Friday, September 21, 2012

Facing Your Giants



Now what if you are ready to shine, ready to get out from your comfy shell and be the better version of you then suddenly a Bully Giant is blocking your way to greatness?

Giants appear in different types.

MR.CRANKY NEGATIVE

Like King Saul in 1 Samuel 17:33, he said to David, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

He only sees your weaknesses and your flaws. He thinks you cannot contribute something awesome and great out of your weaknesses. Remember that this type of giant is mostly logical and a realist. Sometimes, he might be thinking about your welfare but then again, if you're not as pragmatic as them, remind him that there is nothing bad in trying. Thank him for his concern and later give him updates how are you doing outside the fence. You might encourage him someday to at least take a peek outside.

MR. SENIORITY


Read 1 Samuel 17:28 "When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, 'Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."

He seems to be your guru in different ways because probably he is older than you or joined the group earlier than you. He believes seniority rules and all new comers are subject to his leadership. You might probably need to ask yourself if submitting to all of his suggestions will benefit you or simply him. You have to reinstate why you have become friends. Most relatives and family members cling to this ideology since they all became part of your life first. Pro-actively solicit their feedback. Talk to them individually because the Mr. (or Mrs.) Seniority might bully his way in a group. Now, if there are only few Mr. & Mrs. Seniority that seem to be against your path to improvement, prepare your way out to fly like an eagle.

LITTLE MISS JEALOUS

This, I believe, is the most notorious among the giants. She can be your trusted friend or your beloved sister. You might not see this coming as you shine brighter and better than her. She manipulates you and may even spread lies and do whatever it takes to bring you down. She might have had her prime season but you have to tell her that each person has her or his own time to step up. If she lost her track, there are several reasons and you should not be part of her dying flame. The best thing you can do is to apologize for what happened to her (if there are any), remind her that she can still do other and better things and you are not her competitor.

Personally, I recoil whenever a friend confessed that she is jealous of me. I had to know more about the reason behind the jealously and if she would never want to resolve that, our friendship is over. They say that competition is healthy but if the other ends up being choked by fame and selfishness, then the competition has to end. We can still be friends but if I smell competition, I go to another direction and perhaps pave another way to be awesome for the Lord.

Dealing with enviousness can be another topic for me to write about. For now if you think someone in your circle of friends is acting up like Little Miss or Mr. Jealous or perhaps you are the Little Miss Jealous, I found a link from Bible.org which gives the most Biblical appoach to deal with envy or jealousy. Click here.