Daily Stop & Thinks

Happiness is not easily won; it is hard to find it in ourselves, and impossible to find it elsewhere. (Nicolas Chamfort, 18^th century French writer)

Children seem to be happy most of the time. Infants enjoy playing with their toes or some simple toy. As they grow, everything seems to be fun—at least for a while. But, as we mature, we discover that not everything satisfies—not even our thoughts and desires. It is within ourselves that we must ultimately find personal joy in a spiritual relationship.

Let all who take refuge in you [God] be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you (Psalm 5:11).

We are all faced with a series of great opportunities – brilliantly disguised as insolvable problems. (John Gardner, 20^th century novelist and literary critic)

Sometimes we don’t recognize an opportunity that’s right in front of us because, as Gardner suggests, it may be “disguised” as a problem that we don’t know how to handle. When we learn how to address those problems, we may discover that we have been given an unusual opening to accomplish something unique and beneficial.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:15-17).

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they are not on your road does not mean they have gotten lost. (H. Jackson Brown, American inspirational author)

As you grew up, it didn’t take long, did it, to discover that not everybody is like you? Not everyone has the same tastes and desires, and sometimes we think we’re right and everyone else is wrong, headed in the wrong direction. It would be better to recognize our differences and seek common interests and goals to work together to achieve them.

I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one (Philippians 1:27).

By: Dave Illingworth

Getting it wrong: “No!” yells a congregation member after the worship leader asks if they should sing again the praise song “Draw Close to Me.”

Getting it right: Apostle Paul wrote, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:2-3)

My father was a Presbyterian minister. As a preacher’s kid, I had a front-row seat to the “worship wars.” How my brothers and I dressed, acted in church, and did in school was always closely watched. My father’s sermons were critiqued weekly, and my mother was expected to constantly entertain and be everyone’s best friend. But the music is what gave me my first taste of church politics and how nasty the worship wars can really be.

In the early ’60s, the church music director resigned, and a younger man was hired. He and my father decided to try something different for the Easter service and brought in trumpets to augment the choir—which created a huge uproar. My father was so upset by the congregation’s criticism of the music that it was many years before he tried anything like that again.

Things haven’t changed. Even after my experiences as a preacher’s kid, I find myself falling into the same trap. After the service, we gather as a congregation outside and whisper to each other, “Did you like the sermon? Interesting? Boring?” or “What did you think of the music?” The older generation wants traditional music; the younger wants praise music. Organ? Piano? Band? Too many songs or too few? I find myself leaving the church service disappointed if it didn’t meet my standards, like I’m some kind of professional critic reviewing a movie.

It seems to me I have forgotten the real war is in the world outside where I am being asked to advance God’s kingdom on earth. I have personal preferences based on my age, upbringing, education, and ethnicity. I realize I need to embrace diversity and recognize that my view of God is too small. I must fight this urge to be a talent judge and instead work together in peace, encouraging other followers.

Maybe I need to act more like Jesus—to use my relationships in church to love rather than judge those conducting the service and to focus my attention on helping those outside the church come to know Jesus and have hope.

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. (Wayne Gretzky, former professional hockey star)

It sounds too simple to be true, but it must not be overlooked. Sometimes we fail to pursue a desired goal because we fear failure. Yet, if we don’t try, we surely won’t succeed. We can also learn valuable lessons from our failures that will make us more likely to succeed the next time. Gretzky no doubt became a better hockey player as he learned from his misses.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24).

There is . . . no happiness in any place except what you bring to it yourself. (Henry David Thoreau, 19^th century poet, author, philosopher)

When we look to things, activities, or other people as sources for happiness, we are launched on a failed mission. It is true that other things or people can give us a temporary emotional lift, but to sustain it, we have to have more activity, more things, or friends who never fail and are always there for us. Better to look within ourselves for inner strength.

Jesus: “I am coming to you now . . . so that [you]may have the full measure of my joy within. (John 17:13).

What we do for the human soul is incomparably more important than what we do for the transient things of this world (Chuck Colson, prison reformer, Christian apologist)

The old adage is true that “all that glitters is not gold,” meaning that not every attractive element has great value. Yet, many people are working hard to achieve more “glittering” things. Malcolm Forbes claimed that the person who dies with the most toys wins. But, as Colson suggests, what we do for people is an achievement of the greatest value.

Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed (Proverbs 11:25). No one should seek their own good, but the good of others (1 Corinthians 10:24).

Happiness consists not in having, but of being, not of possessing, but of enjoying. It is the warm glow of a heart at peace with itself. (Norman Vincent Peale, late preacher and author)

In modern society people seem to be pursuing happiness by accumulating more “stuff.” Full garages and overflowing storage bins testify to that fruitless search. But, as Peale suggests, happiness is really a state of being, not owning. To find peace within yourself, however, you would do well to look to the Creator who made you to have joy in a relationship with Him.

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

STOP AND THINK – Anyone can steer the ship but it takes a leader to chart the course.  (John Maxwell, leadership speaker and author)

Maxwell calls this “The Law of Navigation. The functions of “steering” and “leading” are similar but quite different. Give the helm to a seaman with clear instructions as to where he is to go, and he can probably bring the ship to its destination. But someone has to chart the course, to map the route (for landlubbers). And the charting is done by a qualified leader.

You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory (Psalm 73:24).

STOP AND THINK – No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else’s draft. (H. G. Wells, 19^th & 20^th century English writer)

That’s the curse of being a writer or editor. You just can’t look at written text (or listen to a speech) without recognizing grammatical errors or thinking of better ways to express a thought. When that becomes your everyday habit, it’s difficult to read or hear people speak without criticizing. How much better to “hear” the intended message without critiquing it!

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up (Romans 15:2).

STOP AND THINK – I’ve learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances. (Martha Washington, wife of the first U.S. president)

We’re often inclined to blame circumstances for our unhappiness. It’s “the hand we’ve been dealt,” we say, that has ruined our day. Our first First Lady was not likely trained in psychology, but she was wise in her observation. Our disposition—or attitude—is the one thing we can control; doing so will help us avoid common misery.

A happy heart makes the face cheerful (Proverbs 15:13).

STOP AND THINK – To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. (Nelson Mandela, late president of South Africa)

When we think of freedom, we’re often thinking of it as a personal right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” In other words, we’re proud and pleased that we have personal freedom from bondage. Mandela, having suffered imprisonment for his political views, understood that we must be equally considered that all citizens can enjoy freedom.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free (Galatians 5:1).