Daily Stop & Thinks

What you learn from pain you don’t forget. (Dick Dahlquist, retired college professor)

All of life provides multiple opportunities to learn, and we are always learning or else we will become stagnant. Learning can be fun, of course, and when we learn from happy experiences, it’s all the more fun. But, as Dahlquist suggests, we may remember longer those lessons we learned from painful events. They may hurt but also help.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)

The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. (Marcel Proust, 19th-20th century French novelist)

Often we don’t see clearly what is right around us. Residents who live in tourist areas often fail to appreciate the wonders around them. Others miss the opportunities available to them because they don’t see them. What’s worse, we often are so focused on the material and temporal that we miss the significance of spiritual values.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

You don’t build endurance on the path of least resistance. (Christine Caine, motivational speaker and author)

When things get tough on the road to achievement, it’s easy to slow down or stop. No one enjoys hardship and work that becomes drudgery. As football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” That sounds so easy, but it really requires perseverance, which may be developed only by overcoming resistance.

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:4)

It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart. (Mahatma Gandhi, 19th-20th century India national independence leader)

Whether it is in moments of extreme ecstasy or deep distress that you cannot express yourself in clear, meaningful vocabulary, it’s comforting to know that God hears and understands. As Gandhi suggests, that is so much better than the offering of eloquent speech without a heart of humility and worship.

[The Holy] Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. (Romans 8:26)

Reconciliation is forgiveness in action. (Sue Knight, pastor’s wife)

Do you have a broken relationship that needs to be restored? Has someone hurt you and you just can’t get over it? Do you find it hard to forgive and forget or forgive and move on, as some might advise? Knight suggests that “Forgiveness is the prelude to reconciliation.” So, it begins with you and a heart that wants to restore a broken relationship.

If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-25)

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. (Soren Kierkegaard, 19th century Danish philosopher)

Many have quoted Kierkegaard, and we all can recognize the truth of what he wrote. Life is often bewildering, and we struggle many times to figure out what is happening to us personally and in the world at large. Surely, that’s where faith plays its important role. Be sure to put your trust in one who can walk with you through and beyond life.

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. (Isaiah 26:4)

You can get everything in life you want if you will just help other people get what they want. (Zig Ziglar, late motivational speaker)

Is Ziglar’s comment paradoxical? How can I achieve my goals if I’m helping others achieve theirs? First, it’s always good to be helpful. It not only aids another person to reach their goals, but it helps you grow in character and community awareness. Besides, by helping them, you may very well learn something that causes you to rethink what you really want.

For I know your eagerness to help. (2 Corinthians 9:2)

Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold; happiness dwells in the soul. (Democritus, 5^th century BC ancient Greek philosopher)

The way modern Americans accumulate things—have you seen hoarders on TV?—you would think that we have proved Democritus wrong. It seems that the more we have, the more we want. Apparently more is never enough. Temporary happiness may come with the collecting of temporal things, but there is a more important source for lasting joy.

You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:11) To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness. (Psalm 37:4)

Integrity is choosing your thoughts and actions based on values rather than personal gain. (Chris Karcher, author)

It’s often true in business ventures, and maybe in personal planning as well, that we ask, What is to be gained in this project? Will there be money? How much? Will I gain some publicity? Will it advance my career? Maybe Karcher would suggest we ask, Will my good character be noted? Values last longer than financial gain or mere public recognition.

May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you. (Psalm 25:21)

True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice. (Martin Luther King, Jr)

Although we may have differences with other people—even pretty strong disagreements—many of us are happy just to avoid those people or have as little to do with them as we can. We might think we’re at peace with them. However, peace in the Bible is “shalom,” which suggests harmony and unity. We should seek that kind of peace with “offended” friends.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. . . . make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. (Romans 12:18; 14:19)

Fear always thinks of what you stand to lose rather than what you stand to gain. (Mike Silliman, pastor)

When making decisions about future endeavors, what is it that either keeps us from stepping out or urges us to move forward? Do we think more about the potential benefits or the possible pitfalls? Silliman suggests that fear might be the reason that stymies us in our planning for the future. Overcoming anxiety may be the first step to making progress.

God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Building bridges to the future does not imply burning bridges with the past. (Tom Julien, author, cross-cultural teacher)

Sometimes when we make our plans for the future, we may disregard the associations and accomplishments of the past. We are so eager to move forward, to pursue new ideas, that we may overlook how we got where we are and who helped us get here. As we build for the future, we must not neglect the progress, lessons learned, and the mentors of the past.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. (1 Corinthians 3:10)