Get Off Your Butt And Change The World!
I am not a trained counselor. A lot of people would hear that remark from me and say, "Hey! You are a Pastor! You are supposed to be a trained counselor and fix my problems!" There are counselors out there who help you dig deep into your feelings and straighten things out complete with all the Dr. Phil and Oprah tactics that make you cry and then you feel better.
I use the GOYB approach of counseling. GOYB stands for Get Off Your Butt. It's not the most popular approach with those who enjoy living their lives as victims.
Listen, my father abandoned my family when I was a Sophomore in high school. We then lived on welfare for the next 2 and a half years. We ate pot pies everyday. The best meal of the day came from the school lunch. I found out something during that time. The world didnt care.
It sounds a bit harsh. But follow me on this one. We didnt get condolences cards from the Governor. Ty Pennington didnt come out to makeover our apartment. The world did not come to a stop so that our family could sort through our feelings. I found out that I was just going to have to work my way through it. It's a part of my life. But I chose not to let it direct my destiny.
So when someone whines about being unable to find a job, my question is usually, "where have you deposited your resume's this month?" "What are you doing to acquire new skills?" "Have you searched everywhere? Or are you holding out for a management position?"
In case you didnt know it, I scored awfully low in Mercy on my spiritual gifts survey. Please dont label me a bitter guy who has issues. We all have issues. The question is do we let thes issues drive our destiny?
In Luke 5, Jesus goes to Peter, who is finishing up a long 3rd shift of fishing. He is cleaning his nets after getting nothing, and Jesus comes along, hijacks the boat so that he could do some teaching. Afterwards, Jesus says, "Let's catch some fish." Peter reminds him that they had finished up their shift, and the fish are not biting, especially not during the day time. Jesus tells him to do it anyway, and drop the net down on the other side of the boat. More or less, Jesus wasnt interested in hearing excuses from Peter. he told him to do it anyways. If you know the story, they caught so much fish that Peter couldnt haul it in by himself. From that moment on, it was the first day of the best days of Peter's life.
The moment you quit living by the things that happen or dont happen for you and you "give your boat" to Jesus, you will experience blessings that you did not think was possible. But it's your choice. What defines your destiny? Is it the events of the past, or the dream of what could be? I have found that when I live by my dreams of what could be, it seems I am a bit more likable and a lot more productive. When I choose to live on past events, or comparisons with others, I am a miserable depressing dude. Everyday when we wake up, we have a choice of how we live.
I use the GOYB approach of counseling. GOYB stands for Get Off Your Butt. It's not the most popular approach with those who enjoy living their lives as victims.
Listen, my father abandoned my family when I was a Sophomore in high school. We then lived on welfare for the next 2 and a half years. We ate pot pies everyday. The best meal of the day came from the school lunch. I found out something during that time. The world didnt care.
It sounds a bit harsh. But follow me on this one. We didnt get condolences cards from the Governor. Ty Pennington didnt come out to makeover our apartment. The world did not come to a stop so that our family could sort through our feelings. I found out that I was just going to have to work my way through it. It's a part of my life. But I chose not to let it direct my destiny.
So when someone whines about being unable to find a job, my question is usually, "where have you deposited your resume's this month?" "What are you doing to acquire new skills?" "Have you searched everywhere? Or are you holding out for a management position?"
In case you didnt know it, I scored awfully low in Mercy on my spiritual gifts survey. Please dont label me a bitter guy who has issues. We all have issues. The question is do we let thes issues drive our destiny?
In Luke 5, Jesus goes to Peter, who is finishing up a long 3rd shift of fishing. He is cleaning his nets after getting nothing, and Jesus comes along, hijacks the boat so that he could do some teaching. Afterwards, Jesus says, "Let's catch some fish." Peter reminds him that they had finished up their shift, and the fish are not biting, especially not during the day time. Jesus tells him to do it anyway, and drop the net down on the other side of the boat. More or less, Jesus wasnt interested in hearing excuses from Peter. he told him to do it anyways. If you know the story, they caught so much fish that Peter couldnt haul it in by himself. From that moment on, it was the first day of the best days of Peter's life.
The moment you quit living by the things that happen or dont happen for you and you "give your boat" to Jesus, you will experience blessings that you did not think was possible. But it's your choice. What defines your destiny? Is it the events of the past, or the dream of what could be? I have found that when I live by my dreams of what could be, it seems I am a bit more likable and a lot more productive. When I choose to live on past events, or comparisons with others, I am a miserable depressing dude. Everyday when we wake up, we have a choice of how we live.
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