While speaking with a friend the conversation rapidly veered to current events in his life. And a question came up. An honest question. “How do you manage yourself when what you see does not align with what you believe?” What he was really asking was along the lines of: Have you ever been in this situation? Is it even “christian like” to feel this way? Am I doing something wrong? Is this even real? Is it right for me to feel this way? I know you have made these questions many times.

This undoubtedly makes me think about two important concepts: character and conviction. For 30 years, I have tried to live a life that will reflect my convictions; my character has followed suit. And time after time, event after event, I have always been tested on my character and in my convictions. And just as my friend questioned his circumstances, so have I. It is an everyday theme. Sometimes it is very easy, but sometimes the picture is not all too clear. Sometimes I’ve conquered and sometimes I’ve been defeated.

We live in a world that is constantly pushing the limits and questioning everything that we stand for. It is simpler to live by emotions than to live by conviction. Living by emotions, and letting the environment and circumstances dictate our path is simpler, not easier. The emotion will always question your conviction, and assault your character, and it will do it almost every time, subtlely. You know in things like, a broken down car twice in a week. Or visit to the hospital for the third time in the month with your children, all the while when you have determined in your heart to believe the promises you have read. Or… you get the point, life.

Life happens and we need help. Emotions won’t do it, conviction and character will. The conviction that God’s word is true and the character to be obedient to what He says. So every time I’m confronted with my own humanity, I remember the words that Jesus said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” So I press on and believe that every thing around me will pass, will change and will end, but His Words will remain. And I find comfort that even when I might not understand all that is going on around me, His Word gives me guidance and hope, that no matter what my eyes might see, the promises and truths penned in the good book are more real than what I see. It’s a struggle for all of us, but it can be done. The one that gave us his word as an anchor, also said: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” And having this conviction that yes troubles are real, but final victory is inevitable is a conviction that I am willing to live for. And through this journey many things will happen, but the important one is that convictions are strengthen and our character is developed. In the end, emotions wither and die, convictions and character blossom and bring life.

The journey is all about the process. Embrace your convictions, develop your character and accept no substitutions.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

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© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2012
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

I have stories while in college where my friends or myself pushed the envelope and we ran our vehicles to the limit. We wanted to know how far we could run while the gas gauge showed that we were running on empty (sometimes it was just because we had no money). It was and exhilarating feeling and fun at the time. We had very few life commitments and we thought that it was cool. I know what you’re thinking, what in the world were they thinking? Isn’t that the dumbest thing to do? Looking back I admit it was foolish. What if we’d had a real emergency and had no fuel to go on?

We were ignorant to the obvious, we would be out of gas soon. This created even bigger problems because we ignored a fact about the vehicles system: when a car runs on empty, usually because of constant usage and time, dirt and other unclean components accumulate in the gas tank. When it is pushed to the limit of running on an empty tank, it can damage the vehicles system and become a costly and unnecessary repair.

Usually, the times my car ran out of gas were in times when I needed to get somewhere the most. It was times in which I was not playing that foolish game, but forgot to replenish the tank. Not a good feeling at all.

There is a good resemblance to our lives. When we stop replenishing we run the risk of getting stranded in the most difficult places, without spiritual, physical or emotional fuel. It happens all the time. We forget the most important things in life. We stop being inspired, and we walk through life as if the charge we have, will be enough to carry us through. Our heart, our mind and our soul needs refueling, constantly. We can kid ourselves that we will be ok, but the truth remains that we know deep inside that we are not. Our priorities start to drift and we loose focus.

Running on empty creates a greater and tougher experience in life. We create a lot of smoke, and we find out pretty quick, it is easily dissipated by even a small wind. When this happens, discouragement kicks in. Because all of the focus has shifted to efforts that have no substance and that are unsustainable on a “one tank”. These are the moments when we start to feel restless, we see signs of burnout and sometimes even feel depressed. Our thought process is blurred and we make mistakes. I think that we run on empty on the belief of our infallible talent, that we are above everyone else and we have it all figured out. Somehow the rules of life apply to everybody else but us and that we have something special that no one else has. In reality what we are showing is a prideful heart and a sense of entitlement. It’s similar to when the tank is empty. It clogs the system and the vehicle doesn’t run well or it even won’t run at all. Dirt and foreign objects are interfering with the normal flow of supply.

We need to realign our lives to the basics. In our spiritual journey, nothing is a replacement of daily worship. In business, new prospects and clients are the lifeline that replenish the cycle. At home, nurturing our relationships everyday is a must. With your body, rest and eat well; you get the point. Don’t run on empty.

Slow down and get back to the basics, you might need it in the moment you least expect. Having a full tank will at least give you spiritual, emotional and even physical margin, to endure the tough times. Replenish your life, and stop running on empty.