A fresh start is always desirable but it takes discipline to maintain it for the long haul. When unexpected things creep up, how we handle these matter a lot.
In the parable of the seed and the sower, Jesus describes a similar situation. Mark 4:16, 17 (AMP): “And in the same way the ones sown upon stony ground are those who, when they hear the Word, at once receive and accept and welcome it with joy; And they have no real root in themselves, and so they endure for a little while; then when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Word, they immediately are offended (become displeased, indignant, resentful) and they stumble and fall away.â€
It’s normal that we encounter different good and not-so-good stuff along the way. When everything is going fine, it’s rather easy to move forward (though for some, moving forward is difficult at this point since they don’t want to lose easiness!). But when the pressure starts mounting up, some doubt their desire and ditch it at the door!
The Scripture exhorts us, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.†(James 1:2 MSG)
How do we handle pressure?
1. Have a proper understanding about pressure. This is very important. One can simply talk against pressure, but surely it’s going to come. Another one can simply ignore pressure, but surely it’s going to overtake. It’s better to acknowledge the presence of pressure and then learn how to handle it right.
2. Use pressure to your advantage. Just like an airplane exploits air pressure to get itself lifted up off the ground and fly high, we got to learn how to exploit pressure to fly high! A great example of this is how Jesus, amidst severe pressure during His arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, did a ‘miracle surgery’ for the one who lost his right ear during the fight! (Luke 22:49-51)
3. Know that during times of pressure, you are maturing! This is exactly what the Scripture says as mentioned above (James 1:2). We are not losing during pressure; we are only gaining! We aren’t breaking during pressure; we are, in fact, growing!
Read the article: Don’t Judge Life By One Difficult Season
The next time you encounter ‘Mr. Pressure’, tell ‘him’ you were waiting to exploit ‘him’ utterly!
Remember: You must learn to exploit pressure in order to start 2012 afresh.
Question: What are some of the great lessons you learned on handling pressure? Add your comments in the comments section below. In the next post, we are going to deal with the ninth step in this series.
– – – written by Joe Abraham from www.joeandancy.com
