THINK ABOUT IT
It is a grey day
Yet I am happy
Not because some special thing
Is going to happen
But because I am at peace within
I do not wish I were someone else
I am glad to be me
I do not wish I were some place else
I am glad to be here
I am learning how to savor the present minute
And to be glad to be alive and living in it
—Eugenia Campbell
Canton, Ohio
THIS IS THE KINGDOM LIFE!
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The following are a number of articles contributed by the authors. They are very good sources of knowledge and wisdom drawn mainly from the Good Book and other godly sources. Pick any topic of interest to you. Read it, and change or reinfoce your life for the better.
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The powerful statement above has both spiritual and physical implications in life. In the first place, what is meant by “knockout” and “knock down”? These two phrasal verbs are mostly heard in boxing circles. A 'knock down' in boxing sense refers to a situation when a boxer is caught by a hook (blow) which sends him to the canvas (floor). A 'knock out' is an extension of the former. It refers to a situation in which a boxer is unable to get back up on his feet after a knock down hence out of the game.
So What's the Difference?
They are similar in the sense that they all involve the boxer being sent out of contention (whether temporarily or permanently). The difference, however, is that, in a knock down, the boxer still has the chance (grace) to come back into contention while in a knock out, such chance no longer exists. After a boxer is knocked down, the referee gives him a 10-second mandatory count within which the fallen boxer must rise up again to continue the fight. If he is able to rise up within the 10-second period, he is accepted back into the competition. If he does not succeed getting up within the 10-second period, he is counted out. Even if he later gets up stronger than before, it is still irrelevant because he would be effectively out of the competition then.
Knock Down and Why
In a knock down situation, the boxer needs not ask why because he has very little time to come back into contention. 10 seconds is not enough time for him to find out reasons or conduct investigations as to the cause of the fall. By the time he finds answers to the question he would have been counted out. What is urgent rather, is to find ways and means of getting back on his feet. He has to make use of the 10-second window of opportunity or else he loses the opportunity forever. At that moment what is crucial is how to get up not “why I went down”. Once on your feet, the reason becomes clear. It is only after the fight or when a knock down becomes a knock out that the boxer conducts a post 'mortem' to find out why. In that period, the die would have already been cast so he could have the luxury to research into the why.
Relevance to Christian Life
Like boxers, we as Christians encounter various setbacks in our spiritual lives whether occasionally or frequently. We should see every setback as a knock down. That means setbacks should be regarded as temporary. Our focus should, therefore, not be on the setback or what tripped us to fall. Our immediate need is to refocus on the ultimate picture – getting back into contention and fighting on still. If that becomes our pre-occupation, our knock downs will never translate into knock outs. On the other hand, if we focus on the fall itself, we will always feel unworthy and disappointing which may discourage us from picking up the fight again. Before we become aware of what is at stake, we would have been counted out. Getting back then, becomes almost an impossibility and a discouraging moment.
The Mandatory Grace
The 10- second mandatory count could be seen as grace. Even if human beings have thought it wise to give others a second chance, how much more God who knows our weaknesses? Spiritually, where we fall, there is always the grace of God to enable us to get back on track. God has always provided such grace. It is sad, however, that most Christians do not see this in times when it is needed most. Instead of tapping into the enabling grace of God to rise from our falls we tend to concentrate too much on what caused our fall. We become so self-focused that we lose sight of the beckoning grace of God to help us back into contention. Let us look out for this grace in times of setbacks in our daily walk with Christ. This will help us get back on track before it becomes too late. We do not have to run away from God even when we feel He is going to punish us. The very God we run away from is the only One who has the key to get us back on our feet. We still have to keep going to Him for redemption.
Why Should We Not Focus on the Cause?
In a worldly reasoning, it does not make sense to continue without knowing the cause of your discontinuation. It is only when you know the cause that you can prescribe a suitable solution. Other than that, we are likely to fall into the same trap and fall again. Yes! There is no doubt about that. This notwithstanding, it is interesting to know that when one looks at things from the ground level, everything looks so huge, tall, gigantic and fearsome that it scares us into giving up the fight. When you are down, you develop the eyes of the ten out of the twelve spies at Kadesh. Your opponents begin to look like the descendants of Anak. The scene may send shivers through your spine and keep you perpetually on the ground feeling like a grasshopper. This is the reason why we have to consider the way out first before asking the whys. The why will help us find solutions but we need to get up first or else the way we see things from the ground will cloud our solutions to the problem. Eventually, we may prescribe a panic and coward solutions instead of real, lasting and effective ones. It is only when we find ourselves toe-to-toe and shoulder-to-shoulder with the enemy or problem that we can consider ourselves equal to the task hence be able to withstand the enemy’s consistent attacks. We fight better on our feet than on the ground.
Most of the time the causes become all too clear when you are up face-to-face with your opponent. If he has a loaded left or right hook he begins to display it once it has worked for him. By his manners he gives you a clue as to what did the damage. You would not need to sweat to know the weapon behind your fall. But if you stay down, you may not see it or learn this the hard way. Then you have to work out a tactic to contain that hook. That tactic then becomes your major defence. Sometimes that is the only trick your opponent has up his sleeve so the moment you hold his loaded hook in check, he runs out of ideas and becomes an ordinary fighter with nothing fearful about him. But if you were down, you would have given in to an otherwise ordinary fighter who is not afterall, as big and fearful as you would see him from the ground.
"Nobody knows you better than yourself". This is truth saying and a fact of life. So why would anybody need counselling at all? And why do people pay others to tell them what to do to better themselves? Yes, there is something wrong with counselling but not because counselling is wrong in itself. It is our understanding and practice of the word that is wrong. In this world, people have practically reached greater heights not because they thought they could but because somebody else thought they could. Sometimes it is hard to know what to do with what you have until someone tells you. That is the essence of counselling. It is not to tell you what to do but to present to you a picture of what is possible. Thus enabling you to dig into your reserves to find the necessary motivation to push beyond your prevailing limit. You may know yourself more than anybody but in relationship to your environment, somebody may have to point it out to you. For instance, The Word of God has every wisdom and knowledge needed to navigate the intricacies of life and to withstand the pressures therefrom. The Bible is the Creator's manual for life. If you are part of His creation, then the wisdom it offers is enough to take you through every corner of life. How many people know this? And if it makes sense to you, you just got counselled. That is godly counselling. May I take you further? What you need is a careful study of the wisdom therein contained and obedience. There is no magic to take you out of your present predicament or take you successfully to your destiny. The order of creation is sustained by natural and divine laws. If you violate them, life comes hard at you. It calls for divine wisdom to realize the violations in order to extricate youself from the consequences. And that direction does not come except through His Spirit. God means well for you and your obedience to His word will take you to your divine destiny. Do not let your Bible "fall from your hands".
FUNDAMENTALS OF COUNSELING
Counseling is not an end in itself. Therefore, whoever goes for counseling must bear in mind that it is a means to an end. For counseling to be meaningful and successful one must bear the following in mind:
1. Believe There is a Solution: There is a solution to the problem, enterprise or peoject for which you are seeking counseling. There may be several alternatives but certainly there is a way out. You must begin from this basic level of understanding and not allow the complexity or enormousness of the issue drain out your hopes. You may have to take many steps but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. Self soubt is self-defeat in advance and will costly erode your ability and potentials. “Worry is the triumph of fear over faith”, so says Dr. Mensah Otabil of International Central Gospel Church fame. Do not allow your worries to overshadow your potentials.
2. You are the Main Player: As the counselee, you must see yourself as the protagonist in the plot to find the solution or achieve a certain goal for yourself. The counselor is a guide, a coach or a mentor. Success, therefore, depends largely on you. No counselor has the magic wand to make things happen automatically to give you the expected end. You have to do the major practical side of the sessions. It is important that you avail yourself to hardwork and determination for the larger part depends on you. Any result, good or bad, will reflect the efforts you put in rather than the counselor's admonition. It will reflect how much of the admonishing you turned into practical efforts. If you put garbage in you will get garbage out. (Galatians 6:7)
3. Trust: There are two issues on the subject of trust. First, you must evaluate the trusworthiness of your counselor before you choose. This is important because if later you get to know any negative information about your counselor, it will seriously undermine your confidence and consequently affect how you work with the person. For instance, how would you feel if you later realize that the person you are seeking financial advice from has filed for bankruptcy? It might affect your confidence in him or her. Secondly, once you have evaluated a counselor and chosen to work with him or her, you must know that the person has your best interest at heart. Whatever recommendation(s) he or she suggests is to the best of his or her knowledge. So you must also be as truthful as you can be and give of your best in following his or her proposals. Whatever diagnosis he/she comes up with will emerge largely from what you tell him/her. If you hide any relevant fact from him/her, his suggestions will lack material components which might otherwise make your journey easier. The counselor is not a heart and mind reader so if you really need his/her help tell him/her everything about your problem or goals. You must also trust the person to keep your interactions confidential. Every counselor, by default, will treat your matter confidentially but as a matter of emphasis, do remind him or her. Sometimes, your problem may be a key to open the door to someone else's solution. As such counselor's have a discretionary way of telling your story in a hypothetical way to help others. If you desire strict confidentiality, it is important that you let the counselor know. He or she will not breath a word about you to others. Furthermore, it also works both ways. If you want your matter to be confidential, so must you reciprocate with what goes on between you and your counselor unless you have his or her permision or he/she does something that infringes on your rights.
4. Be Ready to Make Sacrifices: You must realize that there is a problem because there is something you are failing to do, not doing right, or have the potential to commit both. So be ready to make sacrifices. The solutions your counselor will suggest may be the last thing you will want to do. Swallow your pride and be humble if you will make any progress. Remember, if you knew exactly what to do you would not need a counselor. The fact that you came to that conclusion means you are lacking something and if that very thing happens to be what you dislike most, you have a choice: To proceed in spite of your dislike and get results or despise it and prolong your ordeal. You must turn your desire into determination in order to override your pride.
5. Lean on God: This is both the first and last thing you should bear in mind. The going is never easy when you need to make sacrifices to achieve results. You must, therefore, rely on God to take you there. Our strength is limited but His divine providence never runs out. Tap into His strength at all times. When you feel like giving up, remember His mercies. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness". --- Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
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