When What Bothers Me Is My Problem

When What Bothers Me Is My Problem (from Daily Encounter)

"The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth"
(Psalm 145:18, niv).

According to an old joke which you probably have already heard, a construction worker took a sandwich out of his lunch bag and threw it on the ground, complaining loudly, "Baloney again! I hate baloney." When a coworker suggested, "If you hate baloney so much, why don't you ask your wife to make you something else?" he replied, "That's the problem. I can't. I make my own lunches."

The baloney sandwich can also represent the things that we do to ourselves and keep on doing no matter how much we hate doing them. I believe it was Einstein who first said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Another said, "If we keep doing what we've always done, we'll keep getting what we've always got, and we'll keep feeling what we always felt." And as another saying goes, "Nothing changes if nothing changes." Simplistic statements to be sure, but very true.

I've seen people repeatedly get into toxic and harmful relationships. Others stay in abusive situations, or in positions that are far below their interests and abilities. Others keep repeating the same mistakes on the job or in their relationships and don't do anything to change their behavior patterns. In other words they keep making themselves "baloney sandwiches" that they hate.

The fact is that what we don't resolve we're destined to repeat ... repeat ... repeat--endlessly, ad infinitum!

So how do we/you change. First, be courageously honest and admit that you have a problem and that you are the problem. Second, ask God to confront you with the truth and reality of what you are contributing to the frustrating and even painful situations in which you find yourself. Third, ask God to give you the courage to see and accept your responsibility in overcoming your problem, and where necessary to seek and find the help you need to overcome--even if that means seeking help from a capable Christian counselor.

My Reflection:

Once again I received the above article at my Inbox yesterday. I like the quotations below...

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

One kind of people I can't stand (annoyed rather than hate) are those who like to complain and complain to others about something or somebody but do not do anything to change the situation within their power to do so. One good example is when a driver is driving behind a slow moving vehicle in front of him/her and starts to complain about the driver in front, yet not overtaking it when it is possible to do so. Another example is, if one wants to have better health yet continues to have insufficient sleep when one could help it, then the expectation of getting a better health would never happen. I just can't stand 'NATO' type of people.

"If we keep doing what we've always done,
we'll keep getting what we've always got,
and we'll keep feeling what we always felt."

Similarly, if we don't change our ways of doing things or our thinking, then it's not surprising we always get the same result and feeling the same way. We need to embrace changes and think out of the box to get different things.

"Nothing changes if nothing changes."

Hmmn... very simple logic, isn't it? Short, sweet, and direct to the point!