Month: March 2017

Last session we discussed “emotional investments”: part of the price we creators and dreamers must be willing to pay if we’re to achieve our goals and fulfill God’s plan for each of our lives. One such investment is learning to deal with a general lack of encouragement and support. People may fail to see your potential or the value of your dreams. They may even react negatively, due to envy, competitiveness, or a misunderstanding of your motives.

The best way to deal with these often painful disappointments is to:

• Allow all invalid criticism to roll off your back the way water rolls off a duck’s feathers. And whenever jealousy and envy enter the picture, you can vanquish this green two-headed monster simply by following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, by quickly forgiving anyone who wrongs you.

• Remember that jealousy and envy usually stem from insecurity or a low self-esteem. People who are hurting emotionally tend to compensate for their pain by trying to hurt others — and dreamers and creators seem to make tempting targets. Nevertheless, we must learn to have victory over any slights and slurs, or over a silent lack of support.

What does victory look like? It’s keeping your peace and proceeding with your plans; and learning to celebrate others even if they routinely fail to celebrate you. After all, we’re here to please God, and nothing makes Him happier than when we behave like His Son. “Love your enemies [as well as your obstinate friends 😉], do good to them … without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High….” (Luke 6:35 NIV)

• Be willing to stand alone.

There’s another aspect of these emotional investments, a rather frightening one many of us may face: having to STAND ALONE.

Jesus reassures us, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20 NLT) So we’re never alone in the spiritual sense. However, in the physical world, situations may arise in which the dreamer finds him- or herself abandoned by friends and family; isolated from any support groups; working alone to fulfill a vision. If you find yourself in one of these frustrating situations, take heart. Again, you’re in good company. (In a manner of speaking.)

The Biblical King David, who is described as “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22), was a fellow dreamer and creator who knew how to stand alone. He was alone when he faced Israel’s great adversary, Goliath. He was alone when he made the hard decisions that affected God’s people; and alone when he suffered temporary defeats and setbacks. And yet, even when isolated, abandoned, and opposed in the face of overwhelming adversity, David knew how to:

• Stay in faith and draw encouragement from God. More to the point, David had learned how to stand alone for what’s important. But where did he get his training?

David had spent most of his formative years alone. As a youth he’d endured countless lonely nights as a shepherd, with no company except a few sheep. Remember the movie Babe? The hero of this fantasy flick is an intelligent pig who doesn’t want to be treated like a pig. He has, in essence, one of the biggest, most impossible dreams ever. But he ultimately finds himself alone in the barnyard with a bunch of “stupid sheep.”

Sheep have rather limited vocabularies. So when Babe tries to communicate with his woolly friends, all they have to say is Baaahhh! Not too encouraging. Which is why David turned to God during his years of isolation. The great Psalmist later wrote, “Whom do I have in heaven but you? I desire no one but you on earth. …My heart may grow weak, but God always protects my heart and gives me stability.” (Psalm 73:25-26 NET)

During this time, David found comfort and companionship in God. He also gained tremendous insights into the nature of his Lord, which he shared with the world in the many Psalms he penned. And who can forget David’s oft-quoted observation, from his most famous Psalm? “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1 KJV) Isolated? Perhaps, but never abandoned, never lacking.

David developed some impressive spiritual muscles while guarding his sheep on the backside of the wilderness, muscles which would later serve him well, in dealing with disappointment, overcoming adversity, and standing alone. He received his greatest affirmation from his Lord, and no matter what he faced — whether it was opposition in the form of people or giants, or heartache from loneliness or a lack of support — he learned to:

• Run TO God, not FROM Him.

One of the psalmists writes, “God is our shelter and our strength. When troubles seem near, God is nearer, and He’s ready to help. So why run and hide? No fear, no pacing, no biting fingernails. When the earth spins out of control, we are sure and fearless….” (Psalm 46:1-2 VOICE)

Are you going through a difficult season? Remember the example of David, the poet-warrior-king who, with the help of God, overcame incredible odds and defeated fierce opponents. But first he learned to stand alone — WITH GOD! (We’ll catch up with this remarkable creator and dreamer later on, because he’s got more wisdom to impart to us.)

Standing alone isn’t always about being abandoned, or isolated, or singled out; but it is always about getting our encouragement, support, and affirmation from the Lord.

God created us. He knows us, understands us. He also gave us the vision, the dream, the ideas. And finally, God gave us the gifts and talents needed to execute the plan. Trust us, He gets it. He can relate to whatever we’re going through — and He’s for us and with us. Even when we’re “standing alone,” we don’t have to feel lonely.

Feeling a little left out, forgotten by God and the people closest to you — as though you’re stuck on the backside of the desert? You are NOT alone. Friends, family, or coworkers may abandon you, but God will never leave you. Whatever you’re going through, GOD GETS IT. Run to His loving arms. “God is your refuge, and His everlasting arms are under you.” (Deuteronomy 33:27 NLT)

Like David, we dreamers and creators must learn to stand alone (with God) for those times when we’ll need to. We can’t afford to waste our emotional capital by being overly concerned with people’s opinions of us or our dreams. We can’t afford to focus on who is and who’s not on our side. God is on our side — and that’s what matters most!

We have His stamp of approval. He loves us more than we could ever comprehend, and He’s in our cheering section for every step of the way. “What then shall we say to all these things? If God is for us, who can be [successful] against us?” (Romans 8:31 AMP)

Need some encouragement? At the end of each day, picture your Heavenly Father: He’s smiling; He’s celebrating both you and your accomplishments; He’s saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant [creator, or dreamer].” (Matthew 25:21 AMP)

There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you want something in life, you generally have to pay for it. And if you want to accomplish your goals and fulfill your dreams, you’ll need to put up some sweat capital. And usually, you’ll also need to make some emotional investments. 

Last session: We discussed two examples of paying the price through emotional investments:

• Don’t be surprised if your friends can’t understand or support your dreams.

• Be prepared to be misunderstood and have your actions viewed as prideful.

If you missed these points you can find a full explanation HERE. Those of you who are up–to–date will recall that we promised to share the “BIG ONE.” Read on.

In the old TV sitcom Sanford and Son, young, enterprising Lamont frequently shocked his elderly father with some new scheme or startling news. The veteran junkman, Fred Sanford, would always clutch at his heart, look heavenward, and exclaim to his dear departed wife: “This is the BIG ONE, Elizabeth! I comin’ to join you!”

Jesus Christ got to see the BIG ONE up close and personal. In order to fulfill His destiny on earth, He made a huge emotional investment. No matter how wonderful His accomplishments — He healed the sick, fed thousands, and brought to life the Word of God like no one had before — He nevertheless encountered resistance. Like many creators and dreamers today, Jesus was misunderstood, His actions misinterpreted. He took it in stride, however, commenting that “The only place a prophet isn’t honored [or respected] is in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own house.” (Mark 6:4 GW)

What is the BIG ONE?

• In many cases, even the people closest to you — members of your own family — may not support or encourage you! (– Not even if you have a solid track record of encouraging, supporting, and being there for them.)

Ouch! This is undoubtedly the most challenging and painful truth we dreamers must face. But too often it’s an ugly situation we all contend with. The people closest to us won’t always “celebrate” us, or our achievements. To the contrary, the people we thought would be in our cheering section — often end up resenting our efforts to reach our goals, as well as the small victories we win on the road to fulfilling the dreams and visions God gave us. (This can be especially painful if you have a track record of supporting them and celebrating their achievements.)

Take heart! If you’ve encountered this absolutely weird reaction from friends and families, you are not alone! Join the club, of which our Lord and Savior is President: “We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin.” (Hebrews 4:15 MSG)

Like most creators and dreamers, our Lord dealt with misunderstanding, criticism, and lack of familial support. He also had to deal with the two-headed green monster of jealousy and envy. Regarding Christ’s crucifixion, the Roman officials “knew that the chief priests [God’s own family] had handed him over because of jealousy.” (Mark 15:10 CEB) We’ll provide you with a complete dossier on the green monster of jealousy, along with a few other villainous attitudes, when we discuss the pitfalls and “perils” all creators and dreamers eventually encounter. Stay Tuned!

• Learn to accept that people are NOT perfect. Far from it — which means that in addition to jealousy, envy, misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and a general lack of encouragement and support, we’ll have to contend with the apathy, indifference, laziness, self-absorption, and  preoccupation of other people. This is important, because not everyone who fails to show their support is guilty of harboring ill-feelings. Sometimes the people we were counting on to encourage and assist us with our vision are just too busy, or too tired, or too distracted.

Then too, some people — the ones who’ve already achieved a modicum of success or notoriety, who have already “arrived” — may be reluctant to help and encourage those still struggling, because … well, because they’ve grown too big for their britches. And no, we don’t mean they’ve put on weight. But it’s all good.

Whether others respond to our dreams with malice or misunderstanding; or fail to respond due to indifference or inopportunity, we must always guard our hearts, make allowances, and give them the benefit of the doubt. Cut even your most vocal critics some slack — because that’s how the Lord deals with each of us. “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Colossians 3:13 NLT)

Remember that at the end of the day, God is still in control. We can trust Him to have the situation well in hand. He knows what He’s doing, which obviously means:

• Not everyone will play a part in God’s plan for your life. Simply put, those who don’t support you in your dream (regardless of their reasons) were never intended to play a part in the vision with which God entrusted you. They are not a part of your destiny.

So, if you’re not getting support and encouragement from friends and family, don’t sweat it. To quote a song from Disney’s Frozen, “Let it go!” It’s all part of paying the price for aiming high — an emotional investment toward achieving your dreams. And if the price seems dear, take comfort in the knowledge that God is on your side: “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.” (Psalm 27:10 NLT)

Not only is the Lord in our cheering section, not only does He support our efforts, but He also promises us, “God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5 NLT)

“For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NASB) Nothing else really matters. Does it?