Daily Stop & Thinks

Making it Work

Not having the best situation, but seeing the best in your situation is the key to happiness. (Marie Forleo, American entrepreneur)

Everyone wants to be happy. And many people work hard to arrange their lives so they can have the happiness they are seeking. It might be in job selection, the choice of a course of study, or the choice of a life partner. But Forleo suggests that whatever situation you find yourself in now provides an opportunity to work hard at making it the best possible in today’s experience.

I have learned the secret of living in every situation (Philippians 4:12).  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Expectations

If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome. (Michael Jordan, former professional athlete)

This is a lesson we all need to learn, and the earlier the better. Sometimes children struggle because their parents’ expectations of them are so high. Our own expectations, of course, can be a serious obstacle for our achievement. A realistic appraisal of our abilities and a careful evaluation of our expectations will help us accomplish our goals.

Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us (Romans 12:3).

Mistakes

Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the errors that counts. (Nikki Giovani, American poet and writer)

Unfortunately, Giovani is right. We do make mistakes; they are unavoidable. Some are rather minor, a grammatical error or typo, for example. Others are more serious, missing a doctor’s appointment, using erroneous data in a report—the list goes on and on. But acknowledging the error and apologizing are first steps. Taking measures to correct it where possible is next.

Indeed, we all make many mistakes (James 3:2). A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes (Ecclesiastes 10:4).

Personality

Your smile is your logo. Your personality is your business card . . . (Tom Roy, sports counselor)

Roy continues, “. . . and the way you make others feel is your trademark.“ You may not actually have a business card, but as Roy suggests, the way you live your life and demonstrate your personality is like handing out a card. It may be helpful to realize that the way people think about you is more important than a printed logo or card. It will last long after the card is lost

A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit (Proverbs 15:13).

Self-Worth

The lack of self-worth cannot be remedied by money, recognition, affection, attention, or influence. (Paraphrase of Gary Zukav, American teacher and author)

We’ve all known people who seem to have a very low opinion of themselves. Some of them have tried, as Zukav says, a variety of ways to raise their self-image. Very little probably works until we realize that we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27) and that gives us inestimable value. And our lives should reflect that image.

And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Change

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. (Leo Tolstoy, Russian writer)

In this election year, many citizens are hoping for change, whether in local, state, or federal elections. We’ve already been inundated with charges, name-calling, and promises that often are hard to evaluate with our limited knowledge. Tolstoy’s comment is worthy of note. Don’t put too much hope on others to bring about change. Successful change often begins within ourselves.

I preached . . . , that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do (Acts 26:20).

Reading

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one. (George R. R. Martin, American novelist and screenwriter)

It is undoubtedly true that most great writers have been great readers. Ideas for characters, description of geography and scenes, personality quirks—all of these influence the writer, giving him or her increased vocabulary and imagination. The reader experiences the excitement and tragedy of the characters he reads about, and his own imagination grows and becomes creative.

These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age (1 Corinthians 10:11).

Awards

Most things are more rewarding when you break a sweat to get ’em. (Matthew McConaughey, American actor)

Awards are not usually given to just anyone. Winning a race, writing a best-seller, scoring a winning basket or touchdown—those are the kinds of accomplishments that are rewarded. And the winners didn’t achieve their awards by chance. They practiced long and hard. They sweated a lot. Such medals mean more because of the effort it took to receive them

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? (1 Corinthians 9:24)

Work It Out

Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out. (John Wooden, noted basketball coach)

How do you respond when difficulties arise, or things aren’t working out the way you wish they would? That’s a more important question than trying to find out why things happen the way they do. Sometimes we can’t change the circumstances that trouble us. But we can note Wooden’s observation and work hard to discover how to remedy the situation.

Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right, for there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble. (Ecclesiastes 8:5-6).

Charity

If charity cost nothing, the world would be full of philanthropists. (Jewish Proverb)

If we were more generous by nature, always wanting to give to the needs of others, we probably wouldn’t have “Giving Tuesdays” every year. Why do we need to be prodded to give? Do we have to see traumatic tragedies before we open our wallets? The motive for giving should be love (the basic meaning of charity) which is a gift that helps us respond to those in need of help.

Since you excel in so many ways . . . I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7).

The Real Battle

The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. (Jesse Owens, Olympic gold medal winner)

Against all sorts of local prejudice when he ran in the Olympics in Nazi Germany, Owens won four gold medals. That is outstanding, of course, but his perspective on life is even more notable. He said, “The struggles within yourself–the invisible battles inside all of us–that’s where it’s at.” It takes the supernatural gifting of God for us to conquer our inner selves.

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

Right Thinking

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. (Plato, ancient Greek philosopher)

The chaos around the world—war, poverty, crime—is the result of someone’s thinking. And there are a lot of thoughtless ideas about the difficult issues of life today. As Plato suggests, when you read or hear the thoughts of well-known and outspoken public figures, consider them carefully, but don’t accept them without careful thought. Think right and choose right to act right.