One of the common complaints of people in our time is the monotony and boredom of life . I have a sneaking suspicion that this slant on life contributes to what we call " burnout ." It may also play a role in certain high-risk behaviors that range from driving too fast to getting caught up in a marriage-destroying affair to experimenting with drugs . Monotony and boredom are self-inflicted wounds to the human spirit . If you have a routine , lackluster , and sometimes tedious job , that does not mean you have to live a routine , lackluster , and tedious life . Maybe you need to change jobs . In the current environment , that ' s not always possible — or necessary . Maybe you simply need to give yourself some additional space to grow .
Perhaps you ' ve been to the fair and seen cucumbers grown inside soda bottles or pumpkins in gallon jugs . Young plants placed inside containers grow to the space they have . They take on the contours and limits of their surroundings .
I understand it works with animals too . Put a young fish whose species normally grows reasonably large into a tiny aquarium , and its full adult size will be suppressed because of the strictly limited space it was given .
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The same thing is true of people . We grow to the intellectual space we have . We take on the dull or positive contours of our emotional environments . We are bighearted or parsimonious due to the spiritual influences that mold us . But this is not to say that we are the helpless victims of circumstances beyond our control . No matter your job or current life predicament , you can choose the environment for your soul . You can give yourself some room to grow .
“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength ( Isaiah 40:31 )
” For your body : eat sensibly , get enough sleep , exercise regularly , and stay away from tobacco and alcohol . For your mind : read good literature , listen to inspirationaleducational cassettes in your car , expand your vocabulary , and keep clear of the pollution of pornography and vulgarity .
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For your spirit : worship , read Scripture , invest yourself in service to others , and refuse to live in the spiritual bondage of cynicism or bitterness over a " bad break " life has dealt you .
To be a big-hearted , great-souled person is not the unanticipated destiny of a privileged few . It is the preordained outcome for anyone who chooses to look beyond limitation to possibility and learns to see an opportunity in every problem .
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By Rubel Shelly |
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6 / HEALTHY RGV |