The Way It's Always Done

The Way It's Always Done

In his book, Mind Your Own Business, Murray Raphel shares the following story. "Years ago, in Russia, a czar came upon a lonely sentry standing at attention in a secluded corner of the palace garden. 'What are you guarding,' asked the czar. 'I don't know. The captain ordered me to this post,' the sentry replied.

"The czar called the captain. His answer: 'Written regulations specify a guard was to be assigned to that area.' The czar ordered a search to find out why. The archives finally yielded the reason. Years before, Catherine the Great had planted a rose bush in that corner. She ordered a sentry to protect it for that evening.

"One hundred years later, sentries were still guarding the now barren spot."

The application is obvious.

Dear God,
please give me
the wisdom
to know
what to guard carefully
especially
that which is
imperative and eternal
—and forget
continuing to guard
that which is no longer relevant.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer.  

Over the Edge

"Back in 1911 a stuntman named Bobby Leach went over Niagara Falls in a specially designed steel drum—and lived to tell about it.

"Although he suffered minor injuries, he survived because he recognized the tremendous dangers involved in the feat, and he had done everything he could to protect himself from harm. Several years later, while walking down a street in New Zealand, Bobby slipped on an orange peel, fell, and badly fractured his leg. He was taken to a hospital where he died of complications from that fall. He received a greater injury walking down the street than he sustained in going over Niagara Falls. He was not prepared for danger in what he assumed to be a safe situation."

When it comes to life's temptations, we're very much aware of and are careful to avoid the ones that "roar around us like the rushing waters of Niagara." But like Bobby slipped on an orange peel, it is extremely easy for us to ignore the seemingly "little" temptations that slip up on us silently but don't appear to carry any threat. However, a little drink here, a tiny taste of a drug there, a small gamble now and then, a tiny indulgence in lust, a quick look at a pornographic website … can lure us and ever so slowly, little by little, draw us closer to the edge … and we wake up and discover to our dismay that we have slipped over the line into an addiction that has us hopelessly trapped. 

Leading by Serving

It has been said that you can tell a truly great person by the way he or she treats ordinary people.

Many years ago a rider on horseback came across a squad of soldiers who were trying to move a heavy log. A corporal stood by giving lordly orders to "heave." But the log was too heavy for the squad to move.

"Why don't you help them?" asked the man on the horse addressing the corporal.

"Me? Why I'm a corporal, sir!"

Dismounting, the stranger carefully took his place with the soldiers.

"Now, all together, boys—heave!" he said. And the heavy log slid right into place.

The horseman was George Washington.

Dear God,

please deliver me

from the sin and vanity

of 'riding on a high horse,'

thinking that any job

is below my (false) pride and dignity.

 

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer.

Tact

"British statesman and financier Cecil Rhodes, whose fortune was used to endow the world-famous Rhodes Scholarships, was a stickler for correct dress—but apparently not at the expense of someone else's feelings. A young man invited to dine with Rhodes arrived by train and had to go directly to Rhodes's home in his travel-stained clothes. Once there he was appalled to find the other guests already assembled, wearing full evening dress. After what seemed a long time Rhodes appeared, in a shabby old blue suit. Later the young man learned that his host had been dressed in evening clothes, but put on the old suit when he heard of his young guest's dilemma."

In the words of Dale Carnegie, if we are going to "win friends and influence people," it is important that we understand people and, as much as possible (within moral bounds of course), that we are sensitive to their situation and, as much as possible, identify with them. As the old saying goes, "to win some we need to be winsome."

Dear God,

please give me

an understanding heart

and help me always

to be sensitive

to the needs

and situation of others

so that my life will be a channel

of your love to every life I touch.

 

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer.

Loneliness: It's Such a Sad Affair

"Love … look at the two of us, Strangers in many ways."

These were words that Karen Carpenter hauntingly sang. Likewise, in another song she expressed how loneliness was "such a sad affair." Tragically, Karen's own life was a sad affair. Lonely and not feeling loved, she starved herself to death. A tragic loss.

In the U.S. at the turn of this century it was estimated that some 50 percent of adults 25 and older would be single. Many, if not most of these, long to love and be loved by at least one special person. Some will be fortunate to find meaningful love. Some probably won't. And there are millions of married people who, like strangers, live together alone apart. Their lives are consumed by loneliness, as are the lives of many elderly folk. This, too, is a very sad affair.

Whether single or married, young or old, the fact is that while we can live without romantic love—even if not desirable—we cannot live healthily without at least one or two healthy, loving relationships. We are created for such and need to get this requirement met in healthy ways. If we don't, it can take years off our life.

In perhaps the greatest literary masterpiece on love ever written, the Apostle Paul wrote of the emptiness of life without love: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."

Paul also gives us the key for finding love in loving relationships: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres."

And in the words of John Oxenham of New Zealand:

    Love ever gives,
    Forgives outlives,
    And ever stands with open hands,
    For while it lives, it gives.
    For this is love's prerogative —
    To give, and give, and give.

Dear God
thank you
for your great love
Please help me to
learn to love others
as you have loved me.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer.

With Enthusiasm

Henry Van Dyke wisely said, "Use what talents you possess: The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best."

Everyone has been given at least one gift/ talent—most of us several. May we all use them to the best of our ability to help make our homes and our world a better place in which to live.

God hasn't called most of us to be experts but he has called all of us to be faithful in putting to good use the gifts he has given to us. So, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it to the best of your ability with enthusiasm."

Dear God ..

help me ..

to appreciate ..

the gifts ..

and talents ..

you have given me ..

and to use them ..

to help others ..

and therein ..

be a part ..

of what you are doing ..

in the world today ..

 

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz

Creative Solutions

Ideas can come from the strangest places. Creative genius comes to people who are open to new ideas and seeing different ways of doing things.

For example, in 1964 the freighter Al Kuwait, which was carrying 6,000 live sheep capsized and sank in Kuwait's harbor. The sunken ship with its decomposing cargo was presenting a serious threat to the country's water supply through its desalination processing plant.

To overcome the problem the ship had to be raised and moved to a safe place without falling apart and dumping its poisonous contents into the nation's water supply.

Karl Kroyer, a Danish engineer working in Kuwait came up with a novel idea. He pumped 27 million ping-pong balls into the freighter's hull which slowly raised it to the surface.

And where did he get this idea? From a Donald Duck comic book. Somebody sank Donald's boat and he and his feathered friends raised it by filling it with ping-pong balls!

When it comes to creative and meaningful living the most valuable resources are found in the Word of God, It pays to know what it teaches and hide its truths in one's heart.

Dear God
please give me
a greater love
for your Word,
and help me
to live by its principles
so it will truly be
'a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.'

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz

Random Thoughts

The Beauty and Meaning of Life

In speaking about the meaning and purpose of life, one insightful writer said, "It is not about writing great books, amassing great wealth, achieving great power. It is about loving and being loved. It is about savoring the beauty of moments that don't last, the sunsets, the leaves turning color, the rare moments of true human communication."

When we realize that the essence of life is not in power, performance, or possessions but in loving relationships—both with our fellow man and with God—and in appreciating the beauty of his creation, and fulfilling his purpose for our lives, we will have discovered what others may take a lifetime to learn.

Dear God

give me the wisdom

to understand

that the beauty

and true meaning of life

is not found in power,

performance,

or possessions,

but in loving relationships

the human heart yearns for,

and in loving and serving You.

 

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz

I Know It But I Can't Explain It

Oldies but goodies: "The pedestrian had no idea which way to go, so I ran over him." That, says the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, is among a list of explanations the company has received for automobile accidents.

Others include: "The other car collided with mine without warning me of its intention." 

"I had been driving my car for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had the accident." 

"As I reached an intersection, a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision." 

"I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment." 

"The telephone pole was approaching fast. I attempted to swerve out of its path when it struck my front end." 

"The guy was all over the road. He had to swerve a number of times before I hit him." 

"The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth."

But Metropolitan says the strangest reason of all is, "An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car, and vanished."

I guess, it's a human trait that too many of us want to justify ourselves whenever we do wrong or fail to do what we know we should.

However, it's only when we get real and admit our mistakes that we can learn from them, grow, and find forgiveness—from God and others. 

Dear God, 

please help me 

to be mature 

and honest enough 

to admit when I make a mistake, 

quit playing the blame-game, 

and accept full responsibility for all of my actions. 

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz

Earning the Right to Criticize

It's always easy to know what to do when we don't have to do the job, and very easy to criticize others when we're not doing the work ourselves.

Some time ago when I was a member of a large group and things weren't going too well, I was asked what I thought about the situation and what could be done to improve things. I said that I didn't feel I had the right to criticize unless I was prepared to do something about it. I was, however, prepared to help, and several of us working together saw things greatly improve.

In this instance, as it is in many other instances, criticism without offering help would have only served to make matters worse and cause further dissension among the group. So, if we're not willing to put our shoulder to the wheel and do our bit, let's not stir up dissension through negative criticism. Furthermore, might I add that journalists, politicians, authors, and even preachers don't have the right to name others and confess their sins in public, without having first confessed their own sins in public.

Dear God

please deliver me from ever

having a negative, bitter, or critical attitude,

and wherever I see a need,

may I be willing to help

if I am able to.

 

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz