Thoughts
that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking
Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to
the audio file.
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“The reality is that no matter what role we play, no matter how big that role is, no matter the lasting impact that role might have in this world, the roles that we look to for identity are temporary. “
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 16.
I hate to be so morbid, but all roles end when we die. That’s right. Think of all the roles you play right now that you might be using to help define your who you are. When you die, what importance will those roles play? None - those roles will be gone. This fact is embellished by the saying that goes something like this; “What person, on their deathbed ever thought, ‘I wish I had one more day to go to work.’?”
Big roles and small roles - they all end when we take our last breath. What’s to come? Well I believe that we will have roles to play in the next life as well, but who can really say? I do believe that our identity as God’s Child will never change. That is for eternity. Why do I so desperately grab for any tangible role like, business man, parent, spouse, minister or whatever to help define who I am? I believe today’s Bible reading answers that question to a tee!
“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:14 (NIV)
Life as we know it is so short. The concept of eternity is almost impossible to fathom given a body that only lasts less than a century, at best. Dealing with one’s mortality is a difficult thing to do. It is something most of us push under the carpet until we are forced by some life changing event to face it head on. Even then we are like the ostrich - so quick to put our head in the sand when faced with the fears that surrounds the “mist” of our lives. Victim thinking is what helps to make us so focused on the here and now when we have all eternity to live life.
The victor isn’t immune to the feelings that come up when mortality is discussed. It is just that the victor has his sight, his hopes and his identity all focused on the life to come. It’s not that the victor isn’t concerned with the legacy left as a result of living a good life. It is just that the victor knows that the legacy from a good life lived these 80+ years here can’t hold a candle to the legacy of living a good life for all eternity. This long-term perspective makes the challenges the victor faces here in this life less of a burden to carry due to the fact he or she knows who they are.
This doesn’t make the roles you play right now less important. Nor does it make the sting that comes when those roles don’t work out the way you planned any less painful. A long-term perspective does make it harder for the victor to slip into prolonged victim thinking. That fact makes it so much more possible for us to live like a victor even when the world is trying its best to victimize us.
So, as you face the various roles you play today, take a different tact. Put the roles you play in the perspective of eternity. Realize that those roles, no matter how good or bad, large or small they are right now, are temporary. For this reason, it just doesn’t make sense for you to allow those roles, or the results of those roles you will play today, to shape who you are. Your identity as a victor is assured because of God’s Love for you, not because of you ability to do something significant in your life today.
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“The reality is that no matter what role we play, no matter how big that role is, no matter the lasting impact that role might have in this world, the roles that we look to for identity are temporary. “
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 16.
I hate to be so morbid, but all roles end when we die. That’s right. Think of all the roles you play right now that you might be using to help define your who you are. When you die, what importance will those roles play? None - those roles will be gone. This fact is embellished by the saying that goes something like this; “What person, on their deathbed ever thought, ‘I wish I had one more day to go to work.’?”
Big roles and small roles - they all end when we take our last breath. What’s to come? Well I believe that we will have roles to play in the next life as well, but who can really say? I do believe that our identity as God’s Child will never change. That is for eternity. Why do I so desperately grab for any tangible role like, business man, parent, spouse, minister or whatever to help define who I am? I believe today’s Bible reading answers that question to a tee!
“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:14 (NIV)
Life as we know it is so short. The concept of eternity is almost impossible to fathom given a body that only lasts less than a century, at best. Dealing with one’s mortality is a difficult thing to do. It is something most of us push under the carpet until we are forced by some life changing event to face it head on. Even then we are like the ostrich - so quick to put our head in the sand when faced with the fears that surrounds the “mist” of our lives. Victim thinking is what helps to make us so focused on the here and now when we have all eternity to live life.
The victor isn’t immune to the feelings that come up when mortality is discussed. It is just that the victor has his sight, his hopes and his identity all focused on the life to come. It’s not that the victor isn’t concerned with the legacy left as a result of living a good life. It is just that the victor knows that the legacy from a good life lived these 80+ years here can’t hold a candle to the legacy of living a good life for all eternity. This long-term perspective makes the challenges the victor faces here in this life less of a burden to carry due to the fact he or she knows who they are.
This doesn’t make the roles you play right now less important. Nor does it make the sting that comes when those roles don’t work out the way you planned any less painful. A long-term perspective does make it harder for the victor to slip into prolonged victim thinking. That fact makes it so much more possible for us to live like a victor even when the world is trying its best to victimize us.
So, as you face the various roles you play today, take a different tact. Put the roles you play in the perspective of eternity. Realize that those roles, no matter how good or bad, large or small they are right now, are temporary. For this reason, it just doesn’t make sense for you to allow those roles, or the results of those roles you will play today, to shape who you are. Your identity as a victor is assured because of God’s Love for you, not because of you ability to do something significant in your life today.
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