Faith in action - Quotes from Unstoppable

It has been some time since I post a journal entry.  I had been reading Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic.  What he says is inspiring, and some parts make more sense to me now than if I had read it many years earlier.

Here are some quotes which I copied from the book.  On 23 September, the words seemed to leap out from the page because that line of thought was what occupied me for some time now.  What is my purpose and meaning in life?

“When I could not find the meaning and purpose in my life, I surrendered the need to do that, and God stepped in and He gave my life meaning when non one and nothing else could provide it….

… My victory comes in surrender.  It comes when every day when I acknowledge that I can’t do this on my own.  So I say to God “I give it to you” and when I yielded, God took my pain and turned it into something good, which brought me real joy.

..Faith in action means looking outside of yourself to the souls around you who need to know that there is hope.  It means trusting Christ to fulfil your needs and then getting up and helping to fulfil the needs of others.

There is nothing quite as soothing as accepting that you don’t have to work it all out because God will.  You can surrender yourself to this end and wait patiently.  Through Him, everything is possible.  If my life is spared, Christ has a purpose for it.”

 

I sat there typing in the comfort and privacy of a single room in an air-conditioned ward in hospital.  My father, who isn’t well, is sleeping.  I am thankful that he has survived this far. Precious last lap of time to allow me to look after him.  Too many years had been spent doing my own things and looking after my career.  I didn’t have time to hold his hand and look at his face in detail as he sleeps, grasping my hand.  Is this my purpose? Yes.

 

From the book, on page 110 – “Researchers found that many, who have successfully dealt with physical adversity, actually grow in positive ways.

·       They realise that they are stronger than they thought and they tend to recover more quickly from future challenges.  

·       They discover who truly cares about them and those relationships grow stronger.

·       They put greater value on each day and on the good things in their lives.

·       They become stronger spiritually.

And the following paragraph really took the cake

“Whatever circumstances you face, GOD will use it for HIS purpose.  It may be years before you understand what that purpose might be.  IN some cases, you may not know the full extent of HIS plan or why HE allows some things to happen to you.  That is why it is necessary to put your faith in action knowing that GOD is with you.  Even though bad things may happen, they do not change the fact that HE loves you.”

I cried.    

In times of fear

Here are some more words of encouragement from Unstoppable.

You and I cannot see what GOD has in store for us.  That is why you should never believe that your worst fears are your fate or that when you are down, you will never rise up again.  You MUST have faith in yourself, in your purpose and in GOD’s plan for your life.  Then you must put the fears and insecurities aside and trust that you will find your way. You may not have a clue of what lies ahead but it’s better to act on life than simply let life acts on you.

When you put your faith and beliefs into action, you will discover the life for which you were created.

When you find yourself super stressed, highly emotional and unable to function because of something that has occurred, it is important to separate what has happened to you from what is going on inside you.

We all bear emotional scars from past experiences.  Sometimes, those scars are not fully healed. So when you hit hard times, the old wounds reopen.  The deep pain you feel may be aggravated by past hurts and reawakened insecurities.  If you sense that you may be overreacting to a bad situation, or if you feel overwhelmed and unable to cope, you should ask yourself “Why is this hitting me so hard?”

Am I reacting this way because of what is actually occurring or am I reacting so strongly because of what has occurred in the past?

One of the lessons I learned is that you have to keep things in perspective even when you are in the middle of a personal crisis.  FEAR BREEDS FEAR and WORRY BUILDS UPON WORRY.  You can’t stop the feelings of grief, guilt and anger and fear that wash over you during difficult times but you must recognise them as pure emotional responses and then manage them so that they don’t dictate your actions.

Maintaining perspective requires maturity and maturity comes with experience.  I had never been through a situation like this and because I was physically drained… I had a difficult time handling this crisis in a mature manner.

PASSION

A life of passion and purpose. 

This is how I want to live.  The big question that faces me every day – Am I living that life of passion and purpose.  If yes, good. If no, why not?  And how do I go about to fill the missing gaps?

From “Unstoppable”, Nick Viujcic says that “you will know that you have found a passion when your talents, knowledge, energy, focus and commitment all come together in a way like a child with a favourite game or toy.  Your work and pleasure become one and the same.  You feel that the opportunities are endless.  What you do becomes part of who you are, and the rewards that come to you are far less satisfying than those that come to others because of you. 

Your passion leads to your purpose, and both are activated when you put your faith in your gifts and share them with the world.  You are custom-made for your purpose, just as I am for mine.  Every part of you – from your mental, physical and spiritual strengths to your unique package of talents and experiences – is designed to fulfil your gift.

You put your faith in action by following your passion, defining your purpose and building your life around developing and using your gifts to their fullest.  What drives you?  What makes you excited about each day?  What would you do for free just to be doing it?  What would you never want to retire from doing?  Is there something that you would give up everything else for – all your material possessions and comforts – just to do because you feel so good doing it? What do you fee; a sense of urgency of accomplishing?

Scripture tells us in John 9:4, “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.  Night is coming, when no one else can work.”