Burnt But Blessed!
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind!" 2Tim 1:6
There are times when life gets hectic and crazy. But because life is
crazy does not mean you must get crazy with it! Those who win in life
are those who are able to stay calm in the midst of life's craziness.
In my book, A Setback Is A Setup For A Comeback, panic is defined as
"to give up rationality and take on irrationality; to give up sanity
and take on insanity". When you have a challenge in your life, it is
critical to stay calm. And that is a decision of your will! The more
you practice staying calm, the more you will stay calm in a moment of
crisis. I had a moment of crisis a few nights ago when my car caught on
fire!
This past week, I had traveled to Wisconsin and Minnesota. My wife,
Dee, chose not to travel with me because she was attending a Women's
Retreat in Virginia. She also had to teach our Communications Skills
class that Sunday. She had driven her late model Mercedes to
Williamsburg, VA and back to Washington, DC. She picked me up from the
airport on Monday. We then went to National Harbor, MD for an afternoon
program at the Gaylord Hotel. After the program at the Gaylord, we
decided to stop by our church for the last part of Bible Study.
After Bible Study, while I was speaking to the Pastor, someone rushed
in and said, "Willie, your car is on fire!" We rushed to the parking
lot and sure enough our car was on fire. It was ablaze!
According to the police, my wife's car had started smoking, about a
half hour before. Then sparks and flames began to come from under the
hood, as well as the dashboard. The police called the Fire Department.
Since the electrical system was burned and disabled, they could not
open the doors, or the hood of the car. They had to use an ax to break
open the windows and to get the hood open to put out the fire.
As we stood there, watching our car being consumed by flames, someone
asked how we were doing. I said, "I am blessed and grateful! This is
nothing but a minor setback; and a setback is nothing but a setup for a
comeback!"
"You really believe that stuff you talk about don't you?" he asked. My
reply, "You are absolutely right! This is not a big deal! See, this car
could have caught fire while Dee was driving to her conference, to our
class, to pick me up from the airport, to take me to my program or
while we were driving to church tonight! I am blessed and so very
grateful! And, I know the world will not end. It is just a car. I can
replace a car. I can't replace my wife! This setback is nothing but a
setup for a comeback!"
People were amazed that I was so calm. But what they did not know is
that I learned to practice staying calm and not let external issues
disrupt my internal joy and peace. Happiness is typically a result of
the "happenings" in your life. But joy is the result of your internal
positioning! And I decided long ago that I would not let "stuff" steal
or disrupt my joy!
You too can develop calmness within even in the midst of crazy times.
How? One technique is to make a commitment to say calming things to
yourself. Practice being calm by saying aloud, "Stay calm, and do not
panic!" Then ask yourself: Will the world stop turning because of this
problem? If the answer is no, keep moving!"
Talk yourself into a calm controlled state of thinking and acting.
Develop a composed sound mind. And whatever you do, remember to always
give God the glory. For He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of
power, love and of a sound mind! I love you...
God bless!