editor’s Assistant for an international publication, “Journal of Marital & Family Therapy”; wrote a newspaper column, “Encouragement for Today “ as well as features and news articles for various newspapers. Her articles have been published in Alabama Living, Spirit Led Woman, Just Between Us, Writer’s Digest, Mature Living, Christian Single, Army Flier, Army Times, Looking Back and other publications.
Lura is currently working on three books: Bible Quest, Feeding Our Spiritual Selves and Another Woman; Another Well, the story of her life.
As a survivor of years of domestic violence, Lura had no idea that her best and most rewarding years were in the future!
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