I WANT THAT COOKIE!!!! We decide to just go for it and push aside any resistance we had to eating this scrumptious carb loaded sugar cookie! Temptation won. Many of us think of pushing things away as we are "resisting temptation," and we would be correct. That's sometimes a good thing. But, did you ever think that there is a resistance that, in order to be successful, you get to walk through resistance in doing something out of your comfort zone? To overcome a fear that is holding you hostage and in defeat?
Just like the man in the image above using resistance to get stronger, identifying what resistance you have to incorportating a success principle in your life and pushing through the resistance and doing it anyway, will make you stronger internally. You have pushed past the resistance holding you back. In order to no longer feel that resistance, you may need to keep pushing past until the resistance dissipates. Much like the man in the image. He will keep working the same resistance and at some point, he won't get any stronger until he stretches himself and adds more resistance.
It's going through the resistance that makes you strong!
You, just like myself, will encounter resistance to moving towards what God wants us to do or what He wants us to become. It's because we have to change. Much like the muscle in the man in the image, above, it changes and gets stronger and bigger with working through resistance. That's what will happen to you and it's a good thing. How about a story?
I was in a leadership group and the leader gave me a "stretch" (something that would push me past my comfort zone). I was to go into a busy restaurant for lunch and pretend I was talking to my invisible boyfriend while we shared a salad. I was to then answer "YES!" when my invisible boyfriend asked me to marry him. That final task was to convince patrons in the restaurant that I was now engaged and getting married. YUP! That was my stretch and I had a fun time laughing and talking to my invisible boyfriend while pretending to show him pictures on a camera I had brought. The waiter came over multiple times to see if I was OK and noticed him talking to the manager and they were looking at this crazy lady (me) holding a conversation to someone who wasn't there! So, once I completed my stretch, the manager must have had enough as he promptly came over and threw me out of there! I was FINE pretending to crazy (I must have acting in my blood) until my stretch got to the point of me pretending that my invisible boyfriend asked me to marry him. I was resisting running around the restaurant, showing everyone my pretend ring and telling them I was getting married. It was as if I had a high mountain of resistance to overcome. A brick wall of resistance.
So what did I do? My choice was to go for it and complete my stretch or chicken out and I didn't want to be a chicken. I had my teammates watching me and I'm also not a quitter just because I'm uncomfortable with something (as long as it's moral).
So, I made a DECISION and JUST DID IT! I jumped up, threw my hands in the air, yelled "YES" and ran around the restaurant showing the patrons my ring and they started clapping for me. I went past my resistance. WOW! What an adrenaline rush! I felt exhilarated and was flying high!
What did I learn?
I learned that to get to the next level when I feel resistance, I just go though it and don't think, nurse or reherse how resistant I'm feeling. If I do continually think about my resistance, it's grows and then it's harder to decide to go to the next level. I'm working on just "doing it" and not staying put in resistance. That way, I get stronger and am in the process of becoming the best Child of the Most High God I can be and walk in excellence! I also learned that when I go past my comfort zone, I fly high naturally, on adrenaline. :) It is GREAT!
Will you push past your resistance? (as long as it's for something moral)