As long as you have breath, there will be opportunities to be offended as people and circumstances hurt us. The question then becomes, “What do I do when those situations arise?” First of all, we need to learn to forgive and not hang on to those offenses. Forgiveness is not about a feeling as much as it is a choice or decision of our will. Forgiveness is not restoration either; they are two different things. If I choose to forgive someone, it is independent of them. It’s about me making sure I do the right thing. Forgiveness frees us from that person or thing and allows us to move on in life. Unforgiveness stifles us in life and causes us to stop progressing. Studies show that forgiving yourself and others helps depression. We must choose by an act of our will to forgive, no matter what. Forgiveness is about what you do, not what someone else does. Gandhi once said, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong”. Let go of offenses and hurts today and allow peace to fill your heart and mind so that you can move forward in your life.

Just a Thought,
PSS
Legacychurch.com

False expectations are destructive and have led many people to ruin. It happens when you believe something that’s not true or based on bad information. When we expect something to happen and it doesn’t, it could ruin us and cause us to go down a slippery slope. If you believe God should help you just because you’re a “good person”, you’re really setting yourself up for failure; the result of which can be a controlling and critical attitude. This will cause you and those close to you to be unhappy. The underlying thought, “If I can control the situation, then I can control those involved and thus prevent myself from getting hurt” is manipulating. We sometimes can’t control ourselves, much less other people. Then, people won’t want to be around us and will likely view us as unlikeable. Our outlook on life will grow dim; we will lose hope, and develop a pessimistic view of life. Let’s seek truth and get all the facts, and make sure what we believe is true. Don’t allow your attitude to turn sour based on bad information.

Just a Thought,
PSS
Legacychurch.com

“Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” – I Corinthians 10:12 NKJV

In life, we have to be careful not to fall into the trap of pride that is destructive, ruins lives and destroys dreams. Pride is a belief that says, “I’m better than others. I don’t need any help; I can do it by myself.” Insecurity is the root of many unhealthy behaviors. It provokes us to want the lavish praise and attention of others too much. Much of pride is motivated out of one’s unmet need for self-worth. A person with little to no self-confidence will tend to look down on others and their faults. Pride clouds your judgment and it doesn’t allow you to see things the way they really are. We begin to make decisions based on our insecurities instead of the truth. One way to insure we don’t become prideful and experience its’ destructive force is to be thankful, learn to appreciate what we have and be honest with ourselves. We should recognize our shortcomings and work on becoming more secure about ourselves. Don’t entertain thoughts that will compare us to others.

Just a Thought,
PSS
Legacychurch.com

There is a healthy pride and pride that is destructive. Healthy pride is when you have good self-esteem and are at times proud of your accomplishments, such as being proud of your children. These things are good and you should be proud of these types of things. The pride that is destructive thinks they’re better than someone else, looks down on others and compares themselves to others. Healthy pride, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is a “sense of personal satisfaction; self-respect, self-sufficiency, happiness, joy and self-esteem. This is, and will remain, healthy as long as we keep it in perspective and we remain grateful and appreciative in our attitude. We may not have everything we want, but we can be appreciative for the things we have.

Healthy pride stems from being obedient to Christ, not from trying to find out how much you can get away with. People are constantly looking for ways to get out of doing what they should be doing or pushing the limits on how much they can get away with. This isn’t good. When you have healthy pride:

You will sleep better.
You will have freedom in your thoughts.
There’s no more guilt over what you did wrong.
There’s no feeling like you’re a failure.

A good self-esteem that is grateful is healthy.

Just a Thought,
PSS
Legacychurch.com

Courage is about overcoming the unknown or stepping into the unknown. People are held back from their dreams at times because they lack the courage to step out. Sometimes, it’s because they’re afraid to fail. Everyone in life fails at some point. No one succeeds at everything. Failure can be a positive thing sometimes. It can teach you what not to do and what you should do the next time. If you haven’t failed at something, you haven’t lived life. You exist, but live below your potential. People who have accomplished quite a bit have had setbacks that they have learned from. The lesson is learned, and then they move forward and give it a go. Courage is that ingredient that will cause you to move forward, to get up, live and dream again. Whatever that step is for you, I encourage you to rise up and truly believe. Let’s learn from our mistakes and go forward.

Just a Thought,
PSS
Legacychurch.com