I found this article from a “zen” website. It was so interesting iI had to share because of the various biblical principles that were scattered throughout the piece. It’s amazing to see how close the world comes to biblical principles but how they reject the bible. These are eight “tricks” to turn anything bad into something truly awesome. I added the spiritual twist to these “tricks”. To see the original article, click here.
- The power of positive thinking. Replace negative thinking with a positive thought (I CAN do this!) and you’re back on the road to success. Recognize negative thoughts, squash them, and find positive thoughts to replace them. Works every time. I see this in Jesus as He never thought negative about anything. He hurt with His people and cried but He always worked a negative into a positive.
- Failure is a stepping stone to success. Every time you fall, get up, dust yourself off, and start again. Each failure shows you an obstacle you didn’t anticipate, and you can plan to beat that obstacle next time. Each failure brings you that much closer to winning. Getting back up is the main thing. Peter ring a bell here? Peter got up time and time again after “failing”. He went on to do some amazing things.
- Practice patience. Biblical principle? I think so! Praying for patience is one thing God loves to give to His people. When you get frustrated, when someone is difficult, when you begin to lose patience; First, vent somehow (talking to a friend or my wife is one of the best ways for me). Then, practice patience or the art of listening to God.
- Learning experience. See everything as an opportunity to learn. The disciples learned from Jesus everyday. Review the experience in your head, figure out what went wrong, and learn from your mistakes. What does the bible say? If you see learning as a wonderful thing then you can see every mistake as a blessing.
- Makes you stronger. Something difficult? It will make you a stronger person for having endured it. Think, how will I become a better person, disciple, or student because of this experience. Jesus went through some serious “hard times”.
- Test of your character. Tests and challenges motivate us to step up to another level (Check out my running tab above). When we pass the test, it becomes a joyous thing. I know Jesus rejoiced when He overcame the devil in the wilderness. He praised God for it! Try to meet every challenge. Make a challenge for yourself and overcome it.
- Turn the other cheek. Jesus said that instead of taking an eye for an eye, if someone hits you, just turn the other cheek. Making an effort at this principle will make you a better person. It goes not just for physical wrongs to you, but anything that anyone does to you. They call you a name? Thank them. There will be some people who say that you have to meet force with force, or people will walk all over you. To this I say, “Where does it end?” And I also say, “You are merely stooping to their level.” Rise above the pettiness of others, and become a better human being.
- Love your enemy. When you have anger toward another human being, give this a try. If you succeed, to any degree whatsoever, you will rejoice in this success. It is a miraculous thing.
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” - Winston Churchill
Interesting article.
-Jordan
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