OBTACLES ARE ONLY OPPORTUNITIES

Have you ever found yourself feeling stuck and demotivated because of a challenge or particular obstacle that came your way, your family’s way, or your close friend’s way? You are working to become a better person or actively pursuing specific goals when suddenly this WEIGHT falls on you, and you are now stuck, unable to move forward until you can overcome this obstacle. A fact is that obstacles are only opportunities in disguise.

The situation can be annoying and demotivating. Worse, you may even feel like giving up, especially when you have tried over again to resolve things, or you see others footloose and fancy-free. They seem like they have not a care in the world (Psalms 73:2-4).

With every obstacle, there is always a hidden opportunity waiting for you to uncover. Instead of fighting obstacles and giving up, know that there are always two sides to a coin. This means that you can always find an opportunity within the obstacle you are facing!

Encourage yourself not to give up! (I Samuels 30:6). Believe in yourself because that is the first step to overcoming any obstacle in life (2 Corinthians 4:13, 14). The moment you lose hope in yourself, the battle is lost. If you lose faith in God, you are lost.

Obstacles are just blessings in disguise. Therefore, instead of cringing before any size obstacle in your life, you should learn to embrace them. Obstacles serve to do the following:

1. Obstacles Show Us Who We Are.

2. Obstacles Instruct Us on What Changes We Need to Make to Better Ourselves.

3. Obstacles Make Us Tougher.

4. Obstacles Help Us Focus on What is Important.

5. Obstacles allow us to develop our faith in God.

It is easy for us to focus on all the negatives and wrongs that are happening, feeding us to our demotivation. However, it is essential to sweep those thoughts aside and focus on how much better you will become instead of focusing on the obstacle (St. James 1:2-4).

Bishop John C. Parks

February 18, 2021