Which One Are You?

Are you a "paranoid?" "Life is hard, then you die."
"Rebels who never actually live."

Are you a "fatalist?" "Hardship is inevitable, so just let it roll... God is in control, so just trust him, don't worry about it, no big deal."
"Fatalism anesthetizes desire."

Are you a "heroic"? "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger...Tackle the problem till it resolves."
"The heroic leads to a disdain for any who cannot run ahead of the pack, or worse, who fall behind and need care to survive."

Are you a "optimist?" "Grin and bear it... laugh at every foe...Everything will get better."
"Optimism is the comfort zone of those who want to distance themselves from pain."

All of these 'styles' are ways of numbing the heart from pain. As I reflect, I think I'm a mixture, choosing all four at different times! Yet if we are closed to sorrow, we are also closed to joy.

What if we learned to embrace the pain of life instead of escape it? What if we learned to allow the heartache to shape us into something more-- more awake, more alive, more free?

These thoughts taken from Chapter 1, The Healing Path, Dan Allender