Daily Stop & Thinks

Veterans Day

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. (John F. Kennedy, 35^th US president)

Words are so important and meaningful, but they can be easily and quickly forgotten. We may leave a Veterans Day ceremony in which we’ve honored all those, living and dead, who have served in the defense of our country with warm hearts of gratitude for their service. The real test, as Kennedy suggests, of course, is to live in ways that honor those who served us so well.

If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life. (James 3:13)

Patience

The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second-best time is now. (Chinese proverb)

We always seem to be in a hurry, and we want what we want right now. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but eventually we come to understand that little of value happens overnight. We have to live and work for the future with patience. Writer Nelson Henderson put it this way, “The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”

Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. (James 5:7)

Reputation vs. Character

Reputation is what you are supposed to be; Character is what you are. ( William Hershey Davis, professor)

Davis continues: “Your Reputation is learned in an hour; your Character does not come to light for a year. A single newspaper report gives your Reputation; a life of toil gives you your Character.” The TV’s “News Flash” and newspapers‘ headlines most often report on someone’s reputation. The impression may be very misleading. It takes a life of integrity to develop good character.

Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold. (Proverbs 22:1)

Arguments

You don’t beat a thesis with an antithesis; you beat it with a better thesis. (Jack Kemp, late American politician)

Kemp’s comment would seem to be so helpful in today’s difficult political scene. Instead of always trying to prove the other fellow wrong by a strong opposing argument just offer him a better solution. No one likes to have his position criticized, but he or she may respond well to a better idea with which both can agree.

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. (2 Corinthians 10:4)

Principles

When you base your life on principles, 99% of your decisions are already made. (Dave Ramsey, financial advisor)

Too many of us today seem to live our lives on the basis of feelings, circumstances, a popular current blog, or podcast values. They change so often, however, that it leaves a lot of people confused and uncertain about the future. We would do well to note Ramsey’s observation and make our choices on the basis of unchanging truths and values.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. (Romans 12:2)

More Than Words

Words are only part of the way meaning is conveyed. There’s almost always more. (Brent Sandy, author)

Do you remember what it was like to watch your children learn how to use words? We often marveled at how quickly their vocabulary grew. We soon recognized, however, that they were learning much more about communication than just how to use words. Crying was sometimes more effective than merely asking for something. Facial expressions, body posture—wow, didn’t they learn fast!

Even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. (1 Peter 3:1)

Words

The words and actions of other people are a reflection of them, not of us. (Jesse Deloe, writer)

We’ve all learned that the old saying that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is simply not true. Words do hurt, but Deloe’s idea is helpful. The hurtful things said and done to us are very often the outpouring of another’s own hurts and needs. So, it is a good practice to heed good advice but ignore hurtful insults.

The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions. (Proverbs 10:11)

Guard Your Mind

We must be careful what we allow to access our minds today, for it may entice, captivate, and enslave our hearts tomorrow. (Christine Trier, young career woman)

Our minds are constantly being bombarded with all kinds of information, data, and propaganda.  Trier warns us to be careful what we let grab our attention and lead us into spending time, effort, and money in pursuit of them. An unhealthy activity may lead to a slippery slope that turns into a landslide. Let’s evaluate our choices carefully before investing ourselves foolishly.

But you should keep a clear mind in every situation (2 Timothy 4:5).

So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control (1 Peter 1:13).

Election Day

The most important office, and the one which all of us can and should fill is that of private citizen. (Louis Brandeis, 20^th century US supreme court justice)

Perhaps you never thought of yourself as holding an “important office” in your government, but the US democracy is “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” It is our responsibility to consider candidates carefully and vote in every election. Editor George Jean Nathan wrote, “Bad officials are elected by good citizens who don’t vote.” Study, ponder, pray for wisdom, and vote!

When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability. (Proverbs 28:2)

Ego

Learn to admire others. It is the first step to overcome your ego. (Ehsan Sehgal, Dutch-Pakistani author and journalist)

We don’t like to think we’re egotistical or proud, but there are times when we realize that we’ve fallen into a “me first” frame of mind. Maybe it’s our impatience at waiting in line at the grocery or scrambling for the best seat on the bus. Sehgal’s suggestion could be helpful. When we respect friends of high character and try to emulate them, we may become less self-centered.

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor. (Proverbs 11:2; 29:23)

Anger

Anger, resentment, and jealousy [don’t] change the heart of others – [they] only change yours. (Shannon L. Alder, author)

Sometimes when we’ve been wronged or someone has hurt us badly, it feels so good to get really mad and vent our anger somehow. But that good feeling doesn’t last long, and it really doesn’t help the situation at all. As Alder reminds us, our anger doesn’t change the person who hurt us. Rather, it may ruin a relationship and affect us negatively for a very long time.

Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry. (Ephesians 4:26)

Habits

We cling to the familiar and never stop to think… If we keep doing what we’ve always done, we will keep getting what we’ve already got. (Henry Ford, auto pioneer)

“We’ve always done it that way” is just about the worst possible reason for continuing. Albert Einstein called it insanity if you keep doing the same thing, expecting different results. But habits are hard to break. Somehow, we’re more comfortable in bad practices than thinking about trying something new.  Often it’s time to think creatively and try new ideas.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. (Romans 12:2)