Daily Stop & Thinks

Impact

Life should end with the exclamation, “Wow! What a ride!” (Paraphrase of Hunter S. Thompson, 20th century journalist and author)

Thompson said, “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body. But, rather, [with a body] used up [and] totally worn out …” In other words, live life to the fullest, give it your best, don’t hold back. What an impact a life lived with that kind of attitude would have on one’s own sense of worth and value to others!

Use your gifts and abilities with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God. (Paraphrase of 1 Peter 4:11)

Positivity

If we looked for the positive in everything how much better would the view be? (Matt Kowalczyk, athlete)

Have you ever noticed that some people walk with their head down as if they were counting the cracks in the sidewalk? Other walkers are always looking around, enjoying the landscape, the cloud formations, or observing the people around them. Which, do you suppose, are enjoying life more? Looking for the positive almost ensures a more enjoyable experience.

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8)

Faith

The worst moment for the atheist is when he is really thankful, and has nobody to thank. (Dante Rossetti, 19th century British poet)

It may take more faith to be an atheist than to believe in a personal, almighty God. To the believer it seems really hard to understand how one could deny the existence of God with the evidence of nature pointing to a master creator and the vacuum in men’s hearts to find something noble outside of themselves. A searching mind can find help studying the Bible.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. (Psalm 19:1)

Words: Part Two

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. (Robert Fulghum, author)

But, they do: words can hurt deeply. Here’s good advice when someone speaks evil of you: Try not to take things personally. Life coaches Marc and Angel Chernoff write, “Even when it seems personal, rarely do people do things because of you, they do things because of them.” Perhaps, you can forgive and forget and try to speak kindly to your critics. It will surprise them!

A gentle answer deflects anger (Proverbs 15:1).

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them (Romans 12:14).

Words: Part One

Words carry weight because they inspire ideas. And ideas can change the world. (Kary Oberbrunner, motivational speaker and author)

Words and ideas are two important elements: Words, whether spoken or written, are the most effective way to express ourselves. Have you ever tried to communicate without words? Tough, isn’t it? When words express significant ideas, they can indeed change the world. But, as author Scott Belsky says, “It’s about making ideas happen.” Words and ideas require action.

Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards. (Proverbs 12:14)

Attitude

It’s the internal attitude of the heart that is essential. (Jesse Deloe, writer, editor)

Did you ever hear someone say, “Don’t do what I do; do what I say”? You knew right away, didn’t you, that the person wasn’t living up to his own standards? What we do is important, of course, because our actions reflect what we really are, what we believe and value. But, it’s the inward attitude of heart—character and integrity—that determine what we do.

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. (Matthew 12:35)

Winning

It is very important who is going to win and of little importance who has won. (Attributed to a Rugby captain; quoted by Stuart Weir, British journalist)

Weir continues, “I think he was saying go into the competition and give it 100%, but when it is over, move on.” How we compete by doing our very best to win is important. We should not be satisfied with any less. But, when the games are over, the names of the winners are soon forgotten. (Who won last year’s Super Bowl?) Be known as one who always gives his best effort.

So . . . whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Counsel

Good decisions are seldom made in isolation. (Heather Dozier Riggs)

Many of us probably think we are perfectly capable of making our own decisions. We’re independent and self-assured. We’ve managed to come this far by ourselves, so why should we look for advice from someone else? Well, if experience hasn’t taught us the value of good counsel, it’s time we learned that the perspective of good friends can be a great help.

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. (Proverbs 15:22)

Gratitude

Let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings! (Inspiration Line)

On the other hand, as the author stated, “The unthankful heart… discovers no mercies.” Instead of celebrating Thanksgiving on just one day a year, if we were to maintain an attitude of gratitude throughout the year, we would no doubt find more and more to be thankful for. And our grateful attitude would surely be an encouragement to everyone around us.

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks (1 Timothy 4:4).

Unity

The last 5 letters of the word community — it won’t be authentic without it. (Author unknown)

What is community? Webster: a unified body of individuals with common interests. Unless there is agreement on the things we hold in common, there really is no community; it would just be a group of people. The “i” in unity is central and important. Unless I work for unity within the group, the so-called community will be dysfunctional and unsuccessful.

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1). And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:14).

Becoming

Who you are becoming is more important than what you are doing. (Jeff Bogue, pastor)

Most of us like to look at achievements and accomplishments to judge someone’s success. But Bogue suggests a more important issue: what you really are as a person. Another way of putting it: what you are is more important than what you do. Why? Because what you do reflects what you are, and what you are determines what you do.

Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold. (Proverbs 22:1)

Mistakes

Just because you mess up does not mean you give up. (Clayton King, minister)

We all make mistakes; the important question is what do we do with them. Ignoring them doesn’t help; the consequences still have to be dealt with. Forgetting them likely means we will repeat them. King’s answer is “When [you] mess up, fess up.” Acknowledging our errors is the first step to recovery. Correct the mistake if you can and make amends with any you’ve hurt.

Indeed, we all make many mistakes. . . . Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other. (James 3:2; 5:16)