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The Power and Glorious Liberty of Focusing on What You Can Change, Rather Than Focusing on What You Can’t Change
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The Power and Glorious Liberty of Focusing on What You Can Change, Rather Than Focusing on What You Can’t Change

Adrian Holloway on January 31, 2011 with 0 Comments

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 Perhaps you are hurting at the moment. You don’t have what you want. Maybe you have had cause to be offended. You feel let down, disappointed. The future looks more uncertain than it used to. This is all fuel for worry to burn brighter and brighter in your life. Let us say, for the sake of the argument that your circumstances do not change today. Let’s imagine you go to bed tonight in the same situation that you have become used to. Therefore if we cannot control our circumstances, let us focus on the one thing we can change . . . our attitude. We can choose self-pity, we can choose to put on the T shirt that says “victim”. These seem like entirely reasonable decisions to us when we have been genuinely wronged. But here’s the one thing we can agree on. You won’t feel any better as a result. I have never met anyone who is living in self-pity and who sees themselves primarily as a victim, who is also a content, emotionally-healthy, fulfilled person. So do yourself a favour, seek first God’s kingdom. Do what you know is right, even when if feels wrong. Who can you do a good turn to today? Who can you say a kind word to? Who can you encourage? Do something today that says to God, man and the Devil, ‘I am not putting my needs and my pain first, I am deliberately doing what God wants.’ As soon as we get ourselves off the throne of our life, and put Jesus and others first, the joy starts to come. It’s amazing what pain human beings can endure if they have found the secret of not allowing their feelings to be dictated by circumstances.

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about the author

Adrian is married to Julia. They have four daughters. He is based at Everyday Church in Wimbledon, and has written two books, "The Shock of Your Life" and "Aftershock," which tackles the strongest objections to Christianity in the form of a novel.