Defining Circumstances — Landon Wiland

This is a guest post from the one and only Phillip Villarreal! I thought a recent post of his was too good not to pass along. You can check out more from him on Facebook and Twitter.

"Can 2016 just go away?"
"Ugh! This year needs to end."

These are just two out of the plethora of sayings I've heard or read about this year. Could it be that the year, rather the circumstances throughout the year, are not the cause of tension and suffering? We live on an earth with turmoil, tension, stress, and fear. This is not changing.

The only thing we can control is our choices in the midst of adversity. Blaming an event, person, situation, or political agenda for our problems quickly removes all responsibility from the individual to make a difference. All personal growth comes on the heels of adversity. We can cave in and blame everything and everyone around us for our failures, or we can let it build our character.

Let 2017 be a year for taking action. A year for not letting what happens to you define you. A year for serving others. A year for giving more generously. A year for unity. A year of not complaining about everyone or everything else being the cause for our lack of growth. A year for taking the time to look at every human being we encounter in the eyes, while seeing past what's on the outside and looking to the heart as Jesus would.

Our circumstances do not define us. We don't wander through this life beaten down because of what's happened to us or how we've been mistreated. We build from these experiences and refuse to let them build a wall of bitterness around our heart. Forgive quickly, refuse to be offended, and love unconditionally.