What's holding you back?
Dear Jonah,
What is my problem? I cannot seem to get over the hump. Every time it seems like I am going to take off and soar, I hit a wall. Boom! Thud! I fall to the ground, again, and end up licking my wounds wondering what happened. Then frustration sets in because I realize I am back where I have been many times before. Failure is my constant companion. So much so that I don't want to try anymore. I can hear whispers like, "Don't even try. You know what is going to happen." and "You know everyone is laughing at you. They see how pathetic you are." So I ask again, "What is my problem?" What am I supposed to do? I feel paralyzed! Help!
Signed,
Anthony Franklin Raid
Dear A. F. Raid,
Here in the belly of the whale I have gained a certain perspective about your problem because it was a big problem of mine. And the problem has a name, FEAR. Fear is not only holding you back, but it can be the very source of your failure. Fear produces more fear. Once fear gains a place in your life it begins to grow. A small fear in one place can grow and grow and grow until it becomes crippling. Keeping you from even trying do anything for fear of failure. Fear is based on "What if's." What if this happens? What if that happens? The question to ask yourself is, "What is the worst possible thing that could happen to me?" Could I be swallowed by a whale? Maybe, but so what! Take it from me, it stinks! But it is not the end. Your fear is the thing that is holding you back from doing something great! We all want to do something great, something worthwhile, something that will last. So what keeps us from doing something great? FEAR! Fear of failure, fear of people, fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of success, fear of ... You+Fear=Failure. What all of these fears do is leave God out of the equation. Because the equation changes greatly once God is introduced. You+God=Success. You may be thinking, "But Jonah, there have been times when I trusted God but still failed." Not really. Because God views success and failure from a different perspective than we do. We experience failure at a point in time and think that it is the end of the world. God sees the big picture and knows that a failure at one point can lead to a tremendous success at another point in time. God called me to preach to the city of Nineveh. My fear kept me from doing the greatest work of my life. Don't miss what God has for you. Trust in Him and you will succeed far beyond your greatest expectations. Remember your fear will act as an anchor. It will sink you down to the bottom of the ocean. Cast it off! And experience freedom. Freedom to succeed. Freedom to fail. Freedom to try again!
In the belly of the whale,
Jonah
What is my problem? I cannot seem to get over the hump. Every time it seems like I am going to take off and soar, I hit a wall. Boom! Thud! I fall to the ground, again, and end up licking my wounds wondering what happened. Then frustration sets in because I realize I am back where I have been many times before. Failure is my constant companion. So much so that I don't want to try anymore. I can hear whispers like, "Don't even try. You know what is going to happen." and "You know everyone is laughing at you. They see how pathetic you are." So I ask again, "What is my problem?" What am I supposed to do? I feel paralyzed! Help!
Signed,
Anthony Franklin Raid
Dear A. F. Raid,
Here in the belly of the whale I have gained a certain perspective about your problem because it was a big problem of mine. And the problem has a name, FEAR. Fear is not only holding you back, but it can be the very source of your failure. Fear produces more fear. Once fear gains a place in your life it begins to grow. A small fear in one place can grow and grow and grow until it becomes crippling. Keeping you from even trying do anything for fear of failure. Fear is based on "What if's." What if this happens? What if that happens? The question to ask yourself is, "What is the worst possible thing that could happen to me?" Could I be swallowed by a whale? Maybe, but so what! Take it from me, it stinks! But it is not the end. Your fear is the thing that is holding you back from doing something great! We all want to do something great, something worthwhile, something that will last. So what keeps us from doing something great? FEAR! Fear of failure, fear of people, fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of success, fear of ... You+Fear=Failure. What all of these fears do is leave God out of the equation. Because the equation changes greatly once God is introduced. You+God=Success. You may be thinking, "But Jonah, there have been times when I trusted God but still failed." Not really. Because God views success and failure from a different perspective than we do. We experience failure at a point in time and think that it is the end of the world. God sees the big picture and knows that a failure at one point can lead to a tremendous success at another point in time. God called me to preach to the city of Nineveh. My fear kept me from doing the greatest work of my life. Don't miss what God has for you. Trust in Him and you will succeed far beyond your greatest expectations. Remember your fear will act as an anchor. It will sink you down to the bottom of the ocean. Cast it off! And experience freedom. Freedom to succeed. Freedom to fail. Freedom to try again!
In the belly of the whale,
Jonah
cool! I liked it :)
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