“The Opposition occupies the benches in front of you, the enemy sits behind you.” - Winston Churchill
Every successful endeavor for Good will face opposition. Whether on the field or in the boardroom, you will encounter resistance when you strive to do good. Your mission to do good will always be challenged by someone or something. Often, those who oppose or undermine you are in your own backyard. It’s not always the external competition you need to worry about; sometimes, it’s the people closest to you who, for various reasons, do not want you to succeed.
The greatest enemies can sometimes be within your own organization or smaller circle.
Consider the people in history who were persecuted for doing the right things and simply trying to love and support others. The ultimate persecution was of Jesus. He was mocked, made to wear a crown of thorns, and humiliated by the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the time. People mock what they don’t understand, or jealousy arises because of the followers that a person on a good mission attracts. And of course, Jesus was betrayed by someone in his inner circle.We should heed that lesson.
Living your mission to the fullest is a hard and lonely road, especially if you are helping others reach their God-given potential. I was not prepared for this fact early on in my professional life. You would think that when your motive is to do good with no real agenda but to love others through your mission, it would be embraced. Not so. Like many others, I was naive on this point earlier in life. You will be opposed no matter what good you are trying to do by both internal and external sources.
Learning to be steadfast in the face of discrimination,
unfair attacks, bias, and intentional dismantling of your mission is what
champions in life do.
Those who call themselves Christians are sometimes your greatest challenge. It is sad but unfortunately true. Don’t lose your faith because of a few bad apples in the barrel. Learn to overcome and become steadfast in your faith for the greater good regardless of the bad apples in the barrel.
Losing faith over the bad apples, the Judas’s of life is not the way of a champion on or off the field. You be the example when others fail to set the example.
How do you handle your internal folks who don't support your mission? That is the million-dollar question. It depends on the situation, but here are some general points for the persecution journey:
Here are a few ways to face the opposition head-on and show that you won’t be defeated:
“You can determine the caliber of a person by the amount of opposition it takes to discourage him or her.” - John Maxwell
“Your life is not little, and your playing small doesn’t serve the world. Your living large, on the other hand—your being your true self despite fear, fatigue, doubt, and opposition—will serve the world more than you can imagine. In fact, it may help save it. And saving the world, after all, is what all heroes (including you) are here to do.” –
Martha Beck
“The effects of opposition are wonderful. There are men who rise refreshed on hearing a threat, men to whom a crisis, which intimidates and paralyzes the majority, comes as graceful and beloved as a bride.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Stay strong and keep pushing forward! Your mission is worth iy if it truly serves God and others.
Blessings,
Coach Weber
Philippians 4:13