Christianity Oasis Forum

[xxJILLxx]

You would think that if you desire enough to be better, healthier, more positive, more peaceful etc.... that desire or motivation alone would be enough to get you closer to your goals. Intuitively it makes sense.

But does it pan up?

We often get frustrated and angry with ourselves ,when feelings of being overwhelmed and having a strong desire to rid yourself of uncomfortable sensations such as depression, anxiety, negative thinking etc. , when we cannot achieve what we desire. When you desire to rid yourself of these and then it doesnt happen we look at ourselves as if there was something wrong with us for not be able to be rid of it. "We should be able to do it" "Why cant i be rid of this?" Therefore in these instances the desire sets yourself up to failure along with an added low dose of self esteem, with which many are already struggling with. As long as we maintain an unrealistic expectation to get rid of these uncomfortable situations (sensations) and feel better, we begin to feel stuck and will eventaully feel worse.

So, ok ... does that mean i should not desire to be better, feel better, be less depressed etc???

This is where I learned to shift gears to get off the hamster wheel.

Desire alone is not healthy, yes.... but desire coupled with EFFORT gets us off the hamster wheel in our brains. Break the loop of the repeated thought and add effort to change the thought, the feeling, etc. Once the thought loop is broken pave a way for the new thought (that is an effort) . When you apply considerable effort to focus your attention on things that matter to you (by making an achievable expectation) you are able to move forward.

What are some ways desire have failed you? Set expectations at a reasonable level, an attainable level in so doing the effort is no longer a dream that cant be grasped.

Desire without effort leaves us feeling worse.

Shalom
♥Jill

[vahn]

Kinda like , Faith is marvelous thing to have . Any one can have faith , in some thing or some one ... no biggy huh ? But why is nothing's moving ? .... why are we in the same place ? "I have faith?" ....

Faith DOES move mountains .... not without a shovel .



In Christ , our Lord

[Ruthk34]

Well said Jill. It makes one think. We often expect too much from ourselves and set ourselves up to fail. We need to be more realistic.