Joy There are [people] in this world [who] have the gift of finding joy everywhere and of leaving it behind them when they go. (Frederick William Faber, noted 19th century English hymn writer) One of life’s great pleasures is to be around the kind of people Faber...
Waiting and Moving On Good things come to people who wait, but better things come to those who go out and get them. (Anonymous) Walt Disney put it this way, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." So, it’s probably a combination of both....
Open-Minded People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for. (from To Kill a Mockingbird) It’s difficult, isn’t it, to keep an open mind? Often we feel that we know enough about a certain situation that we don’t really hear someone else’s...
Perspective Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change. (Wayne Dyer, self-help, author) It’s the old story of seeing the cup as half full or half empty or noticing the mud rather than the daisy. It’s a matter of perspective, isn’t it? The...
Falling The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. (Nelson Mandela, late South African president) We think nothing of it when a toddler falls and immediately jumps up again. Nearly everyone has fallen short of the...
Troubles Adversity reveals genius. (Horace, 1st century B.C. Roman poet) The Greek philosopher Plato put it this way, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” When the need for something becomes imperative, we are forced to find ways to meet that need. According to...
Act Now Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. (The Talmud, Jewish religious law) In a world saturated with troubles within and without, it’s easy to give up in face of the daunting task of achieving...
Honesty If being a team player requires doing what is wrong, you're on the wrong team. (Chuck Swindoll, author) An American teacher overseas was offered an administrative position in his school. In the culture of that nation, it was not uncommon to be less than honest...
Knowing More Don't focus on what you don't know. It's too heavy for you and will crush your peace of mind. (Chris Suitt, pastor) For many of us what we don’t know sometimes stymies us to the point where we just can’t move forward. We think we must have that certain...
Be Still Lord, help me to relax about insignificant details beginning tomorrow at 7:42:23, PST. We’re more familiar with the similar prayer, “Lord, give me patience, and I want it right now!” “That’s ridiculous, we say.” Sure, both statements are absurd, but isn’t...
Priorities Let’s do our best to order our lives wisely and keep first things first. (Blaise Pascal, 17th century French writer) Pascal also wrote, “Man’s sensitivity to little things and insensitivity to the greatest things are marks of a strange disorder.” Isn’t it...
Contentment Discontentment is an appetite that’s never fully satisfied. (Mike Lee, pastor) Whether it’s an addiction or just an unfulfilled desire, discontent can lead to habits that can destroy your career and hopes. Haven’t you known someone who never seems to be...