Marriner’s Moment: Reconnecting With Our Inner Greatness – Part 3

By Pastor Melvin O. Marriner
Grove Church

For the last few weeks I’ve been discussing the importance of reconnecting with our inner greatness. Sometimes reconnecting with our inner greatness requires us to overcome some things. For example:

Rejectio – Everyone experiences some type of rejection in life. There is a Japanese proverb that says, “Fall down seven times, get up eight.” The pain of rejection may be intense right for a while, but this, too, shall pass. Think of some of the celebrities that failed, but refused to be deterred; among them Michael Jordan, Walt Disney and Oprah Winfrey. Get up and get back in the game to reconnect with your inner greatness.

Failure – Humility is often cultivated through failure; it is something that God can and does develop in us. And, remember, even when we fail, God is at work. Joseph had to endure and encounter failure (Gen. 37:17B). We must learn to embrace our failure and call it what it is. We also must envision ourselves getting past the problem. Sometimes we prolong our suffering because we refuse to look to God. Understand and accept that setbacks are detours, not dead-end streets.

Criticism – Criticism and offense can leave us bitter, broken, disgusted. Refuse to allow people or circumstances determine how you feel or dictate what you are capable of achieving. Know that you are part of a ‘chosen generation.’ One thing we can do to combat discouraging words is to learn not to use them ourselves. Instead, we can become encouragers! King Solomon understood the power of encouragement when he wrote in Proverbs 25:11, “The right word spoken at the right time is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl.”

Peace and power,

© Dr. Melvin O. Marriner,
May 2016

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