Securing Security In An Insecure World(Part 2)
A time of peace comes after a time of war. It is usually a time of great celebration for the victor, but because it has also taken the loss of many lives to secure that victory, it is also, in fact, a time of great sadness for those who have lost loved ones.
Once the tickertape parades are over and the medals have been pinned on the proud chests of the courageous, then everybody turns back to their own homes with the intention of getting on with a normal life. But for many, life can never be normal again, because there is now a chair in their house that will always remain empty, or there is a life, once vibrant before the war, now shattered forever. War didn’t just happen on the battlefield or in the trenches, or in the desert or in the jungle. For many of the families of returned soldiers, the greatest battles are just about to begin.
It is time to rebuild broken lives and to renew relationships; to re-establish that which had been uprooted and to now strengthen the bonds that had been weakened through warfare. Even though life’s battles come to an end, it may still take years to recover from them. Even though peace is declared, the true sense of peace will take much longer to catch up.
As a reader of this memo you may have experienced the battles of divorce and separation, family tension, sickness, death, partnership breakdown, business failure, crippling debt, retrenchment, unemployment, betrayal and let down. Any of these can wipe you out. They are as fatal as a well directed bullet. They are as devastating as being speared with a bayonet. Each of them pierce right through you. They can rock the very foundations of your life and literally destroy those caught up in the event.
Only time, forgiveness and a fresh sense of purpose and direction will heal the gaping wounds that are inflicted during these times and seasons. But once you have reached that point of peace, which is different for each of us, it is the best time to learn from your past experiences and to arm yourself for future battles that are certain to come your way.
For every season of war, there is a season of peace. For every season of tragedy, there is a season of recovery. For every season of failure, there is a season of success. For to every thing there is a season. For when the dust settles from the battle and the guns have gone quiet, we must become people preparing for the days that lie ahead. For, though you may not pass this same road again, you will, at some point in your life, pass through another confrontation. You must be in a constant state of preparation so that you can, at any time, be ready for whatever challenge is thrown in your path.
Not that you should spend each waking moment waiting for trouble to come. But when change presents itself, you will be more than ready to face the challenge. You have spent sufficient time preparing your mind, your body, and your spirit to push through to victory. You are ready for the pursuit of your goals and your dreams. You are not left stranded, but have taken the time, during peace time, to prepare yourself for the next stage of your journey.
So many people have the bad habit of saying that ‘When such and such happens then…’ or ‘When the time is right and I have enough money in the bank and when the kids are grown up and…’. People who operate with that attitude will never see anything happen. They, to the day they die, will still be waiting. However, the one who says, ‘I will today prepare myself, because in the future my opportunity will come. I’ll be diligent in the quiet times and times of peace, so that when I’m given the chance to prove myself, I’ll be ready to win.’ will succeed.
EXCUSES ARE THE SHOVELS WITH WHICH PEOPLE DIG THEIR OWN GRAVES
So if you wish to see dramatic change in your circumstances, you will need to bury that shovel and start to dig deeper into your own spirit and mind, so as to discover the dream that will stir you into action. It needs to be something that will pull you out of bed each morning. Even when your feelings are pulling you in another direction, your desire will push you forward towards the fulfilment of your goals.
Without a dream, men and women walk in the land of the dead. But with a dream, your life will be filled with an exuberance and with an energy that will drive you on to the successful completion of your tasks.
Many have blamed the past for their failure. But let me challenge you to consider this. Bury your past, and you will have planted the seed for a glorious future. Learn from the past and choose not to repeat the mistakes you have already committed. You cannot change what has gone
before, but you can most certainly change the future by the decisions you make today. There is not one past failure that you can’t overcome when you discover a new dream in your heart.
Here’s a challenge:
Dare to cast aside all your past dreams that may have turned into nightmares, and discover new ones. As you take up the new dream, you will be amazed how some of the ingredients of the past dreams, that you thought had been totally discarded, will suddenly pop their heads up again and say, ‘We were part of your original dream after all. It was all a matter of timing. NOW IS THE TIME.’
Refuse to replay failures through thought or conversation. Leave them on the battlefields. Don’t pick at the skeletons of your past, but focus your attention on the flesh of your new pursuit. Stay in the land of the living and steer clear of the field of dead dreams.
NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO BEGIN
If you are going to successfully chart your way through the waters of your life, you must become familiar with the seasonal changes that occur. You, like the sails on a sailing ship, must learn how to manoeuver, in response to the many winds of change. You may have to fight through
stormy weather. At other times you will simply need to let the wind take you where it will. You may have to ‘change tack’ and ‘come about’. At other times the waters will be becalmed and patience will have to rule your circumstances.
To win in this life, you must become a master of change, ready to move with the slightest adjustment and the faintest movement. You are captain of your ship, charting your own course. It is your skill in riding the winds of change that will determine your future and establish the security that is yours in an insecure world.
Take charge of your life. You cannot put a stop to what will happen. However, you, as the designer of your destiny and the pathfinder of your potential, have total control over the way you respond to the changes that will occur time and time again throughout your lifetime.
Motivational Memo: Those who regularly pursue change from within will capably handle whatever changes come from without.
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