Spence M . Finlayson

According to Wikipedia a Phoenix is a mythical bird that is a fire spirit with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet ( or purple , blue and green according to some legends ). It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle , near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites ; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes , from which a new , young Phoenix rises , reborn anew to live again .

Yes , the mythical Phoenix bird has given all of us the blueprint for bouncing back from adversity . Napoleon Hill said “ Every adversity , every failure , every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit . I encourage you to continue to believe that you have the God-given ability to transform your life from one of disappointments , disenfranchisement and constant failure to one of

much success , happiness and personal fulfillment . It begins with you , not your mother , father , brother , sister or children , but you . Remember , “ if it ’ s to be , it ’ s up to me .“

William James , the noted American Philosopher said “ acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcome the consequences of any misfortune .” Remember that everyone is faced with a Job experience at some point in their in their lives . It is not how many times you get knocked down that counts but how many times you get back up .

Pick yourself up and learn from why you failed , and move on in a highly positive direction . One of my favorite televangelist is Bishop T . D . Jakes of Dallas , Texas . He said “ a setback is just a setup to a comeback .” Rise from the ashes like the Phoenix ‘!

I am a firm believer in the power of prayer and I don ’ t make any apologies for this . When I pray , I ask God to

remove my apparent difficulties realizing that I cant handle it by myself and I say “ thy will be done , not mine ”. The power of prayer should not be underestimated . James 5 : 16-18 declares “ The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective . Elijah was a man just like us . He prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years . Again he prayed and the heavens gave rain and the earth produced crops .” I strongly recommend praying to the God of your understanding always , especially when your life has gone deep into the doldrums for an extended period of time . God ’ s help through the power of prayer is available for various kinds of requests and challenges . We are reminded in the book of Phillipians , chapter 4 verses 6-7 “ do not be anxious about anything , but in everything , by prayer and petition , with thanksgiving , present your requests to God and the peace of God , which transcends all understanding , will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus .”

We all need to become more resilient , bouncing back from life ’ s tragedies and difficulties . Some persons are more able to “ come back ” over and over again during their lifetime . Resilient people don ’ t try to avoid failure and life ’ s crushing blows ; they pick themselves up , bounce back , survive and thrive . President Theodore Roosevelt said “ It isn ’ t he critic who counts ; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better , the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena , whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood , who strives valiantly , who errs and comes up short again and again , because there is no effort without error

or shortcoming , but who knows the great enthusiasms , the great devotions , who spends himself for a worthy cause ; who at the best , knows , in the end , the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst , if he falls , at least he falls while daring greatly , so that his place shall never be with theses cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat .”

At various times in our lives , many of us have experienced a kind of life that makes us want to crawl into a hole ; resiliency is what helps us dust ourselves off and climb back into the saddle instead . I believe that resiliency is the uncanny ability to face failures , disappointments , setbacks , crises and betrayal with confidence and courage . Rising like the Phoenix is the ability to quickly bounce back from our personal trials , tribulations and tragedies . Without this ability we will forever dwell on our setbacks instead of making progress in our lives . Remember , don ’ t continue to stare at the spot where you lost your footing , forge ahead with confidence and determination because you can make it if you just keep on keeping on .

Hollywood actor John Travolta , in my opinion , is the epitome of a comeback king , rising form the ashes like the proverbial Phoenix . Director Quentin Tarantino gave Travolta ’ s career a life-saving boost when he cast him in his movie Pulp Fiction , with a great cast of actors like Bruce Willis , Samuel L . Jackson , Harvey Keitel and Uma Thurman . It was Pulp Fiction that really brought John Travolta back into the spotlight years after his days as sharp dancing Tony Manero of the highly popular Saturday Night fever movie .

Yes , you too , can rise from the ashes like the Phoenix .