Tag: Christian

Advancement-oriented Encouragement Health(y) Hopeful Mission-fulfillment Positive Promotion Understanding (Insight & Wisdom)

Overcoming Life’s Challenges with a Positive and Healthy Attitude | Encouragement from James 1: 2-4

By phameuscampaign on
Photo by Eric Sanman on Pexels.com

Life is a journey filled with twists, turns, and unexpected hurdles. As we traverse our own path, we encounter challenges that test our resilience, adaptability, and determination. These enduring challenges shape our character, help define our purpose, and propel us toward growth and development. Additionally, working through troubling circumstances helps to strengthen us emotionally, especially perhaps to endure greater responsibilities for the advancement of God’s kingdom. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (New International Version Bible, 2024, James. 1: 2-4).

Very interesting encouragement from the epistle of James. What if James is suggesting within the sacred text that as we endeavor to work through adverse circumstances negatively impacting us, we should keep a positive and healthy posture when dealing with these issues or problems? Perhaps this seems like a tall order to endure trials and keep a positive and healthy attitude, kind of like climbing a tall mountain.

First we must choose to climb the mountain (decide to address the hardship). Next, we prepare to climb the mountain (Prepping mindset to climb, trusting Him as the source of our strength). Then we climb (working to overcome the problem, building our faith and confidence with each step we take). Finally, we reach the mountain peak (at the top, we have a new sense of ourselves and our faith through this accomplishment).

Although navigating the steep terrain of a mountain can be daunting, reaching the peak can strengthen our sense of purpose, relationships, health, productivity, etc. No matter the mountain(s) (i.e., hardship, obstacle, problem, barrier, etc.) we are facing in our lives, with a view from the mountaintop, we can look back and reflect on the journey up the mountain – allowing for learning and new strength to be applied to the next climb. We become a more complete version of ourselves to be more useful in fulfilling our kingdom purpose. Still, in the climb, we must remain positive and healthy, emotionally. In this way, we endure.

We work to maintain a positive and healthy emotional well-being as we face any struggle. This means managing emotions well and having a sense of meaning, purpose, and supportive relationships (CDC, n.d.). Managing our emotions well, especially when experiencing hardships, includes:

  • Identifying, processing, and expressing emotions in healthy ways.
  • Knowing how to deal with uncertainty, stress, and change.
  • Being able to work through disagreements.
  • Looking for solutions to problems in useful ways.
  • Asking others for help and support.

Efforts to be remain positive and healthy during stressful and tough times may not be easy. That is why it is important to keep your sight towards the peak (look up) and keep moving in a forward (advancing) direction. Continue to climb, working ourselves out of any valley (low place, low feeling). For more encouragement, we hope you will connect with us in the comments area of this blogpost or on Facebook. Also, we encourage connecting with a good church that positively and healthfully nurtures spiritual and emotional well-being.

References
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. (n.d.). About Emotional Well-Being. https://www.cdc.gov/emotional-well-being/about/index.html

New International Version. (2024). YouVersion. https://www.bible.com/bible/111/PHP.4.13

New International Version. (2024). YouVersion. https://www.bible.com/bible/111/JAS.1.NIV

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Hopeful

Working to Reduce Our Racial Biases in 2021

By Larrell Wilkinson on


But the Lord said to Samuel, “…The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7, NIV).” A recent incident going viral through social media portrays a European American woman accusing an African American teenager of being in possession of her iPhone in a hotel lobby. The story has gone viral due to the unfortunate escalation of this situation, eventually involving the Arlo Hotel staff and local police. According to video posted online, the European American woman works to tackle the young man who she believes is in possession of her phone. Soon after this ill-fated incident, an Uber driver return the woman’s iPhone to her at the hotel.

Certainly, an apology is in order and it is likely that civil and probably even criminal charges will be pursued. Although there are many sides to a story and more will come to light related to this situation; many African Americans specifically, and “people of color” generally are physically weary, emotionally drained, and socially tired of living with and pushing through these circumstances caused by bias. All kinds of biases exist regarding sex, age, race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, disability, sexual orientation, height, etc. Focusing on race, this unnecessary circumstance experienced by this young man due to his African American ethnicity (there are millions of iPhones made and distributed annually and he has one) is the result of a woman acting on her biases (how many other iPhones might there have been in the hotel lobby).

After a year like 2020, let’s work to be kinder to one another. Let’s work to be intentional in reducing our racial biases. We can all become aware of racial biases (implicit or otherwise) that we may have. If you are a parent, and if you can imagine a stranger accosting your child, then we can all be concerned about the consequences of acting on our biases without just cause. Even if you are not a parent, you have family, friends, and others in your network that can be made to experience unfortunate moments, penalized for no other reason than due to their race/ethnicity. But most importantly, I encourage all of us to work to substitute our biased reactions to racial situations with non-biased reactions related to our Christian values. Let us work to identify people as God would, looking at the heart! Even if we believe that someone has our phone, I am sure that there are dozens of different ways that this circumstance could have ended better.

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