Daily Stop & Thinks

Don’t count the days; make the days count. (Muhammad Ali, late heavyweight boxing champion)

Whether it’s counting the days until vacation, the last day of school, or the beginning of retirement, it really is a waste of time. Even counting the days of your illness, recovery from an accident, or a family struggle, again, counting doesn’t help much. We would do much better, as Ali suggests, to make whatever days we have left days of worth and achievement.

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12). As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered (James 5:11).

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears. (Nelson Mandela, late South African anti-apartheid revolutionary)

Too often we make decisions because of what we’re afraid might happen. The unknown sometimes stymies us so greatly that we can’t even choose what to do next. As Mandela implies, that’s a very poor way to make choices. You can’t lead well if you look at life with such negative foresight. Rather, what is your vision, your hope for the future? Choose that.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him (Romans 15:13).

Imagination is our ability to see inwardly and picture there [what] has not yet appeared outwardly. Imagination is God’s gift to us. (Donald Curtis, actor and religious leader)

As adults, we sometimes lose the imagination that enlivened our lives as children. But if we could use imagination now, we could move beyond the routines of life and restore a measure of creativity. So, use this God-given gift and let your mind soar. Add imagination to life; it could be life-changing.

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us (Romans 12:6).

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. (Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19^th century American essayist, lecturer, and poet)

Sometimes we become so absorbed in the routines of life that we can fall into the habit of doing what we do almost without thinking. The “everydayness” of life may become boring, and we move along mindlessly. Emerson suggests that living that way will accomplish very little of value. So, find some way to bring the joy of expectation back into your life today.

Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it (2 Corinthians 8:11).

It takes two people to say a thing—a sayer and a sayee. The one is just as essential to any true saying as the other. (Samuel Butler, Victorian-era English author)

Listening may be a lost art. With the ability to text and receive messages almost instantaneously, we’ve become accustomed to reading both sides of a cyber “conversation.” When we talk to others face-to-face, however, it’s easy to rush our answers, like an instant “oral text.” Instead, we need to listen carefully before we respond.

To answer before listening— that is folly and shame (Proverbs 18:13).

May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right. (Peter Marshall, late chaplain to the U.S. Senate)

It’s Independence Day in the United States, the day to celebrate the launching of the unique American republic. As we think of the liberties we enjoy as U.S. citizens, we should be reminded of Marshall’s statement. Freedom is limited, but it can be most fully enjoyed as we use our liberty to serve others, doing what is right, fitting, and beneficial.

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil (1 Peter 2:16).

When you boil life down to the nubbies, the name of the game is change. (Charles Swindoll, pastor and author)

And change is sometimes hard, because we’ve become pretty set in our ways. We often don’t want to change even when we know that doing or thinking differently might be good for us. A. C. Benson wrote, “Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene.” So, we must start with ourselves; our positive change will help both us and others.

Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3).

The fight is won or lost far away from the witnesses. (Muhammad Ali, world champion boxer)

He continued reporting where the fight is won: “. . . behind the lines, in the gym and out on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” Any champion has won, not only because he was best in the race, the ring, or on the court, but because of the hours of hard work in training and preparation. We would do well to apply the same principles to our daily living.

Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow (Joshua 7:13).

The life which is unexamined is not worth living. (Socrates, classical Greek philosopher, 4^th century B.C.)

Are you rushing through life, busy with activity, but never taking the time to think about what you’re doing? If we don’t examine ourselves from time to time, we’re likely to keep doing what we’re doing without thought of how to improve or make better use of our time and efforts. Surely, we would benefit from careful reflection and change.

Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways (Proverbs 4:26).

I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying. (Michael Jordan, former pro basketball star)

Even Michael Jordan had bad games, missed shots, and made mistakes; but he persevered and has been honored as one of the best ball players of all time. Few of us will achieve the heights as he did, but we should adopt his work ethic. No matter how difficult, no matter how many times we fall, we determine to get up and keep trying until the job is done.

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

One person can go faster, but two people can go further. (Jim Brown, minister)

It’s often a temptation when we’re in a hurry to go it alone, knowing that working with someone else will always slow us down a bit. That’s a pretty selfish attitude, when you realize that having someone with you is a learning opportunity for them and a help to lessen your load, too. We should look for ways to increase our effectiveness by working as a team.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. (English proverb)

We’re always looking for calm seas and smooth sailing; they make the ride so much more pleasant than choppy waves and strong wind. Anyone with only a little training can sail under the easy conditions. But in times of strong winds and storms, you want a sailor who is experienced, having developed his skills in the difficult seas.

Men of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen; your skilled men, Tyre, were aboard as your sailors (Ezekiel 27:8).