- Anger is a condition in which the tongue, works faster than the mind.
- You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying over the future.
- Love... and you will be loved.
- All people smile in the same language.
- A hug is a great gift, one size fits all. It can be given for any occasion and it's easy to exchange.
- Everyone needs to be loved, especially when they do not deserve it.
- The real measure of a man's wealth is what he has invested in eternity.
- Laughter is liquid sunshine.
- Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it.
- It's important for parents to live the same things they teach.
- If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow, you have no today to be thankful for.
- Happy memories never wear out. Relive them as often as you want.
- Home is the place where we grumble the most, but are often treated the best.
- The choice you make today will usually affect tomorrow.
- Take time to laugh for it is the music of the soul.
- If anyone speaks badly of you, live so none will believe it.
- Patience is the ability to idle your motor, when you feel like stripping your gears.
- Love is strengthened by working through conflicts together.
- The best thing parents can do for their children, is to love each other.
- Harsh words break no bones but they do break hearts.
- To get out of a difficulty, one usually must go through it.
- We take for granted the things that we should be giving thanks for.
- Love is the only thing that can be divided, without being diminished.
- Happiness is enhanced by others but does not depend upon others.
- You are richer today if you have laughed, given or forgiven.
- For every minute you are angry with someone, you lose 60 seconds of happiness that you can never get back.
- Do what you can, for whom you can, with what you have, and where you are.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Spare Thoughts
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Integrity
Tennis great Arthur Ashe related a defining incident that occurred when he was 17 years old in his autobiography Days of Grace. He was playing in a tournament in West Virginia. As was often the case, he was the only contestant of color in the tournament.
One night, some of the kids trashed a cabin. They absolutely destroyed it and then decided to say that Arthur was responsible. The incident was reported in the newspapers; Arthur denied his involvement, but the boys would not change their story. The worst part for Arthur was worrying about what his father would say and do. He eventually made the dreaded phone call.
As he surmised, his father had already learned of the vandalism. His father's tone was grim. He asked Arthur only one question. "Arthur Junior," he asked, "all I want to know is...were you mixed up in that mess?"
Arthur answered, "No, Daddy, I wasn't." His father never asked about it again. Arthur learned that day why he had always been encouraged to tell the truth. There would come a time when he must be believed, and this was such a time. Because he had already earned his trust and respect, he knew his father believed him. From that day on he was determined, above all else, to live a life of integrity
Unfortunately, we find notable examples of modern leaders in every field who give low priority to personal integrity. But we do not need saints - we need people like you. People who will be known for their integrity. People who will determine to be their best selves. People who daily earn the trust and respect of others, regardless of their age or station in life. People who insist on the importance of character.
Our world does not need another saint. But it needs you.
One night, some of the kids trashed a cabin. They absolutely destroyed it and then decided to say that Arthur was responsible. The incident was reported in the newspapers; Arthur denied his involvement, but the boys would not change their story. The worst part for Arthur was worrying about what his father would say and do. He eventually made the dreaded phone call.
As he surmised, his father had already learned of the vandalism. His father's tone was grim. He asked Arthur only one question. "Arthur Junior," he asked, "all I want to know is...were you mixed up in that mess?"
Arthur answered, "No, Daddy, I wasn't." His father never asked about it again. Arthur learned that day why he had always been encouraged to tell the truth. There would come a time when he must be believed, and this was such a time. Because he had already earned his trust and respect, he knew his father believed him. From that day on he was determined, above all else, to live a life of integrity
Unfortunately, we find notable examples of modern leaders in every field who give low priority to personal integrity. But we do not need saints - we need people like you. People who will be known for their integrity. People who will determine to be their best selves. People who daily earn the trust and respect of others, regardless of their age or station in life. People who insist on the importance of character.
Our world does not need another saint. But it needs you.
Friday, October 29, 2010
I Wanted To Breathe
The following story comes from "Chicken Soup for the Soul."
There once was an eager student who wanted to gain wisdom and insight. He went to the wisest of the town, Socrates, to seek his counsel. Socrates was an old soul and had great knowledge of many things. The boy asked the town sage how he too could acquire such mastery. Being a man of few words, Socrates chose not to speak, but to illustrate.
He took the child to the beach and, with all of his clothes still on, walked straight out into the water. He loved to do curious things like that, especially when he was trying to prove a point. The pupil gingerly followed his instruction and walked into the sea, joining Socrates where the water was just below their chins. Without saying a word, Socrates reached out and put his hands on the boy's shoulders. Looking deep into his student's eyes, Socrates pushed the student's head under the water with all his might.
A struggle ensued, and just before a life was taken away, Socrates released his captive. The boy raced to the surface and, gasping for air and choking from the salt water, looked around for Socrates in order to seek his retaliation on the sage. To the student's bewilderment, the old man was already patiently waiting on the beach. When the student arrived on the sand, he angrily shouted, "Why did you try to kill me?" The wise man calmly retorted with a question of his own: "Boy, when you were underneath the water, not sure if you would live to see another day, what did you want more than anything in the world?"
The student took a few moments to reflect, then went with his intuition. Softly he said, "I wanted to breathe." Socrates, now illuminated by his own huge smile, looked at the boy comfortingly and said, "Ah! When you want wisdom and insight as badly as you wanted to breathe, it is then that you shall have it."
Jesus wanted us to have "life, and to have it more abundantly." When we were unable to breathe because of the drowning effect of our sin, He rescued us even as He breathed His last. I hope that we want to breathe as much as He wanted to let us.
There once was an eager student who wanted to gain wisdom and insight. He went to the wisest of the town, Socrates, to seek his counsel. Socrates was an old soul and had great knowledge of many things. The boy asked the town sage how he too could acquire such mastery. Being a man of few words, Socrates chose not to speak, but to illustrate.
He took the child to the beach and, with all of his clothes still on, walked straight out into the water. He loved to do curious things like that, especially when he was trying to prove a point. The pupil gingerly followed his instruction and walked into the sea, joining Socrates where the water was just below their chins. Without saying a word, Socrates reached out and put his hands on the boy's shoulders. Looking deep into his student's eyes, Socrates pushed the student's head under the water with all his might.
A struggle ensued, and just before a life was taken away, Socrates released his captive. The boy raced to the surface and, gasping for air and choking from the salt water, looked around for Socrates in order to seek his retaliation on the sage. To the student's bewilderment, the old man was already patiently waiting on the beach. When the student arrived on the sand, he angrily shouted, "Why did you try to kill me?" The wise man calmly retorted with a question of his own: "Boy, when you were underneath the water, not sure if you would live to see another day, what did you want more than anything in the world?"
The student took a few moments to reflect, then went with his intuition. Softly he said, "I wanted to breathe." Socrates, now illuminated by his own huge smile, looked at the boy comfortingly and said, "Ah! When you want wisdom and insight as badly as you wanted to breathe, it is then that you shall have it."
Jesus wanted us to have "life, and to have it more abundantly." When we were unable to breathe because of the drowning effect of our sin, He rescued us even as He breathed His last. I hope that we want to breathe as much as He wanted to let us.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The Road To Success
An airline passenger struck up a conversation with a stranger who was sniffling, apparently due to a recent head cold.
"Look at me!" the healthy one boasted. "Never a day's sickness in my life, and all due to simple food. Why, from the age of twenty to that of forty I lived an absolutely simple, regular life -- no pampering, no late hours, no extravagances. Every day, in fact, I was in bed regularly at nine o'clock and up again at five in the morning. I ate a plain meal at noon and, after that, exercised for an hour, then..."
"Excuse me," interrupted the sniffling stranger in the next seat, "but what were you in for?"
That regimented life does sound too much like a prison sentence. Some people can go overboard with a rigid routine. I once went on a near-starvation diet just to drop a few pounds. In two weeks I lost twelve pounds, but life sure was miserable.
Self discipline is important to happiness, but a rigid routine may not be the answer.
Mark Twain gave some advice about discipline. "Do one thing every day you don't want to do," he suggested. I think I can do that. One thing I've been putting off. One thing I always said I "ought" to do, but never made the effort.
I believe that doing something important that we don't want to do every day is a price we pay for success. Call it discipline. Call it duty. Call it paying your dues, for that may be what it really is.
And the other part is this: leave some time to do something you WANT to do, too. Paying your dues gets you where you want to go. Then having fun along the way makes the journey worthwhile.
For me, the "road to success" has been more like a toll road. If I pay that small, daily fee, I can go most anywhere I want. And when I leave enough time for fun, I enjoy the ride.
"Look at me!" the healthy one boasted. "Never a day's sickness in my life, and all due to simple food. Why, from the age of twenty to that of forty I lived an absolutely simple, regular life -- no pampering, no late hours, no extravagances. Every day, in fact, I was in bed regularly at nine o'clock and up again at five in the morning. I ate a plain meal at noon and, after that, exercised for an hour, then..."
"Excuse me," interrupted the sniffling stranger in the next seat, "but what were you in for?"
That regimented life does sound too much like a prison sentence. Some people can go overboard with a rigid routine. I once went on a near-starvation diet just to drop a few pounds. In two weeks I lost twelve pounds, but life sure was miserable.
Self discipline is important to happiness, but a rigid routine may not be the answer.
Mark Twain gave some advice about discipline. "Do one thing every day you don't want to do," he suggested. I think I can do that. One thing I've been putting off. One thing I always said I "ought" to do, but never made the effort.
I believe that doing something important that we don't want to do every day is a price we pay for success. Call it discipline. Call it duty. Call it paying your dues, for that may be what it really is.
And the other part is this: leave some time to do something you WANT to do, too. Paying your dues gets you where you want to go. Then having fun along the way makes the journey worthwhile.
For me, the "road to success" has been more like a toll road. If I pay that small, daily fee, I can go most anywhere I want. And when I leave enough time for fun, I enjoy the ride.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Why So Downcast
My eyes have never beheld what I believe I will one day possess.
My hands have never touched hands damaged in crucifixion, yet I believe I will one day touch them.
My feet have never touched pavement of gold, yet one day I fully expect to walk on such streets.
My mind has never understood the mysteries of God, yet there will come a day when it will all make sense.
So until then, I will rejoice in what I do not possess because I have something that will carry me in confidence until that moment arrives. What will carry me is the belief that the Father has fully paid my sin debt which gives me the freedom to love and follow where He leads.
I don’t need to see it or hold it in my hands to believe that it is real.
Some say seeing is believing - but for me it’s the opposite. Belief comes first, seeing will come soon enough. I am willing to wait.
I have been forgiven. I have been loved. I have chosen to love and forgive in return. My heart yearns for a day, a time, a moment. Yet in that special moment there will no longer be a need for time. I don’t have to understand it all to hunger for my first taste of eternity.
My life can be lived in no other way than to believe, for without this trust, this conviction, this joyous confidence - I would become a pitiful cynic. A man in desperate need for the one thing I have rejected; The one thing that provides a doorway to joy, peace and contentment, the one thing so closely linked to love and faith.
We have a future and a promise. God has a plan for our good. He’s preparing a place just for us. He’s promised to come back for us.
We, more than all others, have the greatest reason to bubble over with this most joyous anticipation.
It is because of the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus’ that we have been given yet another wonderful gift from the hand of God Himself.
That gift is hope.
My hands have never touched hands damaged in crucifixion, yet I believe I will one day touch them.
My feet have never touched pavement of gold, yet one day I fully expect to walk on such streets.
My mind has never understood the mysteries of God, yet there will come a day when it will all make sense.
So until then, I will rejoice in what I do not possess because I have something that will carry me in confidence until that moment arrives. What will carry me is the belief that the Father has fully paid my sin debt which gives me the freedom to love and follow where He leads.
I don’t need to see it or hold it in my hands to believe that it is real.
Some say seeing is believing - but for me it’s the opposite. Belief comes first, seeing will come soon enough. I am willing to wait.
I have been forgiven. I have been loved. I have chosen to love and forgive in return. My heart yearns for a day, a time, a moment. Yet in that special moment there will no longer be a need for time. I don’t have to understand it all to hunger for my first taste of eternity.
My life can be lived in no other way than to believe, for without this trust, this conviction, this joyous confidence - I would become a pitiful cynic. A man in desperate need for the one thing I have rejected; The one thing that provides a doorway to joy, peace and contentment, the one thing so closely linked to love and faith.
We have a future and a promise. God has a plan for our good. He’s preparing a place just for us. He’s promised to come back for us.
We, more than all others, have the greatest reason to bubble over with this most joyous anticipation.
It is because of the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus’ that we have been given yet another wonderful gift from the hand of God Himself.
That gift is hope.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
What In The World.....
I've only one life; it soon will be gone. What will remain of the things that I've done? Will I be remembered as someone who cared? Someone who sympathized? Someone who shared? Will the things that I did while on earth be worthwhile? Have I lightened a load? Gone the second mile? Did I put off my ambitions? Put them on hold? To help someone else in reaching their goal? If I can say YES to these things, and more, Then I'll not be ashamed when I reach Heaven's shore. I will hold my head high, when I'm called by my Lord To stand before God to receive my reward.
Have you ever gotten up in the morning and asked yourself the question: "What in the world is life all about? What is worthwhile? I get up and go through the same routine day after day. What for?"
James 4:14 "Wherefore ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, which appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."
Let's examine these questions: What IS life all about? What is worthwhile? What is junk? We have only one life to live. We want to make the most of it. But how can we accomplish this, with the energy and resources we have? What in life can we afford to let go of? The answer, if we think about it, is plain: Let go of anything we can't carry with us into eternal life.
James 4:14 "Wherefore ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, which appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."
Let's examine these questions: What IS life all about? What is worthwhile? What is junk? We have only one life to live. We want to make the most of it. But how can we accomplish this, with the energy and resources we have? What in life can we afford to let go of? The answer, if we think about it, is plain: Let go of anything we can't carry with us into eternal life.
- What about pretense? Are we 'pretenders'? Do we pretend to be something, someone we are not? Do outsiders see a different 'us' than our family sees? "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16 Eternity is not for pretenders.
- What about worry? "Do we worry about things that MAY happen?" Leave the future to God. We don't know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future.
- Are we discontented? We must make the best of what we have, without complaining. Are we always wanting something better? If we look around, we can always find someone worse off than ourselves.
- Are we self-seeking? Are we like a two-year-old, always looking out for Number One? "In eternal life there is no greed. One hears of neither 'mine' nor 'thine'. All things are for all."
- Make use of our time. If we waste a minute here and a minute there, before we know it, we have wasted perhaps an hour. A whole hour out of our day! The question in life is not "How much time do I have?" It is "What shall I do with the time I have?"
- Value work. We must ask ourselves: "Is this work vital for strengthening my own character, or inspiring others, or helping the world?" Of course, one must work to earn a living, but it is HOW we do even menial tasks that counts. We must value the work God has given us to do, and do it to please Him and to be a testimony to those with whom we work.
- Seek happiness every day. If we are not happy today, we will never be happy! Or as an old teacher of mine used to say: "If you are not happy anywhere, you will not be happy anywhere." It took me a few years to figure that one out. But she was right. Be happy today, regardless of circumstances. This doesn't mean that we have to go around laughing all the time. What it means is, be happy within ourselves so that our happiness will shine through us to others, radiating Christ.
- Cherish love. "True love never nags. It trusts. Love does not have to be tethered, neither in time or eternity." Jealous love, exclusive love, selfish love: these kinds of love are not true love. "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, nos not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil...." I Corinthians 13:4 & 5 (NKJV)
- Have Faith. This is all-important. "Strong, serene, unquenchable faith in the loving kindness of God will enable us to look fearlessly towards the end of the temporal existence and the beginning of the eternal, and will make it possible for us to live our lives effectively, grandly."
Monday, October 25, 2010
The Quality of Mercy
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Matthew 5:7 NIV)
There was once a man who owed another man a great deal of money. The borrower had been repaying his lender faithfully for several months. Then he was hurt on the job and could no longer work. He had some insurance, but it was barely enough for him and his family to survive. The lender saw all of this and, in spite of the fact that the man still owed many thousands of dollars, he instantly and quietly forgave the debt.
There was once a man who owed another man a great deal of money. The borrower had been repaying his lender faithfully for several months. Then he was hurt on the job and could no longer work. He had some insurance, but it was barely enough for him and his family to survive. The lender saw all of this and, in spite of the fact that the man still owed many thousands of dollars, he instantly and quietly forgave the debt.
The quality of mercy is not strain'd.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice bless'd;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice bless'd;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
The Bard certainly had it right. Mercy, indeed, blesses both the one who gives and the one who receives. Mercy is not only a quality in God, but a quality that he demands from his people.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines mercy as "compassionate treatment, especially of those under one's power." We are under the power of God -- believers and non-believers alike. Mercy is the foundation of God's covenant with his creation. It is the driving force that helps Him forge his relationship with His children.
Our God is a merciful God.
"I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us -- yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses." (Isaiah 63:7 NIV)
While God shows us mercy, He also directs us to show mercy to others. The "compassionate treatment" that defines mercy includes forgiveness. No matter what someone does to you, God directs you to forgive them and not to seek retribution.
"Do not hate your brother in your heart... Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself...." (Leviticus 19:17-18 NIV)
This familiar refrain was repeated by Jesus a thousand years later.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31 NIV)
Forgiveness and mercy go hand in hand with both God and man. The two are inseparable because the prerequisite of forgiveness is mercy. Without mercy on earth, there can be no forgiveness in Heaven.
"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15 NIV)
The American Heritage Dictionary defines mercy as "compassionate treatment, especially of those under one's power." We are under the power of God -- believers and non-believers alike. Mercy is the foundation of God's covenant with his creation. It is the driving force that helps Him forge his relationship with His children.
Our God is a merciful God.
"I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us -- yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses." (Isaiah 63:7 NIV)
While God shows us mercy, He also directs us to show mercy to others. The "compassionate treatment" that defines mercy includes forgiveness. No matter what someone does to you, God directs you to forgive them and not to seek retribution.
"Do not hate your brother in your heart... Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself...." (Leviticus 19:17-18 NIV)
This familiar refrain was repeated by Jesus a thousand years later.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31 NIV)
Forgiveness and mercy go hand in hand with both God and man. The two are inseparable because the prerequisite of forgiveness is mercy. Without mercy on earth, there can be no forgiveness in Heaven.
"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15 NIV)
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