Words of Hope: Refuse Being Tragic (RBT)
Dad and Jay love the phrase POSP, which was an acronym for “P—on Self Pity.” My grandmother was very British, and I don’t love the P— word. My acronym to get out of self-pity is to say I refuse being tragic. Tragedy occurs when a good person falls from grace when an honorable person makes a fatal mistake. Othello succumbs to jealousy. Romeo and Juliet succumb to impatience. MacBeth chooses ambition. For me, there is a tragedy when I choose fear over courage, self-pity over service to others, despair over hope. Tragedy, in the literary sense, is always a fatal flaw that leads to a devastating outcome. Self-pity is a fatal flaw that only leads to hollow or shallow ends. I step out of self-pity when I make the better choice, refuse to indulge in feeling sorry for myself, stop playing the victim and start choosing dignity and purpose. Self-pity is an indulgence to imagine life is ruined or an excessive focus on the unhappiness of one’s own problems and difficulties. I refuse to let my difficulties define my story. God has invited me to His victory and offers to rewrite any tragedy for my good and the greatest good.
“Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.” – Proverbs 3:3
