Never Go Back Again!

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How To Stop Settling


Every once in a while a song lyric, a phrase, or a quote will sprint its way past my ears and resonate directly with my soul. This weekend I sat with two men at one of the cold, stainless steel tables in my assigned prison wing when one of the men nonchalantly said, "Without a 'What Now,' there's always a 'go back.'" The conversation lulled on for a moment before my heart woke up to what he had said, "Wait, what did you say again?" I questioned. My tone must have been jarring because John repeated himself taking great care to get his words right, "Without a 'What Now,' there's always a 'go back.'" Every time in my life that I have not had a specific plan, goal, or purpose for what's next, I have returned to old habits, old hangups, old patterns of doubt and fear, old addictions, and old ways of thinking. I must have a, "What Now?" Our physical bodies love comfort. Innately we rush toward homeostasis without even understanding what it is. My friend Ryan loves this word. Physiological homeostasis is, "metabolic equilibrium actively maintained by several complex biological mechanisms that operate via the autonomic nervous system to offset disrupting changes." In other words it's how our bodies maintain the automatic. Our hearts and minds also have an automatic default we turn to. In order to make authentic, life long changes I am literally fighting against mental, emotional, spiritual homeostasis. This is why changing my preset habits, my factory default, is incredibly difficult. The Bible teaches that I must, "Let God transform (me) into a new person by changing the way (I) think." Romans 12:2 (NLT) For the most part, our thought patterns are automatic, and while we say we have choices to make throughout the day, most of the time we operate our lives on autopilot. Most days are exactly like the one before it. This is obviously true for people in prison, but it's also true for those who have a "free world" address. If I want different results from my life I must be willing to do something different. Doing "different" is a break from my mental homeostasis and is challenging. Having a clear and specific, "What Now," keeps my internal compass set on the path I know I am called to be on. When I reach my goals and fail to set new ones I will always go back. When I'm tired, stressed, or insecure, I am at heightened risk to go back. When I break from the new patterns I'm creating in my life, by changing the way I think, I will go back. Without a 'What Now,' there's always a 'go back.' Friend, you are worth more than what you have settled for in your past. You are meant for more than fear, doubt, addiction, stress, abuse, and pain. You were never meant to be on the path you walked that led to hopelessness and shame. God loves you so deeply (Romans 5:8) and has plans for you that are intended to bring you prosperity and hope (Jeremiah 29:11). Jesus said He came to give you abundant LIFE (John 10:10). If I am not experiencing God's best for me it is not because God doesn't want me to have it, it's because I have made the choice to settle for homeostasis. I have made the decision to settle for a "go back." I urge you to stop settling! Just for today, I challenge you to make the conscious decision to Choose Hope, not just as some idealistic mantra but as your "What Now." Without a 'What Now,' there's always a 'go back.' Declare today, "I Choose Hope!"


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Contact Trent directly by creating a Securus e-messaging account at SecurusTech.net or on the Securus App. You'll need his full name, State, and facility (Trenton Blythe, Texas, Texas Department of Criminal Justice). He'd love to hear from you!

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