How to go through fire (without giving up)
I hope you’ve had a fantastic weekend, last week came with more than its fair share of challenges and as trials go, I developed some new thoughts to help me through, here are some of them. 🙂 1) Cultivate a growth mindset. A growth mindset believes that where they are and what they see isn’t the end, that there is more beyond. There is joy after this season. A fixed mindset on the other hand believes that they are pulling from a large pool of wisdom or/and creativity. The trouble is that that pool will eventually run out. This showed up for me when I tried unsuccessfully to come up with a robust collaborative idea with a particular company. I couldn’t go beyond the basics and believed there was no scope for anything better- until I brainstormed with a friend. Once we had that session, the ideas literally started pouring in. I thought I had reached a wall, when in actual fact there was more beyond the wall. With this mindset, solutions develop in proportion or even greater than the challenges as they show up. 2) Believe that these trials are permitted by God but it is only for a season. Don’t allow it to define you. Remember who you are. People may want to give you a new name – that’s the woman who had many abortions, look at the man who couldn’t stay faithful to his wife or here’s the person who has been unable to hold down a job. Don’t take on the identity being given to you. Cut off anyone who wants to change your name. Know who you are in Christ. 3) Have realistic expectations If trials are comparable to fire, we best believe it will be excruciatingly painful. If things are getting worse and not better, understand that this is the nature of fire. First it burns the skin, then the muscles and nerves. The longer it burns, the closer it gets to the core of who you are. Values and relationships will be tested. Your spirit’s yearning for God will be tested. But you must come through. Understand that your life- mindset, relationships, lifestyle are being purified through this process. 4) Understand that your faith is on trial Faith is taking action on what you believe. Will you stop taking action because it’s too hot? Often we want to curl up in a corner and wait for the fire to be quenched following our intense cries and prayers. We must keep doing what we believed in before the fire started. Faith without works is dead. You cannot exercise faith by sitting still, you have to take the corresponding action on what you believe. 5) It is not in vain I have lost the number of times that I have cried out to God, what’s the point of this Lord? We live in a fallen world and God does not send evil on anyone. The enemy is the one who wrecks havoc. Our mortality often makes us see things only from the perspective of life on earth for the duration of our time here. The truth is our life in earth on earth is only a bleep in the endless thread of eternity. The scripture says lay up for yourself treasures in heaven. When your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Christ is revealed to the whole world. Inspired by 1 Peter 1:7 GNT Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:7 GN How have you dealt with fiery trials? Please drop a comment below. I hope this has blessed you, have a fantastic week ahead!
