Don’t Let Self-Imposed Crisis Points Stop Your Path Forward

I’ve been writing about eschatological matters often lately—and have been highly speculative about world events in some recent posts—so this time I’m interested in going back toward practical, everyday-life theology over what to do at your lowest points.

Diving into why stopping when we’re down is defeatist.

If we say we’ve never been down before, we’re likely lying to ourselves or others.

Some people give up early; some give up late. Some give up somewhere in between and choose to live a life of cynicism and vitriol to those who stay positive and fulfilled.

In my personal life, I am happy and content with where I am and have no real reason to be upset about anything.

I’ve learned to have an even temperament and to have a zero-level interest in negative reactions or opinions.

If anything upsets the balance of my life, there is room for change.

Here’s a minor example from my own experience to illustrate a point.

My debut novel received a negative review earlier this year, and I’m not entirely sure they truly read the novel after learning that some authors do this to hurt other authors by vaguely referring to things in the sample.

In the best-case scenario, it was an honest review, and they didn’t like it. That’s fine with me.

While I’m not the best writer in the world, I don’t think I’m awful about it either.

That’s art for you.

Subjective.

But I don’t hold any negative emotions about that review.

I’ll experience people who don’t like my art.

But some people would take that situation as gospel and quit going forward.

There’s no room for refusing to walk forward in the Kingdom of God.

One minor hurdle shouldn’t affect our stride forward.

The past must remain in the past, and we are to hold on to the former things no longer when we walk with God.

It’s perfectly justified to have some times in our lives where we’re not able to carry on because we are only human beings in mortal flesh.

Someone might die in your life, or you might come down with an illness that you didn’t ask for.

Feel it and grieve if you must. It’s OK.

God created those emotions, too, you know.

Feel what you need to feel, but use the experience to grow after moving on.

I’m going to keep writing novels until the day I die.

Failing a few times to succeed is fine with me. If attempt one doesn’t do it, then what about attempt twenty?

If you quit going forward too early because of a negative experience, there’s nothing set in stone saying you can’t recover and work toward something new.

So many content creators tried different things repeatedly until something worked.

People who lost the love of their life due to death may feel empty inside, but that doesn’t mean that love might not come again.

Getting into a wreck that paralyzes you for the rest of your life doesn’t have to mean the end of your life.

There are so many things to do that don’t require working legs.

Getting MS in your late 40s doesn’t mean resigning yourself to the whims of fate.

Moving away from awful situations of a personal nature, a business venture might fail the first or second time. But what if those failures taught you what not to do so that your third venture flew into the atmosphere?

You can be an entrepreneur at any age. Even in your 80s, if you like.

What rule is there saying you can’t do those things?

To give up at a low point in life is to stop your progression into the person you were always meant to be.

We aren’t created to wallow in despair because something tremendously shifted our outlook.

The storm breaks, and even the rain can be beautiful in its own way.

You might use that experience in ten years to console someone who goes through the same thing.

God doesn’t want us to play victim and stay stuck in mourning our failures.

He didn’t create us to look incessantly at the past when the future is within reach.

Time moves forward, one way.

Our steps can take us forward or backward, but our eyes are on the front of our faces. Walk backward, and you’re bound to hit something at some point.

Don’t worry about your failures, what people say, or think about you.

Do the best possible to keep the commandments and try to live a full life.

It isn’t always going to be sparks of glistening light.

Some days are going to test your mettle to the point of exhaustion. But you must know being tired to understand feeling refreshed and energized.

I don’t know what you’re going through—yet, God always does.

I’m not one to quote clichés about the strongest battles going to the toughest soldiers.

Because frankly, the tough battles harden you from being at the level of a recruit into someone capable of direction and leadership, whether to yourself or others.

Govern yourself well, but leave the ultimate authority in your life to the King of Kings.

He wants you to become the best version of yourself, which might include getting through the mire for the pleasant glory to come.

I know this post was a bit all over the place.

I didn’t outline this post or pre-write this one.

But that’s the trick, isn’t it?

Put your hand to that plow, go forward, and even if you feel you’re not ready for something, you must continue and not stay still.

May God Almighty bless every endeavor, give you the strength and wisdom that situation requires, and in moving forward—may you finally have fulfillment and peace.

Shalom and blessings as you walk forward.