Swim upstream (I)

“When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end.” — Isaiah 43:2

Life is tough. You need not be a prophet to see the myriads of problems that bedevil this world which we live in. The media daily and ceaselessly brings to the fore and bombards us with the reality of wars, economic downturns, poverty, famine, natural disasters, suffering and crime. The outlook is that of gloom and doom and most people get swept away by the fierce tide of life. Countless people are focused and consumed with trying to make ends meet—survival is their primary preoccupation.

Many lives have been sentenced to a lifetime of insignificance. They are so enmeshed with survival that the thought of making their lives count does not even cross their minds. They would rather be led than be the leader on whose table the buck ends. They would rather follow than be the one to give direction. They would rather consume than be the producer. They are concerned about their primary constituency only—the constituency of self-preservation and survival. Consequently, most people live a tragic life, passing through life without registering any appreciable impact.

The radical approach to living a life of significance is to swim upstream, swimming against the tide. If you are going to make any impact with your life, you must not conform to the general approach of the majority. You must not swim downstream. You must not take the line of least resistance. You are alive on a mission—a mission to affect, influence and impact lives.

You are alive to make a difference. You are not to just spend time here on earth but you are alive to leave indelible marks on the sands of time.

You are alive to make history. You are not just to pass through history but to make history. At the end of your life, you should not just be history but must have made history.

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.” — George Bernard Shaw

You have not been called to conform but to transform your environment. You have been called to influence your society. You have not been called to be swallowed up by the environment but to give direction. You have been called to stand out. You are designed to live a life of significance and to register maximum impact.

Now, more than ever before is the time to face up to life and be determined to make a difference. If you unduly focus on the state of things, you will lose heart and vegetate and surrender to live a mediocre, unfulfilled life.

Looking down will get you down but looking up will help you see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“Never get discouraged at difficulties. When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you till it seems as if you couldn’t hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that’s just the place and time that the tide’ll turn.” — Harriet Beecher Stowe

Let us learn to turn to the Lord for help.

“The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.” — Psalms 34:17–19 NLT

TO BE CONTINUED

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