Probably, many a time that you have asked someone, "How are you doing?" and they responded back by saying, "Oh, I'm hanging in there."
There's a friend of mine that when I ask him, "How are you doing?" his answer is always the same. He says, "I'm doing great, but I'm getting better."
Isn't that a terrific attitude? What a positive thing to say! But, does it really matter?
When you ask someone, "How are you doing?" You get any number of different responses like, "Oh, alright I guess," or, "I'm a doin'," or, "Oh, so, so." But a very popular response is, "I'm hanging in there."
Hanging in there?
You're just hanging in there? Is that your assessment of how your life is going right now, just hanging in there? Now to me, that sounds like one step away from hanging on for dear life, or, maybe at the end of your rope!
Hanging in there?
Do you really want to spend the rest of your life just hanging in there? Each day is really tough, but I think I can make it. I think I just might pull through another day. I'm hanging in there! Is that what God has in mind for mankind? To struggle through each day and just hang in there?
What about living life to the fullest? That truly is God's desire for your life! It's written all over the pages of Scriptures. But, somewhere along the line somebody came along and said that Christians aren't supposed to be happy; they are suppose to suffer through their whole lives.
Somebody came along and said that Christians weren't supposed to have prosperity, but instead, be poor, or just get by. They came along and said that Christians shouldn't live victorious lives, but instead they should be a doormat for Jesus and have everyone walk all over them.
People have said a lot of those things, but are those things true? No. Those things are not true and those things are very illogical as well. God is not illogical.
Think about this for a moment. If Christians are children of God, with the Creator of the heavens and earth as their Father, then why should they be the saddest, poorest, and most defeated people on earth? Wouldn't it make more sense that Christians should be the happiest and most victorious people on the planet?
The question is this: Is it God's will for you just to hang in there? No, it is not. But remember, you have free will to choose the course for your life. You can choose "just to hang in there," or, you can choose to believe what the Bible really teaches.
That doesn't mean that you ignore the fact that things are not going well, and simply say, "Oh everything is just great." I'm not talking about living in a make believe world. When things happen, it is not make believe, it is very real. But, what is your choice of thinking in those situations? How do you react?
The next time things are not going well and someone asks you, "How are you doing?" why not reply, "A little intense right now, but I am praying, expecting and anticipating a solution. I am expecting for things to change dynamically!" There is a big difference in saying that as opposed to saying, "I'm hanging in there."
A huge key in life is that what comes out of your mouth came from you. It came from your mind. It is an outward expression of what's going on inside your head. The Bible says that as you think in your heart, that is who you will be. The Scriptures also say that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks!
Not only that, but once you say it, you hear it, and that also reinforces it into your mind and heart. What you choose to continually reinforce is what you will manifest into your life.
So, if you really feel each day that you are just hanging in there, and that is how your life is going to proceed, you will just keep hanging in there. But, if you want to change and live dynamically and successfully, start by addressing your own thoughts. Along with that, start adjusting what comes out of your mouth. Refuse to admit negatives and defeat, and instead speak positives and victory.
That's why I love it when I hear my friend say, "I'm doing great – but I'm getting better."
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Michael A. Verdicchio has “Pep Talks" on audio CD, at
http://www.MikesPepTalks.com . Michael has a free newsletter called, THE PEP LETTER, at
http://www.christianinspirationalgifts.com/pepletter.html .
Michael is a husband, father, minister, author, and broadcaster. He has been the voice on numerous productions over the years.
