The world we live in is chaotic, full of fear, and filled with distractions and frustrations. If you allow yourself to get caught up in it, you are doomed to be afraid to the point of making stupid decisions, depressed because you have no hope for change, and unfulfilled because happiness cannot be bought.
I recently went through a trial that led me down to a darkened basement corner where depression, fear and frustration started to tip-toe their way in the recesses of my mind. A mental stronghold was trying to grab me by the neck, hoping to stop me from following through on what I knew was the right course of action for my life.
To explain a little further, I had been praying for God's help in making a possible life change that would free up more time to pursue a ministry opportunity I felt He had for me. Within that ministry opportunity lies my passion for music and creative writing. When I make the time to pursue these things I find great pleasure and fulfillment which I believe are a good sign that these are talents I have been given are to be used for a purpose. As I went through the process of making a life change, unexpected events occurred, and I became very scared that perhaps I was making a mistake or could even make matter worse by following through. I called on a few close friends to pray for me. It was then that I began to ask myself some important questions and out of these questions I found my compass which led me through this dark time and helped me to stay true to my values no matter what happened.
My compass values are:
1) Keep God 1st - Be obedient to His Word, having faith that He is in control of my life and trusting Him to take care of me. (this is hard...but necessary for peace).
2) Do the right thing - through honesty, humility and integrity.
3) Treat others with respect and dignity (whether or not they deserve it...who among us does?)
4) Be merciful and compassionate to others, especially when I feel I am mistreated or misunderstood. No one is perfect and that includes me.
5) Forgive quickly! Do not repay the evil done to me. God will take care of it.
Without these values (my spiritual compass), I cannot find my way out of darkness and fear. It isn't just knowing what the right thing to do is (most of us do), it is doing the right thing. Knowing doesn't equal doing. Be a doer and not just a hearer only.
By the way, the fearful circumstance I spoke of (above) turned out all right and proved to be a good thing for me. I grew in my character and witnessed the hand of God as He was involved in these circumstances and their outcome. And that is the most important thing.
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