Well Done

Theodore Roosevelt said, "It's not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of good deeds could have done better.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena: Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again ..

"Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause ..

"Who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement ..

"And who, at worst, if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Every one of us has been given at least one talent; many have been given several. Regardless of whether we have one or many talents, what is important is to use well what God has given and entrusted to us and therewith give life our best shot.

Remember, too: "Only one life 'twill soon be past/ Only what's done for God's will last."

Things That Bug Us

As the ditty goes, "It's the little things that bother us and put us on the rack, you can sit upon a mountain but you can't sit on a tack."

And isn't that the truth? It's the little annoyances in life that get us tied in a knot. A slight criticism, a driver who cuts us off on the freeway, a green light that turns red before we get to it, a friend running late, and so on.

Let us realize, however, that somebody's negative reaction may have more to do with them than us. A criticism may be somebody projecting their unresolved issues onto us. Somebody failing to thank us may indicate that they are having a "bad hair" day, and somebody cutting us off on the freeway may be an indication of their impatience--as well as a reflection of ours!

What somebody else does to me may or may not be a problem. How I react, though, is always my issue, and when I overreact, that is always my problem. What the other person does is their issue. How I act, react, or overreact is always my issue and my responsibility.

If we'd remember that "whatever others think of me is none of my business," I would at least learn to cope much better with many of life's little annoyances. I know it's easier said than done, but it is a goal to work towards. Furthermore, the more mature and whole I become, the less life's little annoyances will bother me.

I'm still working on this issue.

The Right Word

 

Mark Twain said, "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."

When English poet Keats was writing a poem he asked his friend Leigh Hunt what he thought of the line, "A beautiful thing is an unending joy."

"Good, but not quite perfect," said Hunt.

"How about this?" said Keats, "A thing of beauty is an unending joy."

Finally Keats put it this way, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever."

"That," said his friend, "will live as long as the English language is spoken.'

May God help us to always speak the right word. It doesn't have to be eloquent but it needs to be straightforward, genuine, and spoken in truth from the heart!

Dear God,
please help me
to say the right thing
at the right time
and always speak the truth in love
--and keep my mouth shut when I need to.

Always. Even when I'm ticked off.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Enrich Your Personal Life

Loneliness, emptiness, boredom, and lack of purpose are all a very real part of modern man's dilemma. They are indicative of our failure to find meaning for living and they show up in the alarming abuse of alcohol and other drugs, and in the high depression and suicide rate.

In America, for example, the most affluent country on earth, thousands of people take their own lives each year. And there are countless others who, while living in the midst of abundance, to quote Henry D. Thoreau, live lives of "quiet desperation."

The tragedy in life, however, is not death, but rather, as Albert Schweitzer once said, "what dies inside a man [or woman] while he/she lives." A person dies inside when he has no meaningful purpose outside of himself for which to live.

It is purpose--not wealth or success--that makes life worthwhile. Purpose makes even drudgery acceptable and is an immunization against many sicknesses.

How then can we find more meaning and purpose to life?

The following tips can help:

Getting out of yourself. No matter how busy we are or how many problems we have, we can all find little ways to bring cheer to those around us--like bringing home a rose for your wife, a special treat for the children, a favor for a neighbor. Visit someone who is shut-in. Write a note, use your telephone, or send an email to tell a friend you appreciate him or her. Words of encouragement and acts of kindness do wonders for both the giver and the receiver.

A vital part of finding happiness and contentment is found in discovering something more important than yourself to believe in, by helping others, and by directing your thoughts and actions towards them. Egotists are seldom happy.

Love and friendship are also essential for giving life meaning and purpose. Without wholesome relationships, which give us a sense of belonging, we live as islands alone in a very large universe.

So take time for friends. They are a priceless asset in life. "Do you want to make friends?" asks Dale Carnegie, who gives the following advice. "Be friendly. Forget yourself. You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."

And remember, as another has said, "The person all wrapped up in himself makes a very small package."

Another way for enriching your personal life is by investing your life in a worthwhile cause. Everybody needs something to live for that is bigger than him or herself--a noble or worthwhile cause into which he/she can put his/her best efforts.

A creative use of one's talents is also essential for giving meaning to life. God gave us all talents to use. When we aren't using them, we feel unfulfilled.

This is why I believe it is important to discover what your best talent is (or talents are), get the training you need to sharpen that talent, and find a place where you can use it--either in your job, in a hobby, or with a volunteer organization. God's purpose for your life will definitely involve the use of your gifts and talents in ways to help others.

Faith, hope, and charity. The poet Goethe lists nine requisites for meaningful living. They are as follows:

"Health enough to make work a pleasure. Wealth enough to support your needs. Strength enough to battle with difficulties and overcome them. Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them. Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished. Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor. Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others. Faith enough to make real the things of God. Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future."

Love Opens Doors

According to an article in Today in the Word, soon after Queen Victoria's marriage to Prince Albert, the couple had a quarrel, whereupon Prince Albert locked himself in his private apartment. Queen Victoria knocked furiously on his door.

"Who's there?" asked Albert.

"The Queen of England, and she demands to be admitted."

There was no response and the door remained locked. The queen knocked furiously again.

"Who's there?" asked Albert again. The queen's response was the same … as was Albert's.

After more furious knocking and no response came a quiet pause--and then a gentle tap.

"Who's there?" asked Albert once more.

"Your wife, Albert," the queen replied. Immediately the door was opened.

As the writer of this article pointed out, "Love opens doors."

Need I say more?

Dear God
help me always
to be a door opener
and not a door closer.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Mindset Matters

There's an old parable that explains how three men were working hard cutting stone from large blocks of granite. When asked what they were doing, the first man said, "I'm making bricks." The Second man said, "I'm cutting stones for the foundation of a large building," while the third man said, "I'm building a cathedral."

All three men were equally capable and doing the same work, so which man's work do you think would have been the most fulfilling? What mattered was each man's thinking about the purpose of the work he was doing. It wasn't his aptitude that made the difference--it was his attitude--his mindset!

One's attitude will determine the direction and purpose of one's life. The purpose of one man might be to make lots of money, while the purpose of another might be to help build the lives of the people he is serving. One woman may see housework as a burdensome chore while another does it joyfully because she is doing it for the ones she loves. It's their mindset that makes the difference.

If we want to end our life with a sense of fulfillment, it will be our mindset now that will determine how we end.

Dear God
Please help me
to discover my God-given life purpose
and dedicate my life to serving you
by loving and serving people.

Help me to live in harmony with your will
and, with your help, to fulfill
my God-given life purpose
by living a life that matters
--not only for time but also for eternity.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayers.

Think and Grow Peaceful

In his article, "Today I Will Make a Difference," Max Lucado wrote, "Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference."

The reality is that we eventually become what we constantly think about for "what the mind dwells on the body acts on."

Admittedly, controlling our thoughts can be much easier said than done. To succeed, it not only needs consistent practice and mental discipline, but also the resolution of things that "bug" us. For instance, if we have any major unresolved personal conflicts with accompanying super-charged negative emotions, these can have a major effect on our thinking. They can be compared to having a throbbing toothache that literally controls our thinking. Because of the pain, it's just about impossible to think about anything else until we get to the dentist and have the aching tooth taken care of.

To live a peaceful life, it is imperative that we learn to control and consistently think positive thoughts. And to control our thoughts, it is imperative that we resolve any and all personal conflicts. In other words, if we want to live peacefully we need to get all our "emotional-tooth-aches" resolved.

Dear God,
thank you
that your Word
teaches the importance
of positive thinking 'about things
that are excellent and worthy of praise.'

Please help me to live
in harmony with your will,
be rid of all guilt
by confessing my sins and "Towba",
and resolving all personal conflicts
so that I will be able
to fix my 'thoughts
on what is true,
and honorable,
and right,
and pure,
and lovely,
and admirable.'

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz ..

Wise Words ..

Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. 

- Chinese Proverb

A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually

- Abba Eban

Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.

- Mark Twain (1835-1910)

The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create.

- Leonard I. Sweet

There is nothing permanent except change

- Heraclitus (c. 540- c. 470 BCE)

The only certainty is that nothing is certain

Make A Difference

Some of us have the idea that our life can't make much of a difference.

Sometimes we think, "What can one person do?"

This reminds me of the man who, when walking along the beach, kept picking up starfish that had been washed ashore. There must have been hundreds of them. One by one he picked them up and threw each back into the ocean.

A stranger watching said to the man, "Why are you doing that? There are so many starfish on the beach. What you are doing makes no difference."

"Makes a difference to that one," the man replied as he threw another starfish back into the ocean.

Robert Kennedy once said, "Many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single person. It was a young Italian explorer who discovered the New World, and it was the 32-year-old Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed that all men are created equal."

When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in a bus to a white man on December 1, 1955, she triggered the civil rights movement in the U.S.A. In so doing she played a key role that changed a nation.

You and I may not achieve such greatness but we can make a difference. We do so every time we stand up for what is right, lend a helping hand to a friend or stranger in need.

Added up, our small ripples blend together to reach ever-widening circles. In so doing, one life does make a difference and can make an impact.

Dear God,
I'm available.
Please help and use me
to make a difference in somebody's life
today.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

The Gift of an Untroubled Mind

In his book, Peace of Mind, Joshua Liebman writes of an experience he had when he was still a boy. "I made a list of the supreme goods in life," Liebman said.

"Went to a wise mentor and I showed him the list expecting to be praised for my precocity. The list went something like this … health, love, talent, riches, beauty, and faith. As I shared the list with the old wise man, he reached for a stub of a pencil, and carefully scratched through all of the things that I had listed.

He said, "Young man, you may have all of these--health, love, faith, riches, beauty -- but they will all turn out to be enemies instead of friends unless you have the one thing you missed." Then he wrote on the paper, "The gift of an untroubled mind."

From what I read and hear it appears that so many people (at least in our modern society) are plagued by depression, heartbreak, worry, anxiety, fear, and impaired relationships. And (compared to most of the world) we have just about every material benefit and human comfort we want, except so many don't have peace of mind.

There are two kinds of peace we all need in order to fully live. First, and most important of all, is spiritual peace knowing that our sins are forgiven, and we have God's promise of a home in heaven for all eternity. This gift from God is absolutely free and comes from admitting our "Tawba" - repenting to God due to performing any sins and misdeeds. It is a direct matter between a person and God, so there is no intercession.

The other kind of peace we could call emotional or relational peace. This comes from resolving any and all impaired relationships, forgiving any and all who have ever hurt us, and resolving any and all negative emotions--especially super-charged repressed negative emotions which are destroyers of both emotional and physical wellbeing and extremely destructive of personal relationships.

Dear God,
Please help me to see andresolve
anything in my life
that is causing me
to have a troubled mind.

Please fill me with your love
and help me to know and experience
your eternal peace in the very center
of my being.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Doers and Hearers

In 1953 reporters gathered at a Chicago railway station waiting to meet the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

He was a big man, six-feet-four tall with bushy hair and a large mustache.

Reporters were excited to see him and expressed what an honor it was to meet him. Cameras were flashing, compliments were being expressed--but seeing beyond the adulation the visitor noticed an elderly Afro-American woman struggling to carry her two large suitcases.

"Excuse me," he said as he went to the aid of this woman. Picking up her cases, he escorted her to a bus and then apologized to the reporters for keeping them waiting.

The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous doctor who had invested his life helping poor and sick people in Africa.

The measure of any man or woman is not their name, their fame, nor what they say--but what they do.

Dear God,
please help me
to be a doer of your Word
and not just a hearer.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.