Daily Stop & Thinks

Bravery

The bravest people are the ones who don’t mind looking like cowards. (T. H. White, British novelist)

Remember those old black-and-white western movies? The white hats always beat the black hats. Among all the frightened cowboys there was always a John Wayne, the bravest of them all, never showing fear and always winning the battle (and the belle, too). In reality, White is probably right. The brave are those who do their duty in spite of their fear.

Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

Common Sense

Five percent of people think; 10% of people think they think, and the other 85% would rather die than think. (Thomas Edison, inventor)

Today’s news, with its reports of bad judgment calls and evil actions, might make one wonder whatever happened to common sense. Have we lost the ability to think and reason? Or, as Edison suggests, is it just that we don’t use our brains; we live on feelings and preferences rather than sound judgment. What a shame!

Wise people think before they act (Proverbs 13:16). There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking (Proverbs 29:20)

Dissatisfaction

Wanting more is to pursue a path of frustration in the search for happiness. (Jesse Deloe, writer, editor)

Shouting “Encore!” at the end of a symphony concert is a legitimate request for more good music. But wanting seconds or thirds after a scrumptious meal may not be so good for our health. It’s human nature to always want more, it seems. But more is not always better. It may lead to dissatisfaction with what we have now, launching an unending search for more.

Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! (Ecclesiastes 5:10)

Proper Conversation

It’s best to talk to people not about people. (Rob Harrison, American pastor)

With the almost universal use of smartphones and the Internet, face-to-face conversation has become nearly nonexistent—or, at least, less common. But the same rules of civility should apply to online conversations as to personal verbal exchanges.  Too often, gossip and slander creep into our impersonal cyberspace talk. Keep it proper on and off line.

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. (Colossians 4:6)

Choosing Your Response

The overwhelming majority of your life is shaped by how you choose . . .to respond to circumstances beyond your control. (Paraphrase of Tim Knight, filmmaker)

Knight points out that only a very small part of your life is affected by such circumstances. Most of life, he says, is not so much a question of what happens to you but how you choose to respond to life’s happenings. If that’s true, it places a great deal of significance on our ability to make good choices. That’s a matter experience, learning, and character development.

People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed. (Proverbs 10:9)

True Friends

Friends are the Bacon Bits in the Salad Bowl of Life. (Pizza Shop Sign)

A lot of people agree that nearly everything tastes better with a little bacon in it. You might not want a bacon salad, but put a few bits in a spinach salad, and it is even tastier. Friends can be like that. You want them around because they add flavor to your life. And when you need that little extra to help you over a tough time, a touch of their friendship can restore your joy.

Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family (Proverbs 18:24)

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)