have ratings father Mike Schmitz and
this is essentia presents' so um here's
one of the realities of life is that it
can get really tough you might be
watching this or listening to this in a
place where it life is is pretty
overwhelming or a life is your
circumstances might even be beyond your
control like you might be in a place
right now where you can't affect or
can't train transform or change your
circumstances they might be someone's
fault like it could be that someone has
done something to you it could be your
own fault maybe you've done something
and your life made some decisions that
just like like Wow and Here I am now now
I'm stuck this person did this thing to
me and now I have to carry this the rest
of my life
two things keep in mind that's what this
videos about two things to keep in mind
one is you always have agency there was
a professor dr. Seligman I believe his
name is who did this experiment on
learned helplessness but he put these
animals in a place where no matter what
they did they couldn't affect their
circumstances and so then he took them
into a brought him into a situation
where they could all they had would have
to do is just move they were in a
situation that no matter what they did
they couldn't escape they couldn't
change their circumstances and then he
brought them into a situation where they
could but they had learned that they
were helpless and so they didn't move
even though they were in a place of
discomfort a place of pain they had
learned that no matter what I do it
doesn't get any better and sometimes
people are in that kind of situation to
where it's like I fought and I fought
and I fought I tried to change things
and I couldn't change them I think they
wouldn't they wouldn't be affected and
so now I just kind of like throw up my
hands and say I mean that's what is
that's my life now but you still have
agency I love that term agency you still
have agency you still can actually act
on your circumstance you can act on your
environment you and I are still free to
make decisions now if say you're really
really sick say maybe we're in an
accident and you're paralyzed say I have
cancer or something like this you might
not be able to get rid of the
answer you might not be able to be
unparalleled you might say someone you
love has promised their life to you and
that they've left they've left you you
might not be able to change that reality
that they're now part of your life again
but that doesn't mean you don't have
agency still I just because I can't do
everything doesn't mean I can't do
anything that's the first thing to keep
in mind you still have agency the second
part is the key area where you and I
have the most agency the key area where
you and I have the most influence is our
heart and what I mean by that is there
are many circumstances there are many
situations there many plate ways and
that life can can can lead us to become
bitter that our circumstances can lead
us to begin to resent others resent us
our situation resent ourselves resent
our own past choices here's my
invitation to everyone who's watching
this to listening to this do everything
absolutely that you possibly can that's
within your power you have agency within
your power to resist bitterness to
resist resentment I might not be able to
change my circumstances yours my
circumstances your circumstances might
might be the kind that just are are
again overwhelming but as long as your
heart remains free of bitterness as long
as your heart remains free of resentment
you remain free interiorly
you might externally be enslaved to
something or and whether that your
circumstances your situation whatever it
is but if internally you do everything
you can to resist bitterness and resist
giving in to the temptation towards
resentment you remain internally free
because I can't control my sin my
situation completely I can't control my
circumstances completely but you and I
can always make that decision to be like
Jesus here he is he's submitting himself
to the cross he's submitting himself to
the Roman government he's submitting
himself to to torture he's submitting
himself to these this environment to
this circumstances not his will but the
Father's will and what he did in all of
that
because he remained free of bitterness
humane free resentment all the way to
the point where he could freely say from
the cross Father forgive them they do
not know what they're doing
he didn't change of circumstances but he
had agency and he didn't allow the
difficulties and suffering of life to
callus his heart question is your heart
calloused right now has your heart
become bitter right now has your heart
begun to resent right now it's
understandable but you have a task now
if you acknowledge the callus if you
acknowledge the bitterness if you
acknowledge the the resentment you have
a task and that task is to do everything
you can to be free do everything you can
to be free of the bitterness do
everything you can to be free of the
resentment here's my invitation
surrender it does that mean it means
place it under the Lord's Dominion
here's that looks like it means saying
of Jesus um I have this bitterness my
heart and I can't get rid of it on my
own and the circumstances in my life and
I cannot get rid of them on my own I
have this this situation and I can't
change it on my own so what I'm gonna do
is I'm gonna place it under your
Dominion the Lord Jesus you're the Lord
Lord right lort you are the Lord that
means that you're the king that means
you have dominion that means you have
sovereignty so what I'm gonna do is I'm
gonna take my bitter heart place it
under your sovereignty and we take my
circumstances and place them under your
Dominion so now Jesus you're the Lord of
it that doesn't mean he's gonna take it
away he just means that I've surrendered
it and so now it's yours Jesus now do
something with this get rid of the
callus get rid of the resentment get rid
of the bitterness last little note if
you get rid of the bitterness you might
get hurt again if you get rid of the
callus they have a tender heart in some
ways you might get hurt again then even
then even then you can be wise
you have agency and it's worth it to
have a heart that can be wounded like
Jesus's heart rather than a heart that
is so bitter and so full of resentment
and so calloused that it can no longer
be hurt and it can no longer love for
all of us here to Center presents my
name is father Mike god bless