In the early stages of World War II, there was a long and hard-fought battle for three small islands in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Those three islands make up Malta, which was a part of the British Commonwealth. Malta was attacked by the Axis powers, first Italy and later Germany, because of its location and impact on shipping lanes to North Africa and other significant ports.
In the book, Spitfire Girl (Spitfires were the planes of the British Royal Air Force), the story of Malta’s determination and resilience is told through the life of Diana Mackintosh, who is still living today at 101 years old. In fact, Diana is more than still living, she is ALIVE. Diana still loves to travel, and according to her son Robert, when she travels, she doesn’t like to travel with anyone over age sixty because she feels they slow her down.
In reading Diana’s story, I was struck by one description of her from the book’s co-author:
“Her eyes pass over obstacles – in order to fix on opportunities.”
What an amazing way to be described and what a way to live life! As a young woman, Diana watched her home reduced to rubble, experienced the loss of close friends and family members, and felt the hunger pangs of starvation when food was unavailable. But she endured because of a perspective that focused on what was possible instead of what could limit those possibilities.
In their book, Focus: Use Different Ways of Seeing the World for Success and Influence, Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson and Dr. E. Tory Higgins, posit that all people are motivated by one of two things: opportunity or security. “Some people,” they write, “are focused on the win, while others are focused on avoiding the loss.”
All of us, it seems, are motivated by potential or prevention. People who are motivated by potential are focused on maximizing gains and avoiding missed opportunities. Those people are driven by progress. People who are motivated by prevention, focus on minimizing losses, and keeping things working as they are. They are motivated by security. These mindsets greatly impact how we experience the world.
So, who are you? Are you like Diana? Are obstacles fuzzy images on the edge of your periphery as you stare down opportunities? Or are you more of a prevention person, focusing on security and stability for yourself and the people around you? The good news is that there is no “right” kind of person. There’s just you and me. And we, oftentimes because of our upbringing, our life story, and our experiences, lean toward potential or prevention.
Here’s the good news, our faith in Christ offers us hope in either circumstance. If you are someone who thrives on progress and the chance to chase another dream, you have this hope:
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. – Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)
This verse tells us that the biggest dreams we have are not big enough for what God is able to do in us and through us! In fact, Paul also writes in Ephesians that we are God’s masterpiece and that He planned in advance for us to do good things (Ephesians 2:10). So if you are a mountain climber and a dream chaser, know that God created you that way and that He will provide and guide you to the mountain top.
But we’re not all wired that way. So what hope does Jesus offer to those of us who are motivated by prevention? Those who realize that the obstacles don’t just go away because we choose not to acknowledge them? If God wired us that way, what does He offer to us? He offers us the security and the assurance we need to strengthen those around us and to live a life of faith and hope. Listen to this promise:
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
We don’t have to give in to anxiety when obstacles come along, and we don’t have to worry about the things we can’t control. We can give those things to God and experience an unreasonable peace. What a trade-off! We give God our problems, fears, concerns, and obstacles we face. He gives us back the peace that will guard our hearts (emotions) and our minds (thoughts). And it is a peace that exceeds our ability to understand it. It is unreasonable.
Wherever you are today and whoever you are, an opportunity chaser or obstacle avoider, know that God has created you in His image (Genesis 1:27) and that includes your disposition toward possibility or prevention. It takes all of us to make life work and all of us to be Christ’s church. However you’re wired, be encouraged today!