Most of the blog entries I write are directly related to my personal struggles, and my pursuit for emotional wellness. They are lessons that I need to learn just as much as the next guy. Recently I spoke at a small congregation in Odenville and I assured the group that “I am not a preacher, I am a speaker.” Preachers are a lot more knowledgeable about scripture, have more patience, and do an abundance of work that I am not capable of doing. However, when I speak, I incorporate personal stories and usually the toes I mean to step on are my very own. Such is the case with my blog.
I am proud to say that one part of my life that I remain consistent is prayer. Since starting my prayer journals well over eighteen months ago, I have maintained my commitment to pray more diligently on a daily basis. I need to implement these results in every area of my life. Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you constantly have good intentions, but very poor implementation?
One of the most common cases of good intentions among my friends and in my own life has been health or weight control. We all tell ourselves in our “New Year’s Resolutions” that we will lose this much weight by this date, etc. It works for a while, right? Somewhere along the line if you are like me, work gets in the way, social life gets in the way, responsibility with the kids, so on and so forth. We could make a hundred excuses why we don’t deliver on our promises to ourselves.
Since my brother’s death on June 25th, I have been back in a manic depressive state for approximately forty days. My friend Gina Brown talked to me about meditation and yoga, and made me promise to do it and then text her when I was done. I stuck with it about three days, but when the accountability disappeared I stopped. It’s not Gina’s responsibility to make sure Rob does yoga on a daily basis. She has a husband and three children and a thriving business to take care of. The lesson I need to learn is take the advice, and implement the process rather than chalk it up to another “good intention, gone bad.”
My close friend Angie was just texting me tonight about how thankful I need to be and what kind of man she sees me as. She used words like creative, smart, faithful, loyal and strong. Are you kidding me, Rob Goodwin strong? Joel Osteen often talks about positive affirmation in his daily devotionals and I certainly have had good intentions over the last several years to encourage myself on a daily basis with positive descriptions like those mentioned above. Again, planned but not executed.
Life is full of ups and downs and no one person has any right to claim their life is harder than anyone else. We can’t know the pain that one person feels until we walk in their shoes. I will say from experience though, when I am in a manic depressive state, I find it much harder to deal with the day to day ups and downs. I can be on a natural high after a solid presentation at 2PM, and then by 4PM feel like every limb on my body weighs one hundred pounds and be mentally exhausted and depressed. For some, medication is the only way to fight such roller coaster emotions. I agree that’s the best pursuit for many; however, I choose to write, speak, and reach out to loved ones as my therapy and treatment process. My speaking engagements and blog entries are my way of saying there is one finger pointing at you and four right back at me. The genuine kindness my loved ones show in reading and commenting on my blog and sending positive and encouraging emails and text messages is the best medicine for me.
Earlier this year, a great young man who worships at the Ohatchee church with us, but is actually away at school, Rene Zeringue preached one of the best sermons I have ever heard in my life. He pointed out that we never truly find happiness and satisfaction until we go to God first for completion in our lives. God is the only one who can fulfill every need. He kept saying over and over, if you feel a void in the pit of your stomach, you need to fill it with God, first. This is also the area in our lives where good intentions can’t get us into Heaven. We have to implement our faith and obedience to the best of our abilities. Christ’s blood was shed so that we could all know salvation through Him, but we must accept that and live accordingly.
My friends, if you are like me and there are plenty of areas in your life where you have good intentions but bad implementation, the path to improvement certainly begins with prayer and service to God. For those who battle emotional issues or loved ones who have someone in their life who struggle, communication is the best good intention and the best way to implement healing. Accountability works for me, and I rely on it daily for survival. Please pass along this blog for encouragement and let’s keep loving one another and serving our God with all our might.
Love to you all….
