"Everything in your past is preparation for something in your future!"

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Win the Day (p. 15). The Crown Publishers Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

Yes it is.

Mark says, "God doesn’t waste days, especially bad days! My life coach helped me identify forty-four defining moments. Some were as dramatic as the day I almost died from ruptured intestines. I was surprised, however, at how many defining moments were as subtle as the subconscious. Identifying those subplots is one key to flipping the script, so I’ll share a few of mine."

He shares, "When I was kid, I was playing Kick the Can with my friends when my mom rang the dinner bell. That’s how we texted before cell phones! We sat down at the dinner table, and I remember saying, 'We’ve got to hurry up and eat because my friends are waiting.' I wasn’t having a panic attack, but my sense of urgency was acute. We couldn’t eat fast enough! Why? I didn’t want to keep my friends waiting. I wish it were nothing more than five-year-old FOMO—fear of missing out.

"I know that incident sounds totally insignificant. Truth be told? It’s the story of my life. Even at five, I felt tremendous internal tension at the thought of letting others down. If there is a twelve-step program for people pleasers, sign me up. I recently shared that subplot with my counselor, including this confession: 'I don’t want to disappoint anyone ever.' My counselor said, 'That’s an awfully big burden to bear.' Yes, it is! Then he added this: 'You know, Mark, Jesus disappointed just about everyone.' Ouch. Trying to please everyone all the time is not the Jesus way. Quite the opposite. If you follow Jesus, you’ll offend more than a few pharisees along the way."

He continues, "Let me share one more subplot, with the goal of helping you identify yours. Around the same time as the inciting incident I just shared, a neighbor-friend knocked on my door and announced that I could no longer ride his banana-seat bike. Why? Because his dad had removed the training wheels. Do not—I repeat, do not—tell me what I cannot do! I marched myself down to his house, got on his bike, and rode it back to my house minus the training wheels! I’ll never forget the feeling of kicking down that kickstand in my driveway, having done something that my neighbor didn’t think I could do. It’s another one of those top-of-the-Empire-State-Building or bottom-of-the-Grand-Canyon moments."

He then says, "If you want me to do something, don’t tell me what to do. That’s totally demotivating. Tell me it can’t be done! You can’t wash the dishes in five minutes. You can’t remember to take out the garbage. You can’t fix the toilet. I wish I were kidding! Lora has to live with this personality trait, but she has learned my love language! For better or for worse, I love proving people wrong. Especially the so-called experts! It’s not only the way I’m wired; it undergirds this entire book."

Those are good examples that show a great place to start in understanding ourselves and our reactions today so we can go back and identify key subplots in our past. Again, that seems a good place to go, isn't it?

Yes, yes!