WHAT CAN I DO WHEN IT’S
NOT FUN ANYMORE?
Have you ever
found yourself in your normal routine and you’re doing something you used to
like, but you realize you don’t like it anymore? That’s not a happy situation,
so what can we do to make it better?
Step one is to
admit we don’t like it. “How does the situation make you feel?” We’re not going
to make hasty decisions based on feelings, but we’re not going to deny them
either. Feelings are just that, feelings. They aren’t good or bad. The devil
didn’t invent emotions. God gave them to us. Like a barometer, they’re good for
monitoring our atmospheric pressure.
We need to
openly admit that something has changed in the activity or something has
changed in us to make us feel unhappy with what we’re doing. If we’re going to
move ahead with a healthy attitude, there’s no more room for pretending that
everything is okay. Step one: How does the activity make us feel?
Step two is to
take a good look at the activity and answer a few simple questions. Often we
float through activities without giving them much thought. I was involved in a
weight loss program for several years. I reached my goal weight, kept it off
and developed good eating habits. There came the point when I felt like I
wasn’t learning anything new, and the flavor of the weekly meetings soured.
My friend Miki
kept asking, “Why are you still going? You don’t need to.” I’d give her some
lame answer and just kept on going. Sometimes other people see us better than
we see ourselves, so when we’re serious about examining our activities, trusted
friends can help. We may be doing
something only out of habit, and not because it’s advancing us to a better
place.
In Quantum
physics, atoms consist of electrons orbiting around a nucleus. The electrons
exist in a wave state, like a cloud, whirling about the nucleus. That is until it’s
observed. When the scientist observes it, suddenly the electron appears as a particle
and no longer a wave. It can be like that with our lives—things, activities,
people and ideas all whirling about us in obscure cloud-like forms. They don’t show
their true nature until we take the time to observe them. Then things become
clear.
In step two, we
take a closer look at the disagreeable activity and ask a few simple questions.
“Why do I feel this way now, when I didn’t before?” “Has the activity
changed?” “Have I changed?” Once we answer these questions, we’re ready to move
on to Step three.
In step three
we ask ourselves, “Even though I’m unhappy with this activity now, is it moving
me toward my goals?”
If it’s not,
then it’s time to pray about dropping it. Some things will be okay to drop right
away. With other matters, the Holy Spirit may direct us to wait or take
baby steps toward leaving the activity behind. Praying for the Lord’s guidance
will be essential.
In First
Corinthians 12 we learn that God is willing to give us a word of knowledge and a
word of wisdom. Knowledge tells us what’s going on, and wisdom tells us what to
do about it. Both of these are available from God to us. But if we still have some
doubts about whether we should keep doing the activity or let it go, then we
need to go on to the next and final step four.
Step four is
the last step. We ask the question, “Are the benefits of this activity worth
the pain to stay with it?” Jesus said, “For
which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth
the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Or what king, going to make
war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be
able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty
thousand?” (Luke 14:28 & 31).
Make a list of the benefits, then a list of the detriments to staying
with this activity. We prayerfully take the time to weigh the worth.
We’re a quarter way through 2019. It’s a good time to examine our goals
and the activities we’re doing in light of those goals.
We ask ourselves, “What are my major goals: in relationships, in work,
in exercise, health, spiritual matters, finances, entertainment, relaxation,
hobbies, and special interests?”
Then we take each category and observe the activities around each. We
make those activities stop swirling like a cloud and instead become clear like
the electron particles of an atom, with observation. Did we find any extremely
unsatisfying activities? Then we carefully go through the four steps to change
the circumstances.
Step One: How does the activity make me feel?
Step Two: What has changed?
Step Three: Is the activity putting me closer to my goal? If not, how do
I drop it?
Step Four: Is this activity worth the cost?
God wants us to live a satisfied life, and that means changing things up
every once in a while to get ourselves to a better place.
Love, Carolyn
Excellent life keys to bring
ourselves into a closer relationship with our Creator and His son Jesus Christ.
Check out my books and booklets on how to apply God’s Word to our everyday
lives.
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