Victim or Victor Part 3
“How you respond to that which happens to you will let those around you know if you are a victim or victor…” — Rick Cox
Part 3
Being a Victim or becoming a Victor is often based on how we utilize imagination; for imagination is able to bring to us or make of us, whatever it is we can conceive, bad or good. For the most part many of us wind up thinking and imaging the bad and as a result wind up becoming a victim of our own thoughts. Now here is something to think about, if your imagination or thoughts can make things bad for you then why can’t they make them good as well? If our imagination can in fact help us become or achieve anything, what or when did the change take place to slow or bring our ability to imagine the good to a screeching halt? Remember, as children we all start out as victors with an incredible ability to imagine only the best yet, not too far down the road of life we seem to lose this most precious ability thereby, becoming victims of any and all surrounding circumstances.
I believe one of the main reasons for the victim mentality is due to having a conscience ridden with guilt; for guilt is able to bind the ability to imagine. Guilt at the very least is able to hamper one’s ability to imagine becoming or receiving anything of value. Guilt tells us we are not worthy; not good enough; not strong enough; not smart enough; not cute enough; not handsome enough; not tall enough. Actually you can put any phrase in there with regard to that which is holding you back. And yes, it is guilt that is behind these thoughts. For proof of this, study what happens when a Dad and Mom start having problems in their marriage, heading to divorce; it is the child who blames themselves first. The child feels guilty of not doing something they could or should have done to make things right. What this tells us is we can and do accept guilt for things we were not responsible of creating or can do nothing about.
Although there are many types of guilt, all forms of guilt can, when not properly dealt with, place you in a prison of sorts keeping you from becoming all you were meant to be. Guilt is so powerful it has been used by “many religions” and “most governments” to control the masses since the beginning of recorded history. Guilt of some sort is most often the reason many are never able to achieve or become their best. Guilt happens when the conscience is not properly educated.
If you think I am out of line and or crazy, you might want to think again. Conscience is a geographical thing based to a great degree on how and where you are raised. I know a minister from Africa having seven wives yet, believing it a sin to drink caffeine or alcohol. I know others that drink and smoke, but believe that having seven wives is adultery. I know others who tell little white lies, but think those that cheat, smoke, or drink are going to hell. This is the essence of the individual conscience and is why we invite trouble when telling others how to live their lives based on our personal conscience and beliefs. The Apostle Paul said he killed Christians and thought he was doing God a good service. HE DID THIS IN GOOD CONSCIENCE!
It is important to recognize the power we give to guilt when we allow it to hold us in bondage, or place us in uncomfortable situations, or keep us from being free to move into a better way of life. When guilt is dealt with properly it will provide us the freedom to move ahead. There is a necessary road however, with which we must travel to gain this freedom. This road requires us to first forgive ourselves for not being all we thought we should be for this is in essence allowing the past failures to hold us back.
Secondly we must forgive all others for anything we think they may have done to or against us. We must genuinely forgive self as well as all others; doing so by literally envisioning yourself hugging them in a forgiving manner; act out as if in a play a part where you are revising the wrong that was done to them or to you. Forgive not by a sense of duty or service, but because you want to. Do the same with yourself by revising the wrong and doing it over in your heart.
Forgiveness is the experience of imagining the revised version of the day, experiencing it in the way it should have happened in the world of our senses or the actual physical realm. This will once again bring back the ability to imagination in the manner of a child. Jesus often said come as a child for a child has no qualms about dreaming or imagining anything to be possible; on the other hand the adult has spent too much time listening to their senses. The adult is bound by what he or she has tried at and failed, has done wrong or not done at all. The adult has been schooled by the senses into believing nothing is possible.
My two friends, spoken of in Part 2, are great examples of adults thinking like children. They have always been humble enough to know they didn’t know everything therefore; not only would they ask, but they allowed others to show them where they could grow. They recognized failure as part of the growth process knowing it was possible to fail not only their own aspirations, but those of others. But they did not allow failure to cause them to be stopped by the guilt of failing; they continued pushing forward imaging success. Their ability to succeed was a direct result of not allowing guilt to run their lives. Instead, they acted as a child continuing to imagine the best and only the best.
If you are familiar with the story of Moses and the twelve men he sent to visit the promised-land; these twelve men represented our ability to imagine or be beset by what was seen. As the story goes, ten saw something much different and even frightening while two saw something challenging, and well worth the effort and risk. The two optimistic and positive men were Joshua and Caleb.
What we see here is out of the twelve people sent to spy out the land, ten came back stating they did not believe in their wildest imagination it was possible to overcome the obstacles they saw while in the land. Sure, they believed it had great potential, opportunity and wealth, but there was no way to get to it because the obstacles were too LARGE.
On the other hand there was Joshua and Caleb who though they saw the obstacles still saw through the eyes of optimism that all was possible. These two had the ability to imagine the best while believing it was theirs for the taking. Isn’t this the way life is in reality when a dozen people view the same thing? At least ten of them will see obstacles, which cannot be overcome; the remaining one or two are already trying to figure out how to get over the obstacles to get to the prize on the other side. Sadly the majority, are or are quick to become victims of their surroundings. The other two are victors already; they are simply going through the motions of planning and designing the methods needed and necessary in order to overcome any obstacle they face.
Best of LUCK as you
Labor Under Correct Knowledge…
Respectfully,
Rick Cox