Freedom and Power in 2024
ONHL Hospice Chaplain Drumright, Oklahoma
Bristow, Oklahoma
There are moments in life when we get so caught up in the emotions and events of what has happened in the past that we miss out on the present. We can let these feelings of despair, fear, or sadness engulf us. We can let them run our lives by fixating on past events and the pain we went through. May I challenge you with five ways to let go and see the benefits of moving forward in life with joy in 2024?
Get fed up with being stuck in a rut! How do you feel? Happy or sad? Energized or exhausted? Full of hope or in despair? Creative and motivated or bored and stuck? Do people want to be around you or do they avoid you? Face your reality. Don’t be a Pollyanna who denies anything is wrong. Acknowledge you are stuck, and if need be get professional help to get out of the rut and into the race. You can do it! Start here. Start now.
Change your victim identity! You may truly have been a victim with no fault of your own that contributed to what happened to you. Accept that,then ask yourself, 'Do I really want this to define my life?” If what was done was malicious, ask yourself, “Do I want to give further power to the one who hurt me by staying stuck in what was done to me for the rest of my life?” If what was done was not malicious, then consider re-framing what was done this way: Life is a war between good and evil. In war soldiers and civilians get hurt. In the intensity of the battle they get hurt from enemy fire and from friendly fire. It happens. We have all given and received friendly fire at one time or another. Not on purpose, but with the demands and difficulties of life, it has happened. Accept it and then move to the next step.
Don't wait for an apology! We all gain revelation at different paces and in different ways. There is a spiritual law in place that we reap what we sow. Some things take longer to grow. Sometimes it is difficult to tell what is good growth and what are weeds (early on), and we have to wait until the crop is more mature to figure out what we need to keep and what we need to get rid of in our lives. If we can’t move on from the painful event until the other party sees events the way we see, takes ownership, apologizes, and makes things right, then we may be stuck for a loooooong time. Do you really want to wait on another person’s growth time-table before you move on? Look for the learning in the event and focus on it rather thantheeventitself. Usethe learning to comfort and help others. Then you are free to move to the next step.
Give love to the situation! When we 1) understand what happened and if possible 2) why it happened, 3) take the lifelearning out of it to help others, 4) realize that given the right scenario and circumstances, we could possibly do the very same thing, then we are free to authentically love. Not only that,but realize that we can’t GIVE what we don’t POSSESS. Sometimes, a person has never received genuine love and care; thus, they cannot give it. Forgiving the offender frees you “for giving” what is needed into the situation, which keeps you from triggers that mess up other relationships. It also keeps your energy freed up for things that are important to you.
Open your eyes to a new you in 2024! So celebrate the hope of a new you, a new beginning and all the potential possible. Don’t live in an unrealistic expectation bubble trying not to get shot. Get in the battle of life. Fight fiercely for what you value. Accept that offenses and pain will come. Seek to understand, re-frame, forgive, use it for good, live in the positive, enjoy the intimacy of others who understand, and courageously make a difference in the world in which you lives. The best news is: You are not alone. God will never leave or forsake you. He will walk with you through the whole process, give you insight, understanding, empowerment to forgive, and opportunity to be a world changer. Ask Him to help you. Right now. HE will.
John T. Catrett, III Scissortail Hospice Chaplain 306 North Main Street, Suite E Bristow, OK 74010 918.352.3080