ON THE REBOUND

ON THE REBOUND

(A FRIEND STORY)

It had been a satisfying day.
The world was a wonderful place, I thought, as I made my way to the office where my computer sat. Its keyboard beckoned my fingers to make contact.
As soon as the screen lit up, I knew something was terribly wrong. My hard drive had crashed.
It took a moment for the scope of the disaster to register in my slow-computing brain, but then it hit me. No, it slammed into me with the force of a bulldozer on a razing mission. My stomach did a back flip.

 

 My vision went hazy. My mind became clouded. The room spun.
The last six months of hard work—articles, graphic design, all that precious mental energy that had been stored on the computer’s hard drive for safekeeping—was gone.
Forever.

My worst fear, like a meteor falling from the sky, came crashing down on me. Frustration, confusion, tragedy, and loss engulfed me.
Why, oh why, hadn’t I copied all that stuff onto a backup device? Now bits and pieces of creativity were lost, floating somewhere in cyberspace, far, far from home. And I couldn’t get them back.
But then I remembered the story of when Thomas Edison met a similar tragedy. His workshop caught fire, and months, years, even decades of hard work on numerous unfinished inventions went up in smoke.

“There go all my mistakes!” he said with amazing cheerfulness. And then he went right back to work.
I wondered if there was enough positive energy left in me to start again as bravely as Edison had. Contemplating these things somehow eased the pain and melted away that woozy feeling of defeat. I struggled to stand up from where I had fallen to my knees in frustration, and I forced the corners of my mouth into a smile.
Oh, some things in life seem totally unfair! But I refused to let defeat overcome me in that moment or have any bearing on my future efforts. I decided to see this situation not as the tragic end to all the projects that were lost, but rather as a new beginning for each of them in a future that was yet to unfold.

This is the first I’ve written since Demolition Day. “There go all my mistakes,” I’m saying. And I’m not going to quit. I’m on the rebound, back at my computer and ready to start again. With backup files.

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Luke 16:13 ESV / No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Mark 16:18 ESV / They will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Matthew 23:1-4 ESV / Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,

#TGIF

Onyedikachi Kingsley Ogbonna (Surv.)

RUN THE RACE

RUN THE RACE

Two hours, five minutes, and ten seconds: the time it took Kenya’s Samuel Wanjiru to finish first in the 26.2-mile (42 km 195 m) London Marathon in April 2009.
Thirteen days: The time it took Major Phil Packer, a British soldier who became a paraplegic following a spinal injury, to complete the same marathon, finishing last out of 36,000 competitors. 

 

This feat of perseverance raised over £600,000 (about US$1 million) for charity.
Wanjiru made the headlines for his speed. Packer made headlines not for speed, but for his courage and determination. A thousand-strong crowd gathered to welcome him at the end of a race that he had defied odds to enter, let alone complete. Following his injury a year earlier, he had been told he would never walk again. In fact, he only relearned to walk with crutches a month before the marathon.

While both men are respected for their accomplishments, there was something special about Packer’s triumph. He was never alone during the exhausting and painful six hours it took him to walk two miles each day. Well-wishers—both friends and strangers—accompanied him on the course, walking beside him and cheering him on, from the starting gate to the finishing line. Congratulatory messages on his website include a message of admiration from Prince Charles.
The road of life is not always easy, and sometimes we face what appear to be impossible obstacles. But we don’t walk it alone. We also have well-wishers—our family and friends—encouraging us along the way. And we too have a Prince supporting us—not one from this realm, but Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who promises to help us rise above circumstances, persist against the odds, and triumph over difficulty: “My grace is sufficient for you,” He tells us, “for My strength is made perfect in [your] weakness.” So “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”

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2. Corinthians 12:9 (ESV) But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) 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.

Matthew 28:20 (ESV) teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Onyedikachi Kingsley Ogbonna (Surv.)

WHO DESERVES LOVE?

WHO DESERVES LOVE?

People don’t have to be perfect in order to deserve our love. They don’t have to be faultless or easy to like or get along with. That’s a good thing, because none of us are all those things all the time; none of us are perfect. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but He does expect us to show one another love and understanding. “All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

When people live or work closely together, it’s easy to get negative or judgmental about one another, and that doesn’t make things any better, of course. It becomes a vicious cycle of judging and criticizing and measuring that undermines friendships and working relationships.
But we don’t have to fall prey to that. There is an alternative, a strengthening cycle in which we love each other through our bad days, forgive one another’s mistakes, compensate for one another’s weak areas, and bring out one another’s strengths. Love begets love. It inspires others to give their best, it wins God’s blessing, and it makes us happy.

Instead of looking at how much others are giving us or how worthy we think they are of our love and help, we should ask God for more love. God’s love is unconditional and strong enough and pure enough to withstand our human faults and mess-ups, which are many. We should ask Him for love that isn’t contingent on us clicking with people, love that appreciates them for who they are, love that loves even when they are late or selfish or rude or unkempt or disorganized or just plain in the wrong.
 

There are many reasons, of course, for a lack of love. Being judgmental is one. Being self-centered is another; when we focus on our own needs and what we want, we don’t see the needs of others. Selfishness is another; we think that giving to others of our time and attention will cost us more than we want to give or stand to gain. Busyness is another; we get so focused on reaching our goals that we don’t realize the effect this is having on others. Stress also hinders love, because at the time nothing seems as important as whatever has us stressed. Pride is another, because it takes humility to put love into action or words; our pride tells us to wait for the other person to make the first move. Resentment over past hurts that we haven’t forgiven and let go of can hinder our ability to love for a long time.

It’s also possible that those we find it hard to love would be pretty difficult for anyone to get along with. Maybe they don’t go about things the right way. Maybe they are full of faults.
We can always come up with some reason not to love, and each seems justified if we’re only willing to love when it comes easy. But when we put ourselves in others’ shoes, we realize what a big difference a little love could make. Then all those excuses don’t hold up.
 

The apostle Paul wrote that without love, our lives don’t really amount to anything. Of our talents and achievements and even our sacrifices he said, “Without love, it is nothing.” Impartial, unconditional love is not a natural human quality. It’s supernatural. It’s heavenly. But it’s not out of our reach. It’s a gift of God, and it’s ours for the asking. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.” “Ask [God], and it will be given you.” It’s a gift, but we don’t get better at it automatically. Nothing precious comes easy. Like replacing any old habit with a new one, learning to love like God does takes time and thought and prayer and effort. If we want to grow in love, we have to make time for that.

If this rings true, step back and reevaluate things. Look at your life and goals, and factor in more time to love. Factor in more time for your loved ones. Factor in time for friendships, and not just with people you’re already close to or naturally get along with. Factor in time for going-out-of-your-way love. And be sure to factor in time for heart-to-heart communication with Jesus, who the Bible calls “the express image of the invisible God,” being filled with and transformed by His love, and thanking Him for it.
God wants to give you the love you need to be fulfilled and happy, and He wants to love others through you. He wants to stretch you and make you capable of loving much more than you probably think you’re capable of.

Love is a miracle. Ask Him for that miracle. Ask Him for more of His nature, and then act as though you have all the love you need to make the right choices, the unselfish, loving, humble choices, the hard choices. And God won’t fail. He’ll fill your heart to overflowing.

Life is born of struggle. To enter this world, a baby must leave the comfort and security of the womb and make a difficult and perilous passage through the narrow birth canal. Before an eagle can soar to the heavens, it must peck and push its way out of the egg. Before a butterfly can delight us with its colors and grace, it must escape from its cocoon.

—

Galatians 5:14 (ESV) For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

1. Corinthians 13:1-3 (ESV) If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

James 1:17 (ESV) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Onyedikachi Kingsley Ogbonna (Surv.)

CHANGING MINDSETS

CHANGING MINDSETS

We sometimes limit God’s power to work in our lives because we lack faith. We look at things too much from our own perspectives instead of trying to see them as He does. Our outlook is trapped on an earthly plane. When we find ourselves in that situation, it’s time to change our mindset about some things.
The definition of mindset is: a set of beliefs or a way of thinking that determines somebody’s behavior and outlook. What this means is that the way we look at things, our attitudes, the things we think and believe, determine our behavior.

A major factor in making progress is shedding any mindset that holds you back and taking on a new mindset that will have a positive effect on your behavior and outlook. We all have some wrong attitudes, so we need to find out what those are and fight to change them into positive ones.
Consider the story about two shoe salesmen who were sent by their company to Africa. 

The first salesman wrote the home office saying, “Nobody wears shoes here,” and turned in his resignation. The second salesman was thrilled with the potential and wrote, “Everybody here needs shoes!”
The first fellow’s mindset, his negative attitude‚ caused him to resign. He had the wrong mindset about the situation, and this mindset determined his behavior, which in this case was to give up in despair. Now contrast that to the other fellow who had a positive mindset. “Everyone needs shoes!” What a difference! The positive mindset brought faith. Where one man saw an impossible situation, the other saw endless possibilities. Clearly, our mindset affects our outlook and, most importantly, our behavior.

It’s important that we shed any negative mindset that holds us back, and instead embrace a new, positive mindset that will change our behavior and performance for the better. To get the most from life and give the most in return, we should focus on the unlimited power of God, which He has put at our disposal. When we do that, we see the potential instead of the problems. That positive mindset will help us to act in a positive, full-of-faith manner—and with faith, anything is possible.

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Romans 12:1-2 ESV / I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

James 1:5 ESV / If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

1 John 1:9 ESV / If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

#HappyNewWeek

Onyedikachi Kingsley Ogbonna (Surv.)