Don't Let Opposition Set You Back

Sometimes I think obstacles occur in our lives to test the true weight of our desires.  I can remember wanting to play an instrument when I was younger.  However, the want to never manifested it self in actual practice.  Sure, I would plunk on my keyboard for short periods of time, but never to the point that I learned a song.  The desire for playing an instrument was never really that great in my life (although sometimes it seems to continue to grow).

Times of testing have often revealed to me what I really want.  If I believe an idea has merit and that pursuing it might be a good idea, I am usually very willing to try it.  However, if I am not absolutely convinced that this is what God would have me to do, or that it is the only right course of action, I find that opposition causes me to rethink my approach and reevaluate the idea.  Sometimes, I drop something because the opposition isn't worth it.  But when I am moved to conviction, and convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, that an idea is the right thing to do, the thing that God has called me to, then opposition only makes me try harder.

I have learned a long time ago that I am a dreamer by nature.  I also know that not all ideas should become reality.  Somethings we attempt, for the glory of God, might not work out.  The Lord may have another plan, but that doesn't mean that it is a sin to attempt them.  Opposition does not mean that something isn't the will of God.  In fact, opposition usually means that we are doing the will of God (especially when it's the right kind of opposition).

We have to ask why opposition is against us.  Are we wrong?  That is, are we pushing for something that is meant to bring us glory and honor, when we should be seeking God's glory?  Have we misunderstood the Scriptures and thus misapplied them, so that those who hear us are really standing in opposition to error?  Or is the opposition against the sound interpretation and application of Scripture?  That is, do they know what you're saying is right, they just don't want to hear it?  Have we gone about things with an improper attitude, or in an unloving way that makes people feel used and angry?  We have to find the reason for the opposition.

If we know that our foundation rests in the obedient response to a sound interpretation and application of Scripture, and we know that we are moving at a gentle, loving pace, then we can be reasonably comfortable with the assertion that it is God' s work that is being opposed, and not us.  Once the nature of the opposition has been established, we can then turn that information into fuel for motivation.  The knowledge that you are doing the right thing, for the right reason, to the glory of God, should keep you from letting opposition from setting you back.