Applause. Praises. Tokens. Followers.
These are what we get when we do good in the eyes of people. Well yes, we can be good in different ways. But our being good can be fueled by a range of motives.
In love, we step the best foot forward to impress and win a heart. In sports, we exert our best shot to knock out, hit a goal, or checkmate our opponent. In business deals, we exude confidence and display our expertise using jargons and figures to close a deal… and so on.
We feel high when we nail our target. Sometimes we get so attached to the feeling and becomes addicted to it, that even after few days, weeks, months, or years we still keep on revisiting the euphoria.
Yes that is good. You can use it to motivate you or simply make you smile at the moment.
However, don’t just let your earthly victory drift you to the point of stepping on to others, using others, hurting others just for you to get that feeling of elation again after the show of one triumph to another (at the expense of another person).
Just do what you think is both good and right—well yes, this is subjective I know, for there are a lot of ethical faculties. Just remember the universal law “what you do the universe will reflect back to you, sooner or later, whether you like it or not.”
Moreover, don’t make yourself too attached to secular or temporal objects to the extent of making them your drive why you jump off from bed every morning and drag yourself to the office. Don’t make your possession your idols nor make your fire-proof vaults your world.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying it’s bad to be rich…na ah! Of course we need money to provide for our own basic needs and bless more people in need. What I’m saying here is, don’t let your life revolve around them and be sustained by them. Don’t just let your soul be bought by earthly things.
Hey! We are priceless! It’s important for us to know that… every day of ourlives.
If just in one blow someone or a certain circumstance tries to take away from you the things or people you value, yes fight for them. But if the tiniest voice within you tells you that you can no longer do anything but let them go (meaning, you already did your best or it’s just a plain you-can’t-do-anything-about-it situation), then let them go. Put the situation in the caring hands of God. For sure, He has a far better gift for you.
If people hurt you in the process of fighting for the things you value, don’t tolerate them, act on your unwritten social responsibility. Talk to the person personally. However, in cases that you really have no control over them, let them do it without you planning or doing revenge or homing grudge (oh, don’t your shake your head now, this is not martyrdom, wait! Just read on.)
Just let them give you more reasons to be mad and to plot revenge. You have the total control over your mind anyway! And I know your sound mind will tell you the better thing to do—take one-step backward by being composed as you mind your own business moving forward, and later on take two steps forward as God showers you His reward (the one which He intends you to have, not the one your mind told you you must have).
God Himself will protect you and handle the situation for you if you just whole-heartedly surrender it to Him. You will know you have given everything to God when you feel that the only thing you’re holding on is the strongest and biggest rope—your faith in His love and abundance.
Just be still. All these series of joy-pain-joy events happen so you become more creative in facing life; and because you’re more creative now, you will see things more wonderfully and bright… as you look at life that way, all the more the wonderful things line up and traffic themselves toward you.
Well, it’s hard to surrender (both in your quest for survival and in giving yourself to God). Just trust Him, He knows best. Besides, we own nothing here on earth for us to fight for these things at the expense of others. Even our lives He owns.
We don’t have to wait for a tribulation to happen in our lives just for us to know He’s there.
Remember and trust that God loves you! Endure everything with gladness and He will fill your life up with even more beautiful things. Leaping to thousands of years forward, He will bestow you with everlasting joy and treasures—much bigger and merrier than the applause, praises, tokens, and followers that you have now.
No need to worry about your ‘reputation’ here on earth brought by the applause, praises, tokens, and followers… If you have failed, been stepped on, or hurt, these are just merely what people think of you.
Value the strengthening of your ‘character’ brought by the series of joy-pain-joy events in your life. For your character is your reward which will bring you to your rightful home with the Father.
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