Category Archives: Attitudes & Behavior

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May 8, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Plan, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Today: Make it Count

SEIZE THE DAY

And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. [James 4:13-14 (MSG)]

My wife was dead. All those things we were going to do together were now impossible. We had spent a lifetime working toward that distant goal, making promises to ourselves that now we would never fulfill. Sure, it’s important to plan for the future, but think about this: You’ve had the gift of yesterday, and you are living today with its choices and opportunities, but who knows if you will have tomorrow? You’ve heard it time and time again, but I will tell you – and I know it’s true, because the painful lesson is etched into my yesterday – no one has a guarantee of tomorrow. That’s why it is so important today to tell our spouses and loved ones what they mean to us. [From “Hiking Through” by Paul Stutzman]

5-8-15seizewebThe day I started reading Paul Stutzman’s book Hiking Through, about his journey on the Appalachian Trail, was the same day I learned that a friend’s wife has conceded defeat in her war against cancer. Having recently received the last rites, her remaining time is measured in just days and hours. What struck me is the similarity between both men’s situations. Like my friend’s wife, after a long and painful struggle, Stutzman’s spouse lost her battle with cancer. Both couples had persisted through their difficult yesterdays: the financial and professional struggles of the early years and the stress of raising children. They were approaching what I think of as the “wonder” years: those blessed years when careers are secure, the children are capable young adults, money is no longer scarce, health is still good, and there are time and funds enough for travel. Those highly anticipated carefree and joy-filled tomorrows will never happen for either couple.

Having lost my parents in their prime (my mother was only forty-seven and my father just fifty-six), I’ve always had an awareness of life’s brevity. That doesn’t mean I don’t waste precious moments of every today by reliving my yesterdays or anticipating my hoped for tomorrows. May these men’s experiences remind us all that we must take delight in every precious today granted to us. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon makes the point that there is a right time for each activity in life. It is, however, always the right time to praise God for the blessings of the day. Moreover, there is never a wrong time to tell those we love how much we care for them and how precious they are to us.

There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:
A right time for birth and another for death,
A right time to plant and another to reap,
A right time to kill and another to heal,
A right time to destroy and another to construct,
A right time to cry and another to laugh,
A right time to lament and another to cheer,
A right time to make love and another to abstain,
A right time to embrace and another to part,
A right time to search and another to count your losses,
A right time to hold on and another to let go,
A right time to rip out and another to mend,
A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
A right time to love and another to hate,
A right time to wage war and another to make peace. [Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (MSG)]

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May 6, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Grace & Love, Love & Works, Wisdom & Guidance

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. [Philippians 4:8 (MSG)]

5-16-15mottled duck - IW583-cropwebI remember playing a game called “What’s Wrong with this Picture?” with my children when they got their Highlights™ magazine. We’d look at a drawing and try to spot all of the weird and wacky things that didn’t belong in the picture. Sometimes, we continue to play that game as adults but, instead of looking for oddities, we simply seek out everything that seems wrong.

As I recover from my foot surgery, I have to remain off my feet as much as possible. That means giving up all sorts of domestic duties to my patient and loving husband. This reversal of roles has required an attitude adjustment on both our parts. Although he is at my beck and call, I know better than to abuse my role as patient (especially since he will soon have surgery and our roles will be reversed!)

This morning, I looked around the house and saw all sorts of things “wrong.” Fortunately, before I opened my mouth, I pondered the meaning of “wrong.” Certain things like adultery, theft and murder are clearly wrong. Certain things, like faithfulness, tithing, and compassion are clearly right. There are, however, a great many things that are neither exactly right nor wrong and they’re certainly not worth getting one’s undies in a bunch. These things include a tablecloth that is askew, dust on the tables, and crumbs on the countertop. There are even more things that are simply “wrong” because I have arbitrarily defined what is “right.” While my “right” includes towels that are folded in thirds, throw pillows always attractively arranged on the bed, and smoothies made with almonds and flaxseed, not everyone agrees!

We must  accept the disappointing truth that we are far from perfect. Moreover, the world around us isn’t perfect and, in spite of our best efforts, it’s never going to be. Finally, we need to remember it’s likely our definition of “perfect” or even “correct” has little to do with anyone else’s definitions of those words.

Jesus was the only perfect person and something tells me that things like less than stellar housekeeping or food not prepared his favorite way didn’t concern him. Unlike the Pharisees who spent much of their time deciding what was “wrong,” He was much more concerned with issues like love, compassion, healing, truth, righteousness and salvation. When He saw what was undoubtedly wrong, like the money changers at the temple, He reacted. When He saw the woman at the well, however, He didn’t see a woman who was wrong; He lovingly saw a soul to be saved and offered love and forgiveness.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for those who help us in our daily walk and offer their loving care. Give us appreciative hearts and voices. Stop us when we are tempted to complain, whine, or correct what truly doesn’t need correction. Give us the eyes and heart of Jesus and the discernment to know what is truly important in life.

A happy home is one in which each spouse grants the possibility that the other may be right, though neither believes it. [Don Fraser]

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. [Ephesians 5:1-2 (MSG)]

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April 24, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Wisdom & Guidance

KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT

Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. [Psalm 141:3 (NLT)]

P1100857webIn yesterday’s “Frank and Ernest” comic strip by Thaves, while admiring a large fish mounted up on the wall, one of the men says, “He wouldn’t be up there if he had just kept his mouth shut.” Wiser words couldn’t be said! If only I’d seen the comic a day earlier when a woman I’d just met earnestly asked me how old I thought she was. She was quite attractive and I assured her she didn’t look old to me, but she insisted I give her my estimate. Responding to that question is akin to answering, “Honey, do these pants make me look fat?” There just isn’t a good answer. I’m a woman; I know better than to fall into that trap (or bite that lure) but, foolishly, I opened my mouth. Looking about my children’s ages and having a very responsible job, I guessed her to be about forty-five (I actually thought she might be as old as fifty). Big mistake; she is only thirty-eight and not approaching forty gracefully! I spent the rest of my time reassuring her how good she looks (which she does) and that she will age beautifully. Let’s face it: by the time I left, I wished I’d never opened my mouth at all! “Open mouth and insert foot” – good heavens, I inserted both feet plus an arm!

Sometimes, we’re like the fish that gets caught; we take the bait. Heavenly Father, please slap your hand over our mouths and even seal them with duct tape, if necessary, whenever any of us are foolish enough to consider speaking when it is best to leave things unsaid! Show us how to tactfully and honesty avoid uttering words that might inadvertently hurt someone even though we have only good intentions in our hearts.

If you keep your mouth shut you will never put your foot in it. [Austin O’Malley]

Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. [Dr. Seuss]

Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent. [Proverbs 17:28 (NLT)]

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April 23, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Plan, Love & Works

GOING TO WORK

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. [Romans 12:1 (MSG)]

When people asked me what I did, I’d often reply, “I’m just a homemaker.” But we’re never just a housewife or only a bus driver or merely a waiter. Do we ever demean the work God has given us simply because it lacks a large paycheck or status? Even those of us who are retired or unemployed have been given valuable work to do; we’re just no longer paid to do it. The work we do never defines us; how we do that work, however, does!

3-16-15-cropRWEBAll work is honorable, whether we’re saving lives as EMTs or wiping children’s bottoms and noses, designing skyscrapers or laying tile, teaching the ABC’s or preaching the gospel. There’s as much dignity in packing groceries as in managing the grocery store, in bussing tables as in being a gourmet chef, and in sweeping an auditorium as in conducting a symphony orchestra. Our work has importance whether we oversee the finances of a multi-million dollar corporation or manage to feed a family of five on a tight budget, whether we appease irate customers or calm a toddler in the midst of a melt-down, and if we teach calculus or help fifth graders understand fractions. To God, the pilot of a 747 is no more important than the driver of a mini-van doing car-pool duty. The song offered by a diva in a concert hall is no more beautiful to Him than the humming of a maid as she mops floors. Our work is not who we are; it is simply what we do. Work does more than bring a paycheck; our work is an offering to God. As His servants, we want to give Him our best. After all, He offers the greatest benefit package known to man!

Bless the work of our hands, O Lord. Guide us so that we are useful and industrious and give us joyful hearts as we labor.

And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do! [Psalm 90:17 (MSG)]

(Don’t worry! The photo is from a simulated rescue at a Swiss street fair.)

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April 22, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Peace of God, Prayer, Today: Make it Count

IT’S BEEN ONE OF THOSE DAYS!

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice! … Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:4,6-7 (NLT)]

4-22-15rupside down- CSS3257V-vertwebYesterday was a day of frustrations and I had difficulty keeping things in perspective. Starting at 5:00 AM, my perfectly planned day turned upside down. After discontinuing personally emailing my messages to sixty people and reassuring all of my readers they would continue to receive these daily devotions if they signed up to receive them directly from WordPress, they didn’t (at least not for several hours)! After waiting for an answer from “Help” and never getting one, I eventually figured out what to do. Needless to say, I was not a happy blogger!

While your project may not be writing a blog and you may not have encountered unexplained “technical difficulties,” we’ve all had those days when nothing, absolutely nothing, goes right. You read the directions three times and they still make no sense, you wait all day for the cable man who never shows up, you realize an essential ingredient for dinner is missing minutes before the guests arrive, the new sweater with the directions “lay flat to dry” gets tossed in the dryer, you fruitlessly search all day for the receipt you need for the accountant, you forget the 20% off coupon when shopping, you burn the brownies for that night’s meeting, you get stuck in traffic when you’re already late, there’s a plumbing disaster in the bathroom, mud gets tracked onto the new carpet, the tire is flat, your phone goes dead in the middle of an important call, you delete rather than save, or the traffic cop doesn’t believe in giving you “five miles over.” It’s days like these, filled with relatively small annoyances and frustrations, that can so easily rob of us peace and joy.

Paul was in chains in a Roman prison and facing the very real possibility of execution. That certainly makes for a bad day and he had every reason to be depressed and discouraged. Yet Paul told the church at Philippi to rejoice. Moreover, he seems downright contented, peaceful and filled with thanks. If Paul could find joy in the direst of circumstances, why should we allow the unimportant aggravations of everyday life ruin our day and rob us of peace?

I pray that today will not be another “one of those days” for you or me. If it is, however, I pray that we, like Paul, will find peace, serenity and strength in the power of Jesus Christ.

We think we know what will make us happy. Seldom do we readily accept that painful moments are often the price tags for peaceful, happy times. Nor do we appreciate that happiness lives within each of us; never is it intrinsic to the events we experience. [From “Each Day a New Beginning” by Karen Casey]

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)]

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April 14, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Word: The Bible, Obedience, Temptation & Sin, Trusting God

IN GOD’S BOAT

I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations. I cling to your laws. Lord, don’t let me be put to shame! I will pursue your commands, for you expand my understanding. [Psalm 119:30-32 (NLT)]

4-14-15DSC02196CROPwebMy father, C.W. Smith, was a bit of an autocrat; his word was law and not to be questioned by anyone. One day, while fishing with a friend, the two men were preparing their lines and baiting their hooks. My father noticed that his friend was tying the lure on his line in a way entirely different from the “tried and true” Smith technique. When my dad asked his friend why he used that method, his fishing buddy replied that he’d always done it that way and that it worked fine. The friend assured my father that he always caught plenty of fish and rarely lost a lure. My dad couldn’t accept the possibility of more than one way to tie a lure and finally said, “That may be well and good. But, when you’re in the Smith boat, there is only one way to do it and that is the Smith way.”

We aren’t in the Smith boat today, so we can fish any way we want. We are, however, in God’s and He’s the one who sets the rules. Unlike fishing, there is only one way to behave in God’s boat and that is His way!

Teach me your decrees, O Lord; I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. [Psalm 119:33-35 (NLT)]