The Power of Confronting Problems

After 44 years of life, I should have learned this by now, but I learned it afresh today.

When you have a problem, confront it -- head on.

For the past two weeks, I have been waking up in the middle of the night, worrying about a challenge I am facing. Roadblocks have been piled in the way day after day, making an imposing challenge seem completely impossible. It has caused a crisis of faith in my life, a crisis of commitment and a crisis in my family life. I felt like the ultimate ostrich, sticking my head in the sand and nearly asphxiating myself with the problems in the process.

I have been praying to God for wisdom, but I have been unwilling to put legs to what He was calling me to do -- talking it out.

Today, I sat down with two of my friends who are shareholders in this effort and talked through all of the roadblocks and what we could do to remove them.

About two hours of frank discussion later, we all feel better about the future and this challenge we are all facing together. They were refreshed to see that someone else had run into the everyday issues they face. I was refreshed because they saw the issues, acknowledged them and pledged to help me remove the roadblocks.

Sometimes, I am willing to turn my life upside down to avoid a tough conversation.

We have to have tough conversations, not only for us, but for the betterment of our brothers and sisters in Christ.