Look at these words, they look pretty close but have VASTLY different meanings.
OVERCOME ~ OVERCOMING
One means to overcome and surmount an obstacle impeding our progress, blocks and stumblingstones along our way. The other means to BE overcome by those same obstacles and stumblingstones. They are interchangeable, meaning one may be substituted for the other one in ANY circumstance you happen to find yourself in. It's a matter of choice in our response. One way allows others to overcome us, to sway us like a leaf blowing in the wind. The other way allows us to overcome anything that is thrown at us, meant to put us down and keep us down, meant to trip us up, and leaves (us) free blowing as the wind.
Last night I came to a fork in my path, and I chose the path of overcoming, rather than letting myself be overcome! It had to do with fear, overcoming an old fear I had long clung to, long as I can remember actually, fear of heights. I wanted to go on a ride at the midway of the fair we went to, my husband and I and his two cousins. My husband isn't a rider, he won't even do the merry go round. I love rides but don't get to do much, it's not much fun going it alone. That's another life lesson, but I digress! So I stated my idea that it would be fun to go on a ride, would anybody go on one with me? And I let the cousins choose, and of course they picked the one ride I really didn't want to go on! It went way high up in the air, it was a ride that looked like hanggliders. As we made our way through the midway to a ticket booth, and bought our tickets, I kept hoping they would change their mind and settle for a more down to earth ride, like my favorite, the Tilt A Whirl! But no, they wanted to fly through the air. So I even told them I was afraid of heights, and instead of caring for my fear, they made fun of me and laughed! Oh no Barb, you aren't going to scream all the way through it are you?! One asked with great amusement. He dared me to get on that ride and NOT scream! Hah! I can't pass up a challenge, I just can't. And besides what did I have to lose...except my great fear of heights?
So I mustered up the courage to line up in the line with them, giving my husband my windbreaker and pocketbook. I didn't even think a second thought about it, once I decided to overcome I was NOT going to be overcome! We handed our tickets to the ride operator and marched up to the nearest hanglider and we all three proceeded to climb into it together, me in the middle, laying on our bellies with our heads sticking out through the bars and our undersides supported by the canopy with metal frames. We took off, soaring and overlooking the whole fairgrounds we went higher and higher, round and round, faster and faster and dipping up and down. It really felt like we were flying like Superman! I felt scared to death and yet also exhilarated, that was such a thrill! I was flying, in the air, many many many feet higher than I'd ever dared go my whole life I think!!! I was FREEEEE!!!!!!!!
And I screamed the whole time! hehehe I screamed "OH MY GOD!!!!" and "HOLY +#@%!!!!!" and just plain screamed, and felt thrilled and soooooo alive!!!! I wondered if we'd go flying off the machine with our hangglider and those were the scariest moments of all. And then I'd take my hands off the bar in front of us and hold them out in front of me so it felt like I was Superman again, and then it was fun!
We got off the ride and were all dizzy and laughing and just having a blast! I loved flying, much to my surprise. It was soooooo easy to overcome the fear, once I decided to. The fear tried to slip back in but my perfect love (for fun!) cast out all fear.
To be overcome....or to overcome..feel vastly different.
I asked God what He thought of my going on that flying ride, when I was walking my dog in the meadow when we got home at midnight. He laughed and said He enjoyed going on that ride and He thanked me!!!! hehehe I was glad and I laughed, thinking if I had chosen with my flesh, my fear...we wouldn't have experienced the joy of the thrill ride. But I also know that if I had not had the fears in me since early childhood, that I would not have appreciated the great fun and joy and thrill of the ride, either. I would have taken it all for granted.
It's good to be overcome.....and then to overcome. It helps us appreciate when we observe the difference, and how they make us feel.
OVERCOME ~ OVERCOMING
One means to overcome and surmount an obstacle impeding our progress, blocks and stumblingstones along our way. The other means to BE overcome by those same obstacles and stumblingstones. They are interchangeable, meaning one may be substituted for the other one in ANY circumstance you happen to find yourself in. It's a matter of choice in our response. One way allows others to overcome us, to sway us like a leaf blowing in the wind. The other way allows us to overcome anything that is thrown at us, meant to put us down and keep us down, meant to trip us up, and leaves (us) free blowing as the wind.
Last night I came to a fork in my path, and I chose the path of overcoming, rather than letting myself be overcome! It had to do with fear, overcoming an old fear I had long clung to, long as I can remember actually, fear of heights. I wanted to go on a ride at the midway of the fair we went to, my husband and I and his two cousins. My husband isn't a rider, he won't even do the merry go round. I love rides but don't get to do much, it's not much fun going it alone. That's another life lesson, but I digress! So I stated my idea that it would be fun to go on a ride, would anybody go on one with me? And I let the cousins choose, and of course they picked the one ride I really didn't want to go on! It went way high up in the air, it was a ride that looked like hanggliders. As we made our way through the midway to a ticket booth, and bought our tickets, I kept hoping they would change their mind and settle for a more down to earth ride, like my favorite, the Tilt A Whirl! But no, they wanted to fly through the air. So I even told them I was afraid of heights, and instead of caring for my fear, they made fun of me and laughed! Oh no Barb, you aren't going to scream all the way through it are you?! One asked with great amusement. He dared me to get on that ride and NOT scream! Hah! I can't pass up a challenge, I just can't. And besides what did I have to lose...except my great fear of heights?
So I mustered up the courage to line up in the line with them, giving my husband my windbreaker and pocketbook. I didn't even think a second thought about it, once I decided to overcome I was NOT going to be overcome! We handed our tickets to the ride operator and marched up to the nearest hanglider and we all three proceeded to climb into it together, me in the middle, laying on our bellies with our heads sticking out through the bars and our undersides supported by the canopy with metal frames. We took off, soaring and overlooking the whole fairgrounds we went higher and higher, round and round, faster and faster and dipping up and down. It really felt like we were flying like Superman! I felt scared to death and yet also exhilarated, that was such a thrill! I was flying, in the air, many many many feet higher than I'd ever dared go my whole life I think!!! I was FREEEEE!!!!!!!!
And I screamed the whole time! hehehe I screamed "OH MY GOD!!!!" and "HOLY +#@%!!!!!" and just plain screamed, and felt thrilled and soooooo alive!!!! I wondered if we'd go flying off the machine with our hangglider and those were the scariest moments of all. And then I'd take my hands off the bar in front of us and hold them out in front of me so it felt like I was Superman again, and then it was fun!
We got off the ride and were all dizzy and laughing and just having a blast! I loved flying, much to my surprise. It was soooooo easy to overcome the fear, once I decided to. The fear tried to slip back in but my perfect love (for fun!) cast out all fear.
To be overcome....or to overcome..feel vastly different.
I asked God what He thought of my going on that flying ride, when I was walking my dog in the meadow when we got home at midnight. He laughed and said He enjoyed going on that ride and He thanked me!!!! hehehe I was glad and I laughed, thinking if I had chosen with my flesh, my fear...we wouldn't have experienced the joy of the thrill ride. But I also know that if I had not had the fears in me since early childhood, that I would not have appreciated the great fun and joy and thrill of the ride, either. I would have taken it all for granted.
It's good to be overcome.....and then to overcome. It helps us appreciate when we observe the difference, and how they make us feel.


