good morning and welcome to Daily Reflections. This morning we're starting a brand new series called Necessity to Strive versus Exception to Thrive. And we're contemplating the idea that survival has become a familiar place for us. It's a place where we can feel at ease knowing how to negotiate its challenges.
And perhaps it's time to question. Whether we've grown too accustomed to surviving and overlooked the potential of the place of preparation. Is there a world beyond the confines of survival that awaits our exploration? In Bible, in the Bible verse I'd like to get us to think about these things is in Psalm 46.
10. And it says, Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations.
Now this verse reminds us to take a moment of stillness to pause and reflect on our lives. Instead of being preoccupied with survival, we should open ourselves up to God's guidance and explore new areas that we may have, that us.
So day one is today and it's about unveiling the comfort of survival. Jeremiah 29 11 says, for I know the plans I have for you. declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Such a well known verse and maybe we gloss over it too much.
So I just wanted to go through this morning to start off with what's the benefits of being in a survival mindset. And this may shock you, some of these things that are in this list. But here they are. One, it's a basic need that we do need to survive. Two, is the adaptability that we get from it.
Three is the resilience we gain from it. And the resourcefulness is number four. Number five, it's great for problem solving. Number six, health and safety. It's good for our health. And seven, it's good for the community and the support system around you. And eight, it's for planning and preparedness.
And nine, a positive mindset. There's some really wonderful things there. But what's the dangers of being too long in a survival mindset? And these are some, if you can see the warning signs when you're in the survival mode. One is that you become stagnated in your position of where you are. The opportunities are limited, you end up limiting your opportunities instead of increasing them.
Three, that it's not good for your mental health if you stay there too long. And four is social isolation, you begin to withdraw and be with inward. Five is a lack of innovation. And six is fear driven decision making. When we survive we make rash decisions. Seven is the diminished empathy. Eight is resistance to change.
And nine, short term thinking. So if you find yourself in those areas, maybe that you've been too long in survival mode. In our pursuit of embracing the unfamiliar, we should remember that God has plans for us beyond mere survival. His plans for our hope, our future, filled with possibilities.
Embracing the unknown with trust in his guidance will lead us to new places of growth and fulfilment. I know that's a lot to think about this morning, but As we move forward in this theme this week, I do believe it will take us further on and help us to push forward into new possibilities.
So until tomorrow, I shall see you then.
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