Daily Stop & Thinks

In a Hurry

“My biggest regret is being in a hurry.” (Paraphrase of author Mark Buchanan)

Buchanan continues, “Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away.” Sometimes it seems that life today is a rat race. It’s difficult to find time to simply sit down and rest. And when we rush on to the next thing, we’re likely to finish our current task poorly. Slow down; work deliberately.

Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. (Psalm 116:7)

Trials or Opportunities?

Adversity is God’s opportunity. (Original source unknown)

Religious leader Marvin J. Ashon wrote, “Adversity will surface in some form in every life. How we prepare for it, how we meet it, makes the difference. We can be broken by [it], or we can become stronger.” Seeing adversity as God giving us new opportunities to trust him will be an incentive to move forward with faith.

Though the Lord gave you adversity . . . he will still be with you to teach you. (Isaiah 30:20)

The Game of Life

All golf is divided into three parts: the strokes, the course, and the opponent. (Tommy Armour, 20^th century Scottish-American golfer)

Golfers, indeed, may break down their game in these three categories, working on them one-at-a-time, to improve their game. But Armour’s observation is a good analogy of life itself. The strokes may represent the activity of our life; the course, is the setting in which we play the game of life, and the opponent is that great enemy of the soul who is constantly seeking to defeat us.

Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

Is it the Equipment?

The best equipment in the world, used improperly, won’t elevate your game an inch. (Author uncertain)

Whether it’s a farm implement, an auto repair tool, or sports equipment like a football or a lacrosse stick, it will not be helpful if not used properly. You can swing a baseball bat with full force, but if you can’t hit the ball, you’ll strike out. Life is like that. God has gifted each of us uniquely, and he expects us to develop and use our gift for his glory and the benefit of others.

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. (1 Peter 4:10)

Zeal and Truth

If our zeal is embittered by expressions of anger, invective, or scorn, we may think we are doing service to the cause of truth . . . (John Newton, 18^th century British converted slave trader)

Newton continues, “. . . when in reality we shall only bring it into discredit.” How appropriate are those thoughts today! People on both sides of political and social debates often act with hatred and malice, thinking that being “right” gives them the license to act in uncivil and harmful ways. Doing so only lessens the impact of their appeal. Truth stands best without hatred.

Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them. (Galatians 4:17)

Family

Have you allowed fame, career, success, or time to get in the way of … family responsibilities? (Jim Sheard and Wally Armstrong, golf writers)

Like many professional athletes, golfers spend a lot of time away from home, often playing Thursday through Sunday with practice rounds starting even earlier. That, along with the other concerns mentioned by the authors, can surely be a strain on the family. On the other hand, we who are at home al l week can be just as neglectful, pursuing our own interest fulltime.

But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8)

Little Problems

The more you think about the little difficulties in life, the bigger they become and still nothing is resolved. (The Global Grace Network)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “Into each life some rain must fall.” Everyone faces little problems of one kind or another; it’s just a part of normal living. Usually, we can handle those little things, but if we spend too much time thinking/worrying about them, they can become too big to handle. The truth is, worry never solved any problem, no matter its size.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (1 Peter 5:7)

Certainty

Whether or not you feel sure about something doesn’t make it certain it; it only defines how you feel about it. (Paraphrase of Scott Garber, author)

Have you ever been absolutely sure that you were right about something only to find out later you were wrong? It can be embarrassing, of course, but it’s always better to find out what is really true than to continue on with a wrong idea. It’s a good thing that truth doesn’t depend on how we feel. And it’s even better that there is a dependable source of truth—the Bible.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. (2 Timothy 3:16)

Impulses

If you’re too impulsive, you’ll make unwise choices, so when in doubt, slow down. (2 Minutes a day. 100 Devotionals)

TV commercials often are only 5-10 second sound bites with graphics that move by so quickly, we can hardly identify them. We often respond impulsively or not at all to such flashes of words or activity. Such constant quick responses can make life chaotic. Slow down today, and give yourself time to evaluate your choices.

The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception. (Proverbs 14:8)

You’re Valuable

You are valuable just because you exist. (Max Lucado, author and minister)

Lucado continues, “Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are.” We usually judge people by their actions. While some claim that people are good by nature, others argue that not everyone is innately good. Our value, however, is in God’s having created us in his image, and it was his intent that we reflect his nature and character.

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)

Control

Given an equality of strength and skill, the victory in golf will be to him who is captain of his soul. (Arnold Haultain, late British writer)

In solo sports, where you may be competing against other individuals, the real test is how well you are in control of your own game. Whatever the sport, there are multiple challenges to your skill, knowledge, endurance, and even your conduct. Self-control, of course, is a challenge in the daily lives of all of us. Without it, we will surely fail at some point.

Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city. (Proverbs 16:32)
So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. (1 Peter 1:13)

Falling

Descent is easy. (Virgil, ancient Roman poet)

Walking down the stairs, descending a ladder, falling down a hill—all are much easier than the opposite. It’s the pull of gravity, isn’t it? On the other hand, climbing the stairs, the ladder, or the hill is more difficult because we’re fighting against gravity. In Virgil’s poem, the Aeneid, he was likely alluding to a descent from a posture of loyalty, and that’s an easy fall we must avoid.

O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. (Proverbs 3:3)