Shine

"Challenges create opportunities." -Andy Game

This week Pastor Andy Game spoke to us. One thing that really stood out to me is quoted above. Things have been quite rough for me, allergies going haywire, lack of quality sleep [several nights in a row], disturbing dreams and drama in the dorm. All of these challenges have created opportunities for me to practice walking in the opposite spirit. On the nights my allergies woke me up and kept me up instead of allowing my poor quality sleep to cause me to be cranky, I chose to pray and give my crankiness to God. When I had disturbing dreams I chose to not let them effect my mood, which in turn, did not dictate how my day went. Each time drama arose in the dorm, I have chosen to pray and ask Jesus to be Lord over my right to be offended.

Through choosing to walk in the opposite spirit I have reached the realization that I am in better control over my emotions and how well my day goes. I have also realized that walking in the opposite spirit has gradually become easier for me to do. Instead of focusing on the issues that have been arising and my situation, Holy Spirit has granted me the strength to focus on him, which has honestly made life easier even though it seems as though everything is going wrong. I have learned that whenever I am feeling unwell because of one thing or another and I pray the opposite of what I am feeling I begin feeling the opposite of what I originally felt.

It is quite easy to say that this is easier said than done (often times it is) but once you begin to do so after a while it becomes easier and easier. Walking in the opposite spirit is just like any other skill you learn; you need practice and experience before it becomes your second nature. Walking in the opposite spirit begins with changing the way you think because negative thoughts prevent you from doing so.