role

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When certain folks see you making a tiny bit of progress, they love to throw shade your way. Shade, i.e. shadows, a.ka. parts scary & unknown is a great detractor, because it keeps you from seeing how far you've really come. It messes with your perspective. In the movies, shade throwers & obstacle makers are called antagonists. Their job is to make it harder for you to achieve your dreams (especially if you're determined to succeed against all odds) so they feel better about giving up on their own dreams (especially if they couldn't help but cry uncle at the slightest sign of trouble). Antagonists are the embodiment of misery & they want your company, dammit. The more you struggle, the more they oppress. The more you shine, the more they suppress. The more you persist, the more they do their best to wear you the hell out. Their patterns are quite predictable, actually.

This inevitable conundrum is why Jesus said, "bless those who curse you," a.k.a mental martial arts, wherein you move with your opponent, absorb their energy & return it to sender when they are the most vulnerable to establish a flawless victory. Instead of depleting your energy confronting every slight, you observe & conserve until the time is right. This looks (key word: looks) like making peace. Acquiescence. Plateauing. Maybe even lending your time, talent & resources toward their cause, to sabotage their sabotage through the guise of teamwork making the dreamwork (which suddenly seems attainable now that you're on board).  

You know what really makes the dream work though? Patience. Practice. Purpose. Suffering in silence. Trust in the Master's plan. 

When the moment is right & your skills are ripe, an opportunity to achieve what was always meant for you to achieve will present itself. If the antagonists understood this- that no man can unearth a seed planted by God- they would have busied themselves in their own gardens, rather than sowing weeds in yours. This January, we no longer have to pretend to oppose our own self-interests. Our superpowers have been unleashed. It's time to show ourselves, the antagonists & anyone one else watching the drama unfold what we can really do.

Click-click-BOOM-

(you can't shade the bomb)