Daily Stop & Thinks

Work Hard

If you don’t suffer the pain of hard work now, you will suffer the pain of regret later. (Abdul Khadar J, Indian actor)

It doesn’t take long for us to discover that life is not always easy. The goals we want to achieve require concentrated effort and, often, really hard work. We have to put in that extra effort or we won’t harvest the fruit of our endeavors. And that, most often, will lead to regret, and thoughts like “Oh, if only I had stuck with it; if I had just given it a little more effort.” So, keep at it!

Hard work brings rewards. . . Those who work hard will prosper. . . Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity. (Proverbs 12:14; 13:4; 21:5)

Hard Work

There is nothing to writing. Just sit down at your typewriter and bleed. (Earnest Hemingway, 20^th century American author)

Does everybody want to be a writer? Whether it’s blogs, e-books, or printed material, lots of people seem to think they have something worth writing about. But serious writers soon discover it is a lot of work. Successful authors may share Hemingway’s feeling. It takes blood, sweat, and tears to write a best-seller. Actually, every worthwhile project requires hard work.

Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time. (Proverbs 13:11)

Work

To love what you do and feel that it matters…how could anything be more fun? (Katharine Graham, late newspaper publisher)

In spite of the headaches of publishing a big city newspaper, Graham seemed to love her work and became a popular public figure. There are a lot of people, unlike Mrs. Graham, who go to work regularly and do their job well enough, but don’t really like what they do or feel that it matters much. How sad! View your work as significant, and you may find it fulfilling, as well.

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. (Colossians 3:23)

Labor Day

It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage that we move on to better things. (Theodore Roosevelt, 26^th US president)

Today we celebrate labor, and as Roosevelt suggests, it is an essential element in achieving “better things.” Note the other factors he mentions: “painful effort, grim energy, resolute courage.” Nothing of value is accomplished without hard, intentional work. As we honor all the laborers who have contributed to our well being, we should put our hands to work as well.

I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. . . People should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. (Ecclesiastes 2:10; 3:13)

Learn and Grow

By their mid-thirties, most people have stopped acquiring new skills and new attitudes in any aspect of their lives. (John Gardner, author)

Pastor-author Charles Swindoll describes such people, “You’re fast becoming addicted to the narcotic of predictability . . . and the longer you persist, the greater will be the pain of withdrawal.” Life can continue to be exciting and adventuresome if we continue to read, study, travel, and talk—continually learning and growing.

Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge. (Proverbs 18:15)

Take Action

A life of reaction is a life of slavery, intellectually and spiritually. One must fight for a life of action, not reaction. (Rita Mae Brown, writer)

While we may admire people who are initiators—always starting something new, many of us are reactors. We respond to someone else’s initiative. In Brown’s view, such reactors are limiting their abilities and stifling their growth.  It may be difficult to start, but, no doubt, it could be life-changing if we were to learn how to be pro-active.

Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live; learn to use good judgment. (Proverbs 9:6)

Pleasure

Recreation becomes the goal of life…. a meaningless life. (William Wilberforce, 18^th-19^th British statesman)

His full statement included “…almost any form of entertainment is pursued to fill the void created by a meaningless life.” Modern Americans seem to be endlessly seeking recreation or entertainment—sunning at the beach, camping in the mountains, taking cruises, etc. That can be an important and helpful part of life, but if recreation is the goal, it will be a wasted life.

I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 2:1)

Why Not?

Imagination is more important than knowledge. (Albert Einstein, late renowned scientist)

Einstein was certainly not devaluing knowledge. What you know is not only the basis of learning; it is also the material from which you make your choices and decisions. But we not only have the capacity to learn and know, God has put within us a creative ability. When we put that to use with our knowledge, there may be no end to what we can produce.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power to work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20)

Anger

Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be. (Thomas à Kempis, 15^th century German-Dutch cleric)

Anger is an insidious and often uncontrollable emotion. As Kempis suggests, when we are angry at the failings of others, we very well may be guilty of the same failures in ourselves. It’s easy to be critical of others and far more difficult to be honest about our own shortcomings. If we are upset with someone else, we would do well to examine ourselves first.

People with understanding control their anger (Proverbs 14:29).

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

The Future

It is difficult to live in the present, ridiculous to live in the future, and impossible to live in the past. (Jim Bishop, 20^th century journalist)

He concludes, “Nothing is as far away as one minute ago.” No matter how much we may long for a time past—even just a minute ago, we can’t bring it back or re-create it. Be glad for the good experiences of the past and forget the disappointments. In spite of present difficulties, work hard at today’s tasks, and you won’t have to worry about the future.

. . . be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

Friends

A hug is worth a thousand words. A friend is worth more. (Jasmine Fitzwilliam, photographer)

There was a time (maybe only senior citizens will remember) when hugging was reserved for families and lovers. Today, however, everyone seems to hug—even strangers. All 50-plus players in this year’s baseball All-Star game hugged one another after the game. Superficial hugs, however, don’t begin to substitute for real friendship—much more than a playful hug.

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. . .  A real friend sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 17:17; 18:24)

Time

God has a time for everything, a perfect schedule. He is never too soon, never too late. The when of His will is as important as the what and the how. (Richard Halverson, late chaplain of the U.S. Senate)

Life seems to become more complicated as time moves on. So many people are tied up with busy schedules, charted on their smart phones, and programmed to remind them of important meetings. God has a schedule, too, and he never misses an appointment. As Halverson reminds us, it’s not just the appointment but God’s timing that’s important.

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. . . God has made everything beautiful for its own time. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11)