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| The wet blanket of resistance soon proved refreshing! |
- I decided to protect Monday evenings as my time set aside for writing. Then, I got two invitations to do fun things – one I declined, the other I rescheduled. Then, my husband came home early from work. Then, someone dropped in to talk…
- When I decided to exercise more and eat better after the holidays, a co-worker brought in a beautiful box of chocolates to share. Then, we got coupons in the mail to one of my favorite eat-out places. Then, my walking partners each told me they'd have to miss a few days…
In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield labels resistance as the “enemy of creativity.” He says, “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands resistance.” He maintains that resistance “is a sure sign that you are supposed to do the thing in the first place. The harder the resistance, the more important the task must be.”
Resistance is very normal. But we can’t let resistance take us down! Doing the hard thing becomes even more rewarding when we defy resistance and persist in doing what needs doing.
When God gives His people purpose, He also equips, defends and supports us – if we look to Him. I love the example in the book of Exodus. God appointed Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. When Pharaoh gave him some serious resistance, God unleashed one plague after another on Egypt until they finally begged the Israelites to go! God then reminded His people of His hand guiding their lives:
“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Exodus 9:16
What’s a little resistance when we have the God of the Universe backing us!
Dear God, help us fight the wet blanket of resistance. You will provide all that we need (Phil 4:19) as we press on toward the goal (Phil 3:14). The temptations we face are common to mankind, but You will provide endurance! (1 Cor. 10:13)
WOW - thanks for sharing. I just experienced this same thing over the weekend and I know I need to turn to God to help me. Thank you for the post and the reminder. It sure helps to know others are in the same boat as I am.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn, I was just reading in Isaiah 36-37 that Hezekiah and the tribe of Judah met with alot of resistance with the Assyrian army when God told them He would shield them. We so often are tempted by other voices that try to steer us off course and away from Him, but if we, like Hezekiah, fall to our knees and humbly turn to God first, He will shield us and fight the battle for us. Thanks for the encouragement. Laurie
ReplyDeleteLaurie and Tracy, thanks so much for your comments. More good examples of why we need to keep our eyes on God and His promises and not be distracted by so many other things.
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