“I now look for three telltale signs of Resistance. I know I need to fight against whatever is holding me back if the voice I’m hearing is discouraging, divisive, or devaluing. . . . When I talk about Resistance, I mean the jumble of thoughts and emotions and messages that swirl in your head. . . . you must reject them.”- Jennifer Fulwiler
In Chapter 7 (“You Can Fight the Enemy”) of Your Blue Flame, Jennifer Fulwiler reminds you that your blue flame represents more than just the work you’re meant to do. In addition, it’s work you need to do. So, Jennifer underscores, it’s imperative that you confront a force out there that wants to stop you.
Writing in The War of Art, Steven Pressfield labels this force Resistance. He describes it as follows:
“A low grade misery pervades everything. We’re bored, we’re restless. We can’t get no satisfaction. There’s guilt but we can’t put our finger on the source. . . . We feel unloved and unlovable.”
Furthermore, Resistance works as a negative, repelling force. It’s goal involves shoving us away. And through distracting us, it prevents us from functioning on the job. Also, the author offers her personal take. She sees it as an all-encompassing term to describe everything holding us back. Thus, sometimes Resistance consists of:
- our own fears
- a subconscious attempt to self-sabotage
- the devil – yes, the devil
Finally, Jennifer talks about one of the most transformative concepts that developed from her conversion form atheism to faith in Jesus. A dark force exists in the world and possesses real power. As a result, you must adopt a warrior mentality if you’re serious about finding and igniting your blue flame. Above all, this warrior stance isn’t optional. Because the greater good you do, the harder you must fight. Hence, Steven Pressfield points out that:
“Resistance is directly proportional to love. If you’re feeling massive Resistance, the good news is that it means there’s tremendous love there too.”
Today’s question: Which of the three telltale signs hold you back? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the July Short Meditation, “Terrior – only your Vinedresser knows for sure!”
