Daily Stop & Thinks

Sympathy

Anybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend’s success. (Oscar Wilde, 19^th century Irish poet and playwright)

Think about it! Most of us will genuinely sorrow with a friend who is suffering. That’s what friends do. We want to encourage and help them in times of trouble or grief. But Wilde raises an interesting question. Are we as helpful and encouraging when a friend enjoys success, especially in areas where we may not have done so well?

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. (Romans 12:15)

A Simple Life

Finding a way to live the simple life is one of life’s supreme complications. (T. S. Eliot, one of the 20^th century’s major poets)

You may have neighbors whose religious convictions call for living a simple life. It may be difficult, but they do without telephones, automobiles, and electricity. What about the rest of us? We don’t have to give up modern conveniences necessarily, but learning to do with less simplifies daily life. Living more simply would undoubtedly do us good.

I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is . . . with plenty or little. (Philippians 4:11-12)

Bitterness

Bitterness is an acid that destroys its own container. (Adrian Rogers, radio preacher)

It frightening to know that the gastric acids in our stomachs can eat through wood and small pieces of metal. It’s comforting to know, however, that those acids destroy bacteria and viruses that could do our bodies harm. Also, our stomachs have a protective lining that keeps the acid from burning through and harming us. If bitterness is like an acid, think of what harm it can do.

Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. (Hebrews 12:15)

Do Good

Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good. (Minor Myers, professor)

You might well expect to hear a commencement speaker encourage the graduates to “Go into the world and do well.” With all their new knowledge and wisdom, they can expect to succeed in their chosen field of endeavor. The speaker may also challenge the students to use the rest of Myers’ quote, “Go into the world and do good.” Work unselfishly for the good of others.

And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. (Hebrews 13:16). Remind the believers . . . They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good (Titus 3:1).

Hard Work

I don’t like to write, but I like having written. (Frank Norris, 19^th century journalist)

Maybe it’s not writing you dislike; maybe it’s the daily grind of your job. You don’t like the work (mental or physical) and you don’t enjoy the long hours; but you do like the results—whether it’s an artistic creation or a useful product. Whatever your gifting or assignment, do your very best at it; hard work pays off both for you and for others.

Use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. (Ephesians 4:28)

Planning

Envisioning our ideal next stage of life is an essential part of healthy aging. And the best way to actually achieve that ideal is to plan for it. (Maridel Reyes, writer and editor)

It often seems like bad things just happen; we don’t have to plan for them. But good things don’t simply happen; we have to plan for them. And Reyes gives more good advice: “Our lives consist of equally important parts—past, present, and future—and we can reap tremendous rewards from investing our thoughts and actions into all three. “

Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. . . . Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity. (Proverbs 16:3; 21:5)

Advancement

If I have to choose, I will  . . . take the less dynamic, indeed even the lazy person, who knows what’s right, than the zealot in the cause of error. (Antonin Scalia, late U.S. Supreme Court justice)

Scalia continues: “He may move slower, but he’s headed in the right direction.” On another occasion, he said, “Movement is not necessarily progress.” Two important ideas: 1) The issue is not speed but direction. Choose the guy who is on the path you know to be the right one. 2) Make sure that the movement you see is advancing the project, not taking it backwards.

Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. (1 Timothy 4:15)

What’s Missing?

We have too much to live with and too little to live for. (Os Guinness, English author and social critic.)

On your next exercise walk, take a look in the open garages of your neighbors. What’s missing? In some of them, you’ll see lots of “stuff” but no automobile. You might wonder what their attics, storerooms, and closets look like. Now, there’s nothing wrong with having things, but what do the recreational and sports “toys” and all the other stuff suggest about their life goals?

Don’t store up treasures here on earth . . .  Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19-20)

Success

I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure–It is:  to please everybody. (Herbert Bayard Swope, journalist)

Everyone wants to be successful. Libraries are full of books intended to help readers achieve their goals. Swope acknowledges that it’s really difficult to apply those “10 Steps to Success” in every situation, and he offers one very significant key to failure. It doesn’t take long to discover you can’t please everyone, so don’t try to. That may be your first step to success.

I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. (Galatians 1:10)

Character

Brains are like muscles. You can rent them by the hour. The only thing that is not for sale is character. (Salvatore Eugene Scalia, late college professor)

As a teacher, Scalia certainly recognized the value of using your brains. He was in the business of training young men and women to exercise their learning abilities in order to serve well. He recognized, however, that “smarts” are not enough; you can actually get someone else to think for you and solve problems, but only you can develop character and integrity.

I will be careful to live a blameless life . . . I will lead a life of integrity in my own home (Psalm 101:2).  People with integrity walk safely Proverbs 10:9).

Learning

The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take that away from you. (B. B. King, late American musician)

Whether it’s by rote memorization, word association, or oral transmission—the beautiful thing about learning, as King reminds us, is that if it’s really been learned well, you’ll have that knowledge as long as you live. People may try to dissuade or correct you, but that only increases its value and permanence.

Jesus: “To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge.” (Matthew 13:12)

Learning from Mistakes

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes; art is knowing which ones to keep (Scott Adams, comic strip writer and author)

No one likes to make mistakes, but we all should admit that we can learn a lot from them. It’s also true that no one ever created anything of value without considerable trial and error, having made several mistakes before a final product was produced. Moving ahead with what you’ve learned from your mistakes, hard work enables you achieve a creation of worth.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)