Daily Stop & Thinks

Practice

Champions keep playing until they get it right. (Billie Jean King, retired tennis professional)

What makes a champion? Well, a certain skill is essential, whether it’s in sports, drama, or art. Champions will tell you, no doubt, that it takes an enormous amount of practice, too. Did you know that the familiar adage, “Practice makes perfect,” is not really true? Actually, regular practice only makes your efforts permanent. Be sure you’re practicing correctly—that’s critical.

Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart (Psalm 119:34).

Answers

[Pay] more intention to the question than to the answer and never [be] afraid to go in an opposite direction to find a solution. (Richard Saul Wurman, author)

In the midst of a conversation, we are often so distracted with the answer we’re preparing to offer that we don’t really hear the question. Wurman’s advice should be taken seriously. We want to be sure to understand clearly not just the words of the question but what lies behind it. We may discover insights, then, that will enable us to offer much better, more helpful replies.

An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship (Proverbs 24:16).

Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much (1 Corinthians 8:2).

Growing

You’ve got to continue to grow, or you’re just like last night’s corn bread—stale and dry. (Loretta Lynn, singer-songwriter)

Children often “can’t wait” to grow up. Getting taller than someone else may be important to them. There comes a time, however, when adults may want to stop growing physically, but they are satisfied with the status-quo intellectually and spiritually. To be fresh and refreshing, keep learning and growing.

The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger (Proverbs 24:5).

Love

We cannot love on our own, be gentle on our own, or bear our burdens alone. (Schultz & Estabrook, authors)

We’d like to think that we are the “captain of our ship,” in full control of our emotions and our actions. We soon discover, however, that life includes a lot of people, events, and circumstances that make our own judgment a bit more difficult. When it comes to love and serving others, we most often need the help of others, maybe even divine help.

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God (1 John 4:7).

Snowflakes

No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible. (Voltaire, 18^th century French writer)

As I write this, I’m viewing a heavy snowfall through my window. The scene makes Voltaire’s picturesque allusion very real. I certainly don’t expect an avalanche in Indiana today, but I get the picture. And I wonder: when troubles mount around us, how much have I contributed to them? Am I but a small flake, contributing to the landslide of society’s ills? God forbid!

For we are each responsible for our own conduct (Galatians 6:5).

Simplicity

Life is really simple, but men insist on making it complicated. (Confucius, 6^th century B.C. Chinese philosopher)

We might not agree that life is always simple, but we certainly recognize that we often make it pretty complicated. For example, trying to understand instructions that came with the latest DIY kit you bought. Was the manual really easy to follow or did it use terms that needed a translator? We would do well to remember the KISS adage: Keep It Simple, Stupid!

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple (Psalm 19:7).

Success

Nothing changes your opinion of a friend as surely as success – yours or theirs. (Franklin P. Jones, author)

Can you remember when a friend of yours suddenly received some acclaim because of his or her successful accomplishment? How did you respond to the sudden fame that your friend achieved? With surprise? Pride? Jealousy? A friend’s success may be a better test of our relationship than a failure. True friendship rejoices when a friend succeeds.

Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15).

Risks

We all need to decide whether to “play it safe” in life and worry about the downside, or instead take a chance, by being who we really are and living the life our heart desires. (Charlie Badenhop, author)

Some people like to take risks; no matter the danger, they’re ready to jump into their project with both feet. Others of us are a little more hesitant; we see the risks as too great, so we freeze. Is pursuing our “heart desires” the highest motivation? That might be the important question. Or are there more important issues to consider?

But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve (Jeremiah 17:10).

Humility

If you’re a horrible decision maker and want to become better, become humble. (Mike Lee, minister)

When you review the reasons things aren’t going well, have you realized it may be because you’ve made some bad decisions—some poor choices, perhaps? Sometimes it’s pride that causes us to blame our troubles on others or on the circumstances we can’t control. When we acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers, it may be the beginning of better decisions.

True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life (Proverbs 22:4).

Enjoy Life

Life is like an ice cream cone…you have to learn to lick it. (Charlie Brown, “Peanuts” cartoon)

Is life like an ice cream cone because it’s gone so quickly? Or because it’s really so tasty? Or because, if you don’t deal with it properly, you’ve lost the potential good of it? If you didn’t learn to lick an ice cream cone, you’d surely have a mess and miss out on all the good it promised. We have to learn how to deal with life to really enjoy it.

To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God (Ecclesiastes 5:19).

Knowledge Plus

Scholarship is not simply the production of knowledge. . . [In former times] scholars chiefly engaged in the transmission of knowledge for the purpose of formation. (Chris Gehrz, college professor)

They say that knowledge is doubling every 12 hours or so. Wow, how can we keep up with it all? We can’t. But as Gehrz suggests, there’s something equally important with accumulating information. The information we gain must be passed on to learners who will do more than merely absorb more facts. The goal is life transformation; learning that produces change.

Supplement your. . . moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness (2 Peter 1:5, 6).

Teamwork

I am a member of the team, and I rely on the team. I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion. (Mia Hamm, USA women’s soccer star)

Tom Wilson, another professional athlete put it this way, “Many of us are more capable than some of us . . . but none of us is as capable as all of us.” Many corporations and organizations are organizing their employees into various teams. Working as a cooperative team member, rather than as an individual, will achieve much more for the team and for the larger group.

We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other (Romans 12:5).

Yes, there are many parts, but only one body (1 Corinthians 12:20).