Without the Right Ingredients, All You Get is Something that Tastes Bad

If you check any bookstore, online or retail, you will find there are no shortages of books on motivation, inspiration, wisdom, or happiness. The one common theme in all of them is their focus on guiding you toward a victorious life journey. Like preparing a special food dish, they emphasize not only the use of the correct ingredients but also the proper portions.

I remember trying a recipe for vegetarian lasagna several years ago. I ended up with something that tasted like soft cement covered in melted cheese. It was obvious I had used the wrong stuff somewhere in my preparation.  

Given the variety of self-help books, the author’s list of emotional targets seems to be different for each market. They realize there are different personal appeals to readers. I noticed that there was a common emphasis on life events that can cause a downward emotional spiral. Reactions such as stress, change, fear, living in the past, anger, unforgiveness, jealousy, and low self-worth (lack of love for self) seemed to top the list of triggered responses.

As I perused some of these books, I noticed a common root among these unsettling feelings. Whether the experience causing the downward spiral was like the current global situation (which has caused the release of an assortment of emotions) or some other unpredicted happening, eliminating their effect on you requires an inward adjustment. Not only is this an essential ingredient for any change, but the correct combination must be applied for a lasting modification to happen.

Change on the outside tends to be short-range and is dependent upon tangible and visual objects. Consistent, extended change requires personal time, discipline, determination, patience, and the will not to give up, even when we make one step forward and two backward. The process begins with:

Active faith

• Trust and rely on the greater power within.
• Seek wisdom from above (Proverbs 3:5-6); speak words that reflect trust in God.
• Be confident that you are loved by God all the time. (John 3:16)
• Replace anger and needlelike feelings with a belief that truth will prevail, and justice will be served. (Romans 8:28)
  
• Release your offender from his/her debt by forgiving them, and subsequently, release yourself.
• Believe that you are a unique, one-of-a-kind creation, “fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:13-16)
• Realize that difficult situations develop inward character and bring about change in you (anyone in the military will confirm this); enjoy the beauty that comes from each unfriendly event and moves you closer to your life purpose.

Biblically speaking, faith is a shield. It eliminates the effects of a fiery-like arrow designed to inflict great damage on anything it hits. So, when your faith encounters an adverse circumstance, it goes into action to overcome the doubt that would hinder the vast possibilities within your remarkable life journey.  

Active faith operates on all cylinders when the spirit of a person adjusts to the living and merciful presence of a loving God. It is the trusted reliance that there is someone always working to ensure our life success without us knowing or having all the answers to why. This adds up to the perfect recipe for love, which extends far beyond the pages of any motivational book.

"Consistent, extended change requires personal time, discipline, determination, patience, and the will not to give up, even when we make one step forward and two backward.”

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