Friday, April 11, 2008 |
Facing the Opposition
There a a few things that we truly are not capable of until we are put into a certain situation. For example, moms have lifted cars off of their child or the nicest person in the world shot and killed someone in the act of defense. In these scenarios we will never know what we are capable of until it actually happens. This is how our minds work. In James 1 it explains how we need to consider it joy when we face trials and tribulations because it is strengthing us but it's hard to see how this can be until later. If we are wise, we will realize that some amazing things couldn't happen until some negative things happened first.A little while ago I wrote a blog titled "Living for Life" in which I talked about a lot of things that I believe were important to life. It's obvious that most people do not share the same views and that is awesome because that is part of what makes life exciting because the dynamics of people keep us entertained. Earlier today I received a comment on that post reporting that Jesus was sweet and that He jumps on pogo sticks.... I thought it was awesome that this person decided to break this news on my blog. Who could have even imagined that he would pick me. Ok, so there was more to his comment than just that breaking news. Logically I should have been offended but this is just another example of where our logic often throws us of course of just living life for life and, ultimately, leads us to feelings of worthlessness. In a way this goes back to my analogy of a surfer who harnesses the awesome (and many times negative) power of waves and has fun with it -- and the bigger the wave, the bigger the thrill. It's a lot like this in life too. If we are to really enjoy our lives we need to learn to harness the power of our opponents who attack us and have fun with it. In high school I was picked on a good bit and, yes, it did bug me. I guess it's also true that no one totally gets over the fact that people attack them but it's really an issue of how you respond to that attack internally. I've had a lot of people tell me that I have matured just about every year that has gone by and I think one of the key points to this is that I've learned how to better harness this power and allow it to not upset me but to confirm that I have a purpose in what I am doing. I think just about any blogger would agree that the worst type of comment is the one that isn't left. I gave up caring what people thought of me a long while ago. I've realized that the logic that our society uses is what is hurting us the most and if I want to deviate from this logic in any way then I really need to understand that people are going to attack me and disagree with me and I need to understand that if I really believe the words that I say then I need to realize that when words I say strikes a chord with someone then I am actually making an impact on someone's life which is exactly what I am hoping to do. When I receive a negative attack I think the more negative that it is the more it gives me purpose and fuels me to keep doing whatever it is I do here. Back in 2006 I wrote a blog based on starfish that I think also captures what I am trying to say here. The people that are constantly picked on tend to be the people that make the largest impact in this life. You may want to consider it a phenomenon but I really believe that its because these are the people that have the potential to become extremely motivated for the right reasons in life. They have experienced first hand that attacking someone for their beliefs doesnt get anyone anywhere so they embrace their own beliefs, become proud of who they are, and they work towards the things they believe are important. Those same people end their lives knowing they lived a full and worthwhile life and having made a great impact on this world. It's never about what bad luck comes your way or how much people hate you but its about how you feel about you and how you take the things that come your way. Opposition fuels advancement. The human race has invented things the fasted out of mother necessity. The more that we have an opposing force the more that we will work towards answering that force. I'm sure the Wright brothers faced a lot of opposition but I'm also sure that when people attacked them they didn't argue with them.... in fact, maybe they listened to what someone was saying and maybe the person calling them stupid actually gave them a new perspective. Ultimately, they flew..... and I'm sure there were people that were humbled. It all boils down to believing in who you are and what you believe. If you doubt yourself then anything that is said to you will cause you to falter in what you are trying to accomplish. On the other hand, if you truly believe in whatever it is that you are doing then the only thing your opposition does is confirm that you are working on something that is worth noticing and, in that realization, understand that negative comments and attacks really are a cause for celebration. Labels: attacks, blogosphere, emotions, psychology, purpose, society (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Friday, February 23, 2007 |
its been awhile since i've posted. i just felt the need to do it now, to let you know whats going on. this Sunday we are start our building campaign called "More Than We Can See". we've been working crazy hard to make this the best thing our church has ever done. i personally have worked a lot of hours making videos better than i ever have before. its hard work, but its incredibly rewarding hard work. i've gotten video sent from churches all over the country thanking us for the impact we've had on church planting. i don't say that to boast, because frankly i had very little to do with any of it. this has been a God thing since day one and He's the one who gets the credit for it. some of you may not understand all this, and it would take me a long time to explain it, but there's no way to simply and quickly explain how we're involved in church planting. i can say that its really mindboggling to know that i'm apart of something so incredibly big. that i'm apart of churches in cities and states that i've never been too. the building campaign is for 3 buildings that will mostly be community centers. we may have church services in them, but for the most part they will be for the community to use. we're also excited about what God is going to do through us in these community centers. as all of our work to communicate the importance of these community centers, and as we begin to ask people to struggle with their role in all this, and as people begin to give sacrificially to reach the $12 million goal a disturbing series of events are occuring. many of us are experiencing things that just cannot be accredited to coincidence. on wednesday, i figured that i had started my car 7 times. on the 7th time when i'm heading back to my office to film some people talking about their testimonies my car brakes down. from my understanding belt tensioners don't just snap off of your engine. my bosses car needs a new transmission. another woman i work with her car pretty much broke down for no reason, the Ford specialist were even puzzled. people are getting sick left and right. orders we place are getting lost in shipping. my wife fell twice in the last week, once on ice another on the escalator at the metro. i love my wife, but she has a long history of falling. right now she has dislocated left knee cap, which is painful but not as bad as it sounds. she won't need surgery or anything, just rest and once the swelling goes down she'll be o.k. her right leg is scraped and bruised thanks to the teeth on the stairs of the escalator. anyone who knows me knows i'm not the type to accredit every bad thing that happens to me to the devil trying to take me out. however, knowing whats on the horizon for us as a church, knowing how God is going to stretch us and change us and bless us through this, and at the same time seeing all of us dealing with broken cars and sicknesses, and everything else that distracts us from getting our jobs done one can only surmise that the devil is PISSED! its encouraging in a sense because in a odd way it means we must be doing something right. people are making bold moves towards God and thats a really really good thing. so thats whats been going on with me. i had a video uploaded, but our server that was hosting it got hijacked, so if i get it uploaded again soon i'll post here. oh yeah, someone hacked our e-mail/webserver last week. just more thing on the list of things that have come up against us. hee hee hee, silly devil. luv u guys! From: Shadow-Zone Labels: attacks, miracles, new life (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
(C)2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved
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