Glass Half Full

You've just woken up from the most amazing dream: you know, that awesome dream that was just about to get to the good part when BAM! The alarm clock goes off X_x So what's the first thing you do? You complain. Yes, I've been there most school day mornings; the first thing I do when I'm up is complain. Either I complain about how I never got see how my dream ended, or I complain about having to go to school or the lack of sleep I had... The list is endless.

As it is my home country, I try to know more or less what's going... Which leads to even more complaining. I've complained so much about the Xenaphobia in South Africa, all the striking and the tons of other fun stuff that happens in our country, that sometimes I forget to look at the positive. And isn't that the truth? Sometimes we're so wrapped up in complaining about something that we fail to see the positive parts about it, which brings me to my topic today:

Positivity.

To have positivity is basically to be optimistic, and it's really hard to be optimistic sometimes. The glass often looks more half empty than half full, and life often seems so full of sadness, hurt and heartbreak that it's difficult to be optimistic about the future. Well, if that's your mind set, then stop thinking that RIGHT NOW. If you're not optimistic about the future, how will you be able to motivate yourself to be the best person you can be; to distinguish yourself from mediocrity?

Just because life seems dull or hard right now, doesn't mean it will be that way forever. So often we get caught up in the present that we forget to look further on. Imagine you were climbing a mounting and only looked at your feet the whole time? You'd miss all the beautiful views. Sometimes life doesn't turn out how we would like it to, or how we had expected it to. That's the thing about life; it isn't constant. The only constant thing about it is that it is constantly changing!

Just look at David for example. Before he become king and defeated Goliath, he was just a young shepherd boy. Never once does the Bible describe him as unhappy or complaining about his situation. In 1 Samuel 17, David's father asks him to travel and deliver some food to his brothers who are fighting the Philistines. Now they didn't have cars or even bicycles those days, so it meant he probably had to WALK all that way. Gee, and I complain having to walk just to the kitchen and pour my brother something to drink!
When David asked some of the Israelite soldiers what would happen to whoever defeated Goliath, one of his brothers stepped in and bullied him a bit, saying he was "wicked" and "conceited" (hmph... I would probably give my brother a big slap if he called me that :/ ).
David, officially my new role model, replies, "Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” ³⁰ He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before."
Wow. Instead of calling his brother names back or complaining to his father, David just asked if he had done anything wrong and then moves on. Just like that.
Eventually David ends up killing Goliath with God's help, you know, with the slingshot and single stone (I'm sure not even Chuck Norris could do that).

So here's the thing about David: he had so many reasons to complain. Imagine being forced to watch sheep while your brothers got to be heroic and fight in the army? Also, he had to walk super far just to bring them food. Then his brother bullies him for just wanting to know what's happening. Not only would I be complaining, but I'd probably have some very colourful language to add in as well.
And that's why David is such a good example of positivity: he didn't let other people bring him down and he ensured God was his priority. David asked what would happen if someone defeated Goliath, he looked beyond right now into the future to know what he was working towards. Most importantly, David had faith. He knew that with God's help, he could conquer anything, even a literal giant. In verse 17, David says, "The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
But that faith though! He didn't say "I wonder if God will help me", or "I hope God won't let me be defeated", he just said in a statement that God WILL rescue him. He looked at the situation positively and just look at all he achieved: I mean he became king. KING. That is quite a big achievement, if I do say so myself.

Now that's all great that some boy who looks after sheep could kill a giant, but how will that help me? Well I think we should all learn some lessons from David. Instead of concentrating on the negative, look ahead to what the future holds for you. The future is exciting, people! Doesn't it just excite you to think that if you're single, maybe one day you'll meet an amazing man or woman to marry? Isn't it exciting to think maybe one day you'll have the job of your dreams or maybe have enough money to never have to work a day in your life again? Isn't it exciting to think one day, YOU could discover something new that could write your name in the history books forever and ever? Isn't it exciting to think that one day, you could fully unlock your potential and be completely and wholly the person you were called to be?

The future may seem dire or unsure at times, but remember that God has already planned your life (Jeremiah 29:11) and He will make sure He helps you, as much as you allow Him to, to have the most abundant and amazing future ever, even better than you can imagine. After all, Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. "
God will make sure things work out for you. So instead of complaining now, try look ahead and say something positive instead. In fact, I challenge you: every time you're about to complain, or if you have just said a complaint, say something positive about the same situation instead or straight after. For example, tomorrow morning I'm probably going to complain about this strike that is happening near my home, but instead of complaining about how annoying it is, instead I'm going to say, "You know what, it may be frustrating but I respect these people for making a stand. Plus I probably don't have to go to school, so yippee for that." (do people still say 'yippee'? Or is that only in those old children's books? :/)

There we go, so even though life may seem horrible now, remember to look forward. The world may not always be a pretty place, but Jesus did say in John 16:33, "“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
#WOW

Running With New Takkies

Recently there have been various protests and debates at UCT to remove the Rhodes statue, as many find it offensive due to what Cecil Rhodes stood for and did in the past. Now that's all good and well to stand up for what you believe in, so this is no offense to anyone, but this situation got me thinking about how we, as people, hang onto the past.

It's almost as if we physically struggle to move on. The thing is, the past is the past, and just because something bad happened, doesn't mean it has to affect your future. However, if we're being honest, I think there's always one or two things that we hang on to and let affect us. Maybe you had a bad break up and now you struggle to trust other significant others, or maybe you were bullied about something in primary school and now you're still struggling with that insecurity. I am guilty myself. This may sound silly, but a few people would comment on my hairy arms in primary school and even today I'm shy about them, especially around boys! (To whoever is reading this, just know I promise I'm not some cave woman with arms that are so hairy they look like a blanket, they're not that bad... I hope!:P ) 

Holding onto the past will hurt you and make it harder to move on. Think about it : if you're running a long race but you're still wearing your broken takkies from ten years ago, it's going to be pretty hard and pretty sore to finish that race, and I definitely don't think you'd be able to achieve as well as if you had worn newer, not broken shoes. 

There's the perfect example of this in Numbers where God told the Israelites that they had to stay in the desert for 40 years (Numbers 32:13). Why? Because they were hung up on the past and not trusting God. Basically, God called this guy Moses to lead His chosen people, the Israelites, out of slavery by the Egyptians, into a new place He was preparing for them. So Moses got them out of Egypt after some really tough negotiation and a few plagues, but while they were traveling to this new land, the Israelites got cranky and said it had actually been better for them in Egypt and they should have stayed there! I'm sorry, but I think anything is better than being a slave. But you see, the Israelites were hung up on the past and didn't want to move on when the going got tough. They hadn't  traded in their old, broken takkies for their new, not broken ones (what's the word for not broken? Think my brain's on holiday today!) 

The Bible actually warns us several times not to hinder on the past. Philippians 3:13-14 says, "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Isaiah 43:18-19, "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

As you can see, even God is telling us to move on, He knows what's best for us. It's true, bad things happen and sometimes moving on is super difficult, but when you learn to move forwards instead of staying tied back; that is when you will uncover some of the best things in life. 

God creates newness, and once you're in Him, you are a new creation. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

If you've done or experienced bad things in your past, that all goes away once you've surrender your life to God. He will give you the newest, most non-brokenest (#NewWord)  pair of takkies you could ever wish for. He will give you the strength to move on to new heights and experience things you never thought was even possible. There is a catch however: you actually have to let Him catapult you to new heights. Sometimes it's hard to trust God, but it's only when we trust Him and have faith that we are able to reach these new heights.

Don't let the past define who you are. You can create your own definition of yourself and that definition is up to you; will you choose the world's definition or God's definition of your life? 

Hebrews 12:1-2

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Get ready to run the rest of your earthly race with God holding your hand. Stop worrying about the past, it's only going to cause wrinkles and a broken heart! Let God's newness flow in you. Ask Him to help you finish this race to the best of your ability.

Think about it, life is hard enough as it is. Why add to that by hindering on past things that you can't change? Learn from it and try not to make those mistakes in the future. Put on those takkies, and 

Run, Forest, run!