Cheated: An Unfair Trade

Introduction: 

Welcome my friend! 

It does feel good to start the month with this conversation here with you. 

Truly, the days have flown by, so that we're already in March having barely put away our Christmas trees.

Such is the significance of time, which makes it our most valuable resource, and one to be managed properly to good effect. 

So that as the days pass on to make us older regardless, we ourselves through our own self development can ensure that we're also better, having intentionally committed our time to learning, discipline and productivity. 

On the other hand though, we can choose to “go with the flow” , never really getting a grip of ourselves as seconds become hours, and days birth years. 

Yet when we think of it, none of us really made the choice to live without stability and security but find ourselves there as a consequence of coming short on our attempts at them. 

Quite simply when we improve how we use our time, the quality of our life also gets better to reflect this change. 

Discussion:

If a man trades his commodity for less than it's worth, it's because he's desperate or ignorant of its value; both of which are attributes that can hinder sound judgement. 

When we go out there with the intention to do anything to achieve “success” it's because we've wrongly defined it around: power, money, fame and every other vanishing metric that keeps us in perpetual chase to meet up with an ever changing societal standard. 

It's out of this desperation, that we find ourselves willing to give up what we have in exchange for these things but is this really a fair trade? 

■ A Yearning For More 

Mediocrity is living below standards of excellence and showing no desires for improvement. 

However, replacing this with an unhealthy obsession for more than we have the realistic opportunities, capacity and skill set to achieve isn't ambition but is somewhere between daydreaming and desperation. 

When we do this, it's because we're driven by pride, seeking accomplishments to appeal to our ego and to alert everyone of our “presence”, even if it's intimidating.  

So we want all these fancy things as proof that we're deserving of the exaltation and recognition that we desire even when we don't need them in the actual sense. 

This is the basis of all our desperation as we begin to do “everything it takes” to get what we want even if it means harming others in the process, or as an aspect of the process. 

■ Identifying Major Trade Offs 

Many times we're caught in the chase for what we don't have, that we willingly give up what we do have in exchange for them even if what we have is more valuable. 

Blinded by desire we can easily make the mistake of evaluating circumstances wrongly so that we find ourselves in the following tradeoffs;

▪︎ We Trade God's Perfect Plan For Our Good Plan 

The most costly exchange after which every other thing pretty much goes downhill is the one that involves our purpose; becoming who we're here on earth to be. 

The God that created us has a role here for us, of which he wants us to play, and from where he blesses us. 

These roles embrace all works of life as we through our excellent spirit show outstanding behaviour and performance in our little corners, wherever we find ourselves. 

God's perfect plan for us is tied to our purpose and when we walk away from it, we walk into our own human planning; full of mistakes and limitations as we're unable to make the same consistent decisions as the one that can see the end from the beginning. 

▪︎ We Trade His Peace For Anxiety 

There's this calmness of heart that exists when we know and believe that God will surely come through for us.

This is the peace that passes all understanding. 

As folks living in a world of instability, wars, crime, uncertainties and disappointments, it's only normal for us to be anxious about our fate and worried sick about what can happen to us. 

When we accept God's plan we push the responsibilities of leading us through all these back to him, so that even when we may experience any, he strengthens us to endure, coming out better for it. 

▪︎ We Trade Confidence For Doubt 

The confidence that God is with us comes with perseverance and patience as we hold out on tough days knowing that we're not wasting our time. 

In the absence of divine conviction, we'll doubt the process at every sight of an obstacle, afraid that this trial and error of ours may go burst. 

▪︎ We Trade His Care For Struggle 

Like the way a responsible parent caters for their children's needs, God wants to take care of us. 

If we understand that he is our heavenly father, ever ready to help us, we'll be willing to cast our burdens on his arms of care instead of trying to “figure it out”.

As a good father he sees and knows all our limitations and will always step in at the right time to intervene for us, if we let him. 

▪︎ We Trade His Lessons For Errors 

When we trust in God, everything eventually works out for our good. 

The mistakes of a believer provides an awesome opportunity for God to reveal and prove his steadfastness to us as he sends out a message of his salvation out of a messy situation.  

When we trust our own planning our mistakes become consequences of our poor choices and provide us with no ladder of elevation afterwards. 

▪︎ We Trade Fulfillment For Emptiness 

If money really satisfied then the rich wouldn't take their own lives. 

If fame did, then celebrities would have been the happiest people.

Truth is, there's this void only our relationship with God can fill, outside of which we can only find emptiness. 

The fulfillment that comes with knowing that we've used our gifts and talents rightly the way God intended for us provides the soul with a satisfaction that quenches all yearnings. 

■ Identifying Other Trade Offs 

It's not only in our relationship with God that we've given up what is suitable for what is desirable even if it's damaging. 

When we fail to rightly evaluate the people in our lives and the quality of our relationship with them, we again become victims of our poor judgement as we engage in more trade offs so that; 

▪︎ We Trade Honest Friends For Flattery 

Friends that genuinely care about us will tell us the truth as it is even if it's not what we want to hear. 

When we appreciate sweet words over humbling truth we push away those that want us to be better. 

▪︎ We Trade Kind Friends For Attractive Ones

For some of us, friendship should be with the “high and mighty”, an avenue to score social points as we show our class. 

For this reason we can push away kind friends because they don't meet this criteria. 

Also, how many times do we see folks get involved with a “trophy partner” when there are signs everywhere that show their incompatibility to build a sustainable relationship? 

▪︎ We Trade Good Company For A Good Time 

The company of good friends may not be interesting but it will be impactful. 

When we spend time with people that inspire us to be better, the quality of our lives improve as we learn to adapt better habits. 

▪︎ We Trade True Love For Self Indulgence 

Those that love us won't always agree with us especially when what we desire isn't good for us. 

People who allow us do all we want or have our way all the time don't love us as much as those who firmly say “No” to make us reconsider the consequences of our choices. 

Summary: 

Many people in search of power, money and fame have lost their souls. 

They have in search of societal acceptance and relevance become someone they themselves can no longer recognize, a person that they're not proud of. 

So with all their achievements on their crown, they're left saddened by the rude awakening that they've only traded the joy they sought for by giving it up for material things that can't satisfy. 

As we close, we're reminded that this is a call to action.

We're called to walk back to God who can restore everything that the world has cheated us out on; in this unfair trade.

Master Apprentice.

www.twitter.com/truekingmaker