If you’re like a lot of folks right now, it feels like the wheels are comin’ off the wagon all over the place. I sure can’t blame anyone for feeling that way. Seems like everyday another shooting has happened somewhere, or more refugees are flowing into countries where they don’t belong.
What’s more, it sure seems like the people running the show in our country aren’t doing their jobs they way they should. As a country, we’re going deeper and deeper into debt and many folks aren’t working the way they used to, aren’t earning the way they used to and millions haven’t worked in years. And yet, we’re bringing people in from a tough part of the world and think that they have a right to come to our and other folks’ countries and deserve to be given priority over everybody else.
Meanwhile, wages are low, jobs are still too scarce, and more and more small towns are being saddled with foreigners who put a big strain on local services and law enforcement. America, it seems, truly is being fundamentally transformed at every level.
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A sense of powerlessness
If all of this stuff going on has made you feel like you’ve got no say in your own country, well, I don’t blame you one bit. I bet it feels like you’d have more control riding an angry half-ton bucking bull than you do over your life right now and your future. A sense of hopelessness can set in in times like these. It can feel like gangrene in your soul, eating away at you day and night.
I understand how some folks might feel this way. But more importantly, I understand the motivation behind some of our so-called leaders wanting you to feel that way. If that sounds like I’ve gone a bit ‘round the bend, well, let me tell you what I mean…
Every four years, we elect a leader in the White House and much of Congress. To a lot folks’ way of thinking, the people in charge right now don’t seem to have America’s interests at heart. But they also have a very clear idea of the anger that most Americans feel right now about the direction the country is goin’. Love him or hate him, Donald Trump’s big lead in the polls is proof of that fact.
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Those in power right now a dead afraid that angry Americans will kick them out of power next year. That’s why they’re doing all they can to make you feel powerless. If you feel powerless and hopeless, you’re less likely to act in a way that will change the situation.
Fear is a powerful emotion
If you’re feeling afraid of what the future will bring, you’re feeling exactly how they want you to feel. Case you didn’t know it, fear is one the most powerful emotions we have. Too often, fear comes hand-in-hand with hopelessness. Each supports the other until you’re paralyzed and no longer independent or your own person.
Again, I understand about feeling fear. I must admit that I do fear for my grandchildren’s future. But I also know that being fearful doesn’t accomplish anything. Fear is a powerful emotion, and too often, we let its power overwhelm us until we are ruled by it.
Control your emotions
But, rather than be ruled by your fears, do as the great Union general Stonewall Jackson said, and “Never take counsel of your fears.”
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What does that mean? It means that even though we may feel fear, we do not let it dictate how we think or what we do. In a larger sense, it also means that we should not allow ourselves to be ruled simply by what we feel. Instead, we must control our emotions.
If you’re afraid, and you let your fear stop you from doing what you should, then you are being ruled by your fear. You are no longer in control of yourself or your future.
Keep your perspective
That’s what being self reliant is all about, isn’t it? It’s taking your wellbeing, and the wellbeing of your family, into your own hands, as well as putting it into God’s. When you do both of these things, you’ll find that your fears are minimized and are only an annoying presence instead of an overbearing one.
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When you take back your independence, the influence of those in power diminishes. That’s because you’ve changed your perspective, haven’t you? When you’re no longer paralyzed by fear and a feeling of helplessness, your personal sense of power will return to you, where it belongs.
Control your thoughts and your actions
Changing your perspective doesn’t just happen. You’ve gotta make the effort to do so. That effort is made up of two parts: your thoughts and your actions.
First, you must change the way you think. This involves changing what you let into your mind. What do I mean by this?
Several things. First, don’t watch the news all the time. I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep up with what’s going on in the world, but don’t dwell on what’s going on. Next, avoid those people you know who make bring you down with their attitudes. These two factors play a big part in what you feed your mind every day.
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The second thing to do is to replace those negative thoughts and perspectives with positive ones. Where or how do you get those new perspectives? The answer is, “any number of ways.” For many, it’s getting reacquainted with their Maker and His plan for his people. You may have seen phrases like, “Relax, God is in control” or, “Pray more and worry less.” Well, I don’t mind tellin’ you that they’re a good place to start.
The point is, you need to understand that if you are going to be changing the way you view the world, you’ve got to look where those better and truer perspectives can be found. Believe me, they’re not found in the news media or in Congress or the White House, or even in our schools and universities. Those are the places and agents that peddle fear and thrive on creating hopelessness.
Be grateful
Instead, focus on the good things and people in your life and how you can improve your own situation. Fretting about things that you have absolutely no control over does no good. It only leads to more frustration, anger, fear and hopelessness.
Believe it or not, in most cases, the way you handle yourself will have the most impact on your life. With your positive viewpoint and wiser perspective on life, you will gain a bit of wisdom along the way. It also does a body good to help someone out less fortunate that you.
In fact, this last point is very important. When you help another person, you not only give that person hope and relief, but you also help yourself. You see, as you help others, you reaffirm your own power as a human being to impact the life of somebody else in a good and positive way. That’s a big deal.
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But more than that, it helps you to realize just how lucky you aren’t in the situation that the person you just helped out, is. In fact, every time you help someone else, you realize just how good you’ve got it in life compared to so many others whose lives and relationships are broken and lost. It helps to get out of ourselves and our problems – for even a little while – and make someone else’s life a little brighter.
Have courage
When you do these things, you become a truer version of yourself. I say this because the simple fact is that most of us are much more capable of doing greater things than we’re doing when we’re bogged down in problems, self-doubt, fear and hopelessness. Once we free ourselves of fear, doubt and hopelessness, we are able to move forward in our lives with courage and confidence. This doesn’t happen at once, it’s a process. But always remember that it’s a process that you control, nobody else.
What is courage, after all, but you controlling your fear and moving forward to your objective despite any obstacles that might be in before you?
Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s the act of putting fear where it belongs, beneath your will, not above it. Courage comes from the realization that you have the power to act, to keep things in their proper perspective, and not allowing yourself to be manipulated and diminished by those who seek to keep you small and ineffective.
Is there plenty to fear in this world right now? Yes there is. Things may well get a lot worse before they get better. But how you view the world makes all the difference in how effectively you live your life, how you impact those around you and how act toward others and influence their lives for the better.
Always try to keep company with others who lift you up, who believe and think, generally, along the same lines. Don’t let yourself fall into the fear trap. If you’re already in it, well, now you know how to get out of it.
