When Agendas Collide!

When Agendas Collide!

We all live in our own little worlds that run on agendas of our creation. Sometimes while in orbit, someone may appear like an asteroid out of nowhere, operating on their agenda. When paths cross, it may be a near miss, or it could cause an impact event.

We all operate in our lives based on agendas. We have fears, plans and goals, expectations, and boundaries. So, it is no surprise that when we are interacting with others, there will be battles of wills, opinions, demands, and influences we will need to navigate.

Imagine you have a team of tiny scientists running around in your head figuring out how to avoid the destruction of your world. Your mental methods may include:

Resilience or Resistance
Do you push people away out of fear of disruptions, or are you confident in your personal choices and able to bounce back easily from challenges?

Flexible or Fixed
Are you willing to hear another opinion or side and be flexible in some areas, or are you rigid and unmovable to where your heart has hardened?

Recovery or Recoil
Perhaps you will experience an impact event. Will you work towards recovery, learning and growing, or will you recoil into yourself and become bitter?

Flowing or Frozen
Positivity is flowing, like water that is vibrant and healthy, with no stagnation. Can you go with the flow, or do you freeze people and their ideas out? Realize that even being frozen on the surface, your potential is still flowing beneath. Break through the surface and go with the flow!

In his book, You Can Count on God: 365 Devotions*, Max Lucado wrote, [People opposite of you] “can drain your joy tank. There is a tension, an awkwardness. Anger can flare. Inability to manage the relationship can lead to isolation, prejudice, and bigotry. I wonder if the best answer might be found in this short admonition: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:7)

*This is an affiliate link that doesn’t add to your cost.

“We all come from our own little planets. That’s why we’re all different. That’s what makes life interesting.” ~ Robert E. Sherwood


7 responses to “When Agendas Collide!”

  1. Awakening Wonders Avatar

    You and Robert Sherwood are on to something wonderful!

    1. Dana at Regular Girl Devos Avatar

      Some things to work toward, for sure! Thank you!

  2. Wynne Leon Avatar

    Love this way of explaining our ways of navigating the world – and the different attributes and approaches. Very thought provoking! Happy Thanksgiving, Dana!

    1. Dana at Regular Girl Devos Avatar

      Thank you, Wynne, hope your Thanksgiving was fun!

  3. The Devotional Guy™ Avatar

    Dana, I’ve given a good bit of thought to this idea of agendas and how we don’t often realize someone may have an opposing agenda and working against us, either knowingly or not. It leads to difficult places that can cause a lot of harm, I think. Thanks for exploring this on your blog. I’m curious to learn more.

  4. Grant at Tame Your Book Avatar

    Excellent points to patch the holes in our “joy tank.” Thanks, Dana!

    1. Dana at Regular Girl Devos Avatar

      Well said, Grant, thank you!

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