Daily Stop & Thinks

Resilience is the ability to withstand, recover, adapt and grow in the face of pressure—welcome to life. (Christine Caine, Australian international speaker)

Caine seems to be suggesting that pressure is part of normal life. It can’t always be avoided, so the question is, “How do we stand up under pressure?” How do we recover and then change to handle the pressure? How do we grow in times of trial? For inward resilience, we most often will have to rely on strength from within and help from others.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. (Psalm 28:7).

Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open. (Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone)

When opportunity’s door seems to be closing, it often brings more than just disappointment. It sometimes freezes us, so that we can’t pursue an alternative. As Bell suggests, it’s fruitless to keep sorrowing over the closed door. We must look for other possibilities—doors that will take us into new, uncharted, but fruitful enterprises.

Wisdom: “Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For those who find me find life” (Proverbs 8:34-35).

You miss 100% of the shots you never take. (Wayne Gretzky, professional hockey player)

Gretzky scored 1,072 goals in his professional career of more than 20 seasons. It certainly must be true that he didn’t often hesitate to take a shot at goal. It’s a challenge to Joe Average to be more aggressive in making decisions and taking actions when opportunities arise. You may miss, of course, but you certainly won’t score if you don’t take a shot.

Moses was . . . powerful in speech and action (Acts 7:22). For I know your eagerness to help, and . . .  your enthusiasm has stirred [others] to action (2 Corinthians 9:2).

It might not be because you can’t find the right answer, but because you’re asking the wrong question. (Unknown, quoted by Kary Oberbrunner, motivational speaker)

We’d like to have answers to a lot of questions we might ask. Like, “Why is this happening to me?” That’s a legitimate question, but, ultimately, only time can answer it. As John Paul Caponigro says, “It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” If we learn to ask the right questions (like “What can I learn now?”) we’ll likely get the most helpful answers.

An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips (Proverbs 24:26). Let your conversation be always full of grace . . . so that you may know how to answer everyone (Colossians 4:6).

Don’t get upset by criticism. Value the fact that at least someone noticed what you did. (Chris Ware, American cartoonist)

No one likes to be criticized. Criticism is often very hard to take, especially when it is mean-spirited or offered out of a heart of jealousy. But legitimate criticism can be valuable in helping us evaluate our attitudes and actions. So, we should be aware of well thought-out critiques and try to learn from them, glad to be helped by the advice.

Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise (Proverbs 15:31).

The greatest danger to a free society is suppression of the free expression of ideas. (Chuck Colson, apologist and author)

This is an election year in the United States, and for what seems like an interminable time, there have been loud expressions of contrasting ideas and opinions broadcast widely and repeatedly all across the country. Will it ever end, we might ask? But, on the other hand, it is a freedom we value most highly: the right to state one’s ideas without fear of reprisal.

For you have been called unto liberty (Galatians 5:13). Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity. (H. Jackson Brown, inspirational author)

Napoleon Hill, another American author, suggests we miss some opportunities because “Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune or temporary defeat.” Is it often true that we fear misfortunes and defeats so we try to escape them? Maybe it would be better to seize the chance to make something good out of our difficult times.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:15-16).

As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do. (Andrew Carnegie, 19^th-20^th century Scottish-American industrialist)

With the ever-present visual and verbal media, we are inundated with words and “talking heads.” People tweet the most trivial comments that, in times past, no one would even think of saying to anyone. Since words often become almost meaningless, perhaps we should follow Carnegie’s advice and pay more attention to actions, rather than words.

The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint (Proverbs 17:27). Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth (1 John 3:18).

You get rewarded at the bottom end of the club by what you do at the top end. (Jerry Barber, late professional golfer)

Barber was talking about golf clubs and how important the grip is in determining the flight of the golf ball. It’s a great analogy, showing how important the relationship is between a tool and the craftsman who is using it. The golfer (or the machinist) has to put in the right effort at his end of the tool to be sure that the working end will do what he wants it to do.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters (Colossians 3:23).

Every morning you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams, or wake up and chase them. (Rebekah Radice, social media strategist)

Most people would likely want to forget their nighttime dreams. But, there are times when we might stay awake, thinking about tomorrow’s tasks or “dreaming” about the things we’d really like to do. Radice suggests our options: consign those nocturnal aspirations to the “not possible” category or set out right away to plan how to achieve those dreams.

The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out (Proverbs 20:5).

The secret of life … is to fall seven times and to get up eight times. (Paulo Coelho, Brazilian lyricist and novelist)

We all stumble from time to time; that is, we make mistakes, we fail in some way or another. But, like a toddler, learning to walk, we have to get back up and keep moving forward as best we can. Success is often the result of learning from repeated failures and advancing to the next step.

Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again (Proverbs 24:16).

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. (C. S. Lewis, British apologist and author)

We often view people on a personal scale of value or achievement. To us, there may be many extraordinary people—athletes, artists, scholars, etc. But, in Lewis’ view, everyone is extraordinary. Why? Because all people have been created in the image of God and have eternal souls. If that’s true, it ought to affect the way we see ourselves and everyone else.

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