By Virginia Mburu
Do you find yourself moving from one predicament
to another in your journey towards the achievement of your goal?
Relax …You are in good company.
We all do. Not even kings, titans or
goliaths are spared! Do like Paul—shake off the snakes and move on.
He had a goal- to preach the Gospel in ROME
which was the then capital city of the world and nothing was going to
stop him- not a storm, nor a ship wreck, nor snake venom etc.
Let us look at Paul’s predicament in Acts 28:
1-6 and take a few lessons on handling the snakes strewn in our goal
achievement journey;
1. Know that you
will be bitten by snakes…
“a viper, driven out by the heat fastened
itself on his hand”. Yes - as long as you are making progress towards your
goals, you are going to generate some heat and wake up the snakes of hate,
criticism, disappointment, frustration etc.
Mind you as soon as get over one problem,
another one just crops up. Someone said that the end of one problem is the
beginning of another. I don’t know who said this but they must have gone
through some serious shaking.
2. You are likely
to be hit while doing good
You may be serving others while you receive the
bite—We are told it was cold and rainy but Paul “….gathered a pile of brushwood
and as he put it on the fire…” Paul was busy fueling a fire so as to warm
others and himself.
3. The fact that
you are passionate and faithful to your cause /course does not
necessarily shield nor cushion you from problems, challenges, trouble etc.
They will come in all shades! And they will be
for your own good. You will only get better from the experience. Didn't someone
say that whatever does not kill you only makes you stronger?
4. The sting is likely
to be venomous
Yes, the predicament you find yourself in might
be very costly – physically, morally, spiritually, financially, socially
etc.
The Islanders knew that once someone was bitten
by that snake, they “… expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead”. Your
adversaries will expect you to fail- No less! All the same……
5. Stay calm and
have faith in the promises of God regarding your goal….
Paul had been promised that he will preach in
Rome… Malta was just but a distraction or could it have been a milestone in his
journey?
We can behave like Paul as we are connected to
one who has all power and authority(Matthew 28:18), one who is able to do more
than we can ever hope for or imagine(Ephesians 3:20), who gives victory
(1Cor 15:57) and many other promises in the bible.
Remember what God said to Jeremiah in Jeremiah
chapter 1 verse 5, “Before I formed you in the womb I
knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I
appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Have you discovered what you were set apart
as?
Or do you need a reminder like David when he
wanted to change course and build God a temple in 1 Chronicles 17:7.
“Now then, tell my servant David,
“This is what the Almighty Lord Says: I took you from the pasture and from
following the flock; to be ruler over my people Israel”…….
6. People will
blame, criticize and accuse you for being bitten or is it failing?
The Islanders thought that “…this man must have
been a murderer, for though he escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed
him to live”.
What are they saying?—that you did not do due
diligence, you do not have the right degree or is it pedigree, you must have
stolen etc., etc., etc.
Take heart- No one ever flogs a dead horse! Wow-
You must be generating some serious heat in an otherwise cold and rainy market,
industry, sector, function, process, situation etc…Mind you, they are not done
yet…….
7. They will
then dispense judgment
They reckoned that though Paul escaped the
shipwreck, “he would now die of the snake venom”, they said.
Do not listen to the Islanders- they live in
small cocoons in the midst of water. All they know is what happens in their
small island.
They only have the ‘Islanders view’ of
your predicament. You are the only one who has the ‘world wide view’ of
your situation and circumstance. And you are the only one who knows what God
has promised you!
8. They will wait
patiently for you to die…..
Yes, they will wait for you to fail but
again don’t blame them. Dust yourself and push on to your target. They only
have an Island view of your predicament! Keep up the faith
9.But after waiting for so
loooooooooooooooooooooong, they will soon be celebrating your victory!
“… but after waiting for a long
time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their
minds and said he was a god”.
Paul’s title immediately changed from murderer
to god. Phew!
Don’t you just love how we all start saying how
“we knew he/she was going to make it” after the awards start trickling in?
I understand there’s a church in Malta called,
“St. Paul’s Shipwreck Church" build to honour you know who. Information
posted on www.malta.com refer to the church as 'one of Valletta's oldest
churches dating back to the 1570s and his shipwreck is thought of as being one
of the most significant event in the nation's history'.
Keep up with the wait for they will soon
roll out the red carpet…..
10. While you
enjoy the new perks
Paul was now “the talk of the island’ and
immediately started enjoying the fruits of his immense popularity.
Never mind that he was still a prisoner on the
way to Rome, he was now dining with the high and mighty of the Island. “…..Publius
the chief official of the Island welcomed us to his home and entertained us
hospitably”.
Time to enjoy the perks……..
Over to you - Passionate Entrepreneur;
- Do you know what you were set apart for?
- How are you shaking off the snakes as you progress to achiving your goals?
Let us hear your views through your comments
below. Share your experiences, questions, suggestions etc. with other
Entrepreneurs so that we can all ultimately share the perks……..
Whatever you do, make sure it results
in less work, more money and positive impact.
Update
Virginia Mburu
Passionate Entrepreneurs Coach
Virginia empowers and motivates Passionate
Entrepreneurs to realize their purpose and pursue it. She then assists the
entrepreneurs to clarify, prioritise and focus on management and marketing
strategies and action plans that will get them to work less, make more money
and positively impact within one year. Download some of her gifts- absolutely free lessons on www.biasharacoach.blogspot.co.ke
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