Daily Stop & Thinks

STOP AND THINK – The nail that sticks out gets hammered. (Japanese proverb)

Is this proverb intended to teach that we should not try to bring attention to ourselves? If we look and act like everyone else, perhaps no one will notice us, and we’ll be safe. Or maybe there’s a positive lesson to learn: instead of going it alone there is value in being a team member, working together as a unit. Both you and the team will be safe and successful.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. (Ecclesiastes 4:9)

STOP AND THINK – Language becomes event when the reader is personally involved as a participant. (Charles Hummel, educator and author)

Language is more than just the assembling of words. They must be put into meaningful phrases and clauses to convey meaning. When we use language, whether speaking or hearing it, we intend to communicate with one another. When we are actually participating in the action described by our words, it is no longer just language, it is life.

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. (Psalm 119:130)

STOP AND THINK – The function of setting up goals and passing statements of value transcends the domain of science. (Albert Einstein, renowned German-American scientist)

For some people, science has all the answers. If we can just pursue answers through careful research and experiments, we can discover truth. Perhaps, indeed, we can certify specific facts, but as Einstein suggests, there’s more to life than simple facts. There’s a spiritual element to life that enables us to set goals and establish values that make life productive.

Godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come (1 Timothy 4:8).

STOP AND THINK  – All things strike a balance: a dull party, for instance, gets you to bed at a decent hour. (Anonymous)

That’s a humorous way of looking at life, isn’t it? And we can be grateful for such times in life, when difficult or unpleasant events are balanced out by something that distracts us and makes life more enjoyable. We should be more alert to look for the positive balance in the disagreeable situations we may encounter.

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. . . . I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation (Philippians 4:11-12).

STOP AND THINK – Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way. (Isak Dinesen, pen name of Karen Blixen, Danish author)

When times are good and life is easy, we are often blind to the beauty around us. In reality, of course, nothing has changed except our circumstances. Dinesen also writes, “So many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever.” So, when we face really difficult times, we must not worry but look for the truly beautiful in life.

[God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart. (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

STOP AND THINK – A good leader relates to others not for who they are, but for who they have the potential to become. (Kary Oberbrunner, author and motivational speaker)

Leaders often look for people who show potential for success by their achievements. Oberbrunner suggests, however, that we should look, not just for potential accomplishments but also for potential personal growth. Good leaders want to help their followers do more than complete tasks; they want to develop people with character and integrity.

Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account (Hebrews 13:17).

STOP AND THINK – Revenge reduces you to your worst self [and] puts you on the same level with those spiteful people we claim to abhor. (Judith Orloff, psychiatrist)

It seems like we’re born with a “get even” trait. When someone offends us, we want to get even—and more so. Most of us have discovered, however, that not much good comes from “getting even.” In fact, as Orloff says, it brings us down to the level of those who have mistreated us. It would be so much better to learn to forgive and forget.

If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them (Luke 17:3).

STOP AND THINK – Education in itself without moral correction does little except to produce clever sinners. (Melvin Tinker, the vicar of St John’s in Newland, Australia)

Education is extremely important, of course, but as Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” To teach facts—even as accurate as they may be—will not produce men and women of integrity. Students must approach their education with a willingness to learn truth and a desire to develop character and integrity.

It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a rebel who has no heart for truth. (Proverbs 17:16)

STOP AND THINK – Take the risk of thinking for yourself—much more happiness, truth, beauty, and wisdom will come to you that way. (Christopher Hitchens, English author and journalist)

Is it really a risk to think for yourself? Maybe we are tempted to express only those ideas that are commonly understood or to repeat what “the experts” have said or written on the subject. But, as Hitchens says, there’s a lot to gain if you exercise your freedom to express your own thoughts and ideas. Perhaps someone will learn from your free expression of truth.

We will lovingly follow the truth at all times—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly (Ephesians 4:15-16).

STOP AND THINK – We are masters of unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out. (Winston Churchill)

Sometimes we make great speeches in our minds. We know just what we’d say if certain occasions came for us to speak; we have just the right words. We’re the master of those mental words. The problem is that we too often say things before we think, and we are forever trapped by those unwise words. So, we need to think carefully before we speak.

When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise (Proverbs 10:19).

STOP AND THINK – It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. (John Wooden, renowned coach)

Probably no one really thinks they know it all, but some people act like they do. Even the most learned person can and must continue to learn. No matter what the subject, there is always more to know about it. One of the joys of aging is continuing to learn. Continued learning makes life enjoyable and fruitful.

Let the wise listen and add to their learning. … Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still (Proverbs 1:5; 9:9).

STOP AND THINK – A pure theology and a loose morality will never mix. (C. H. Spurgeon, 19^th century British preacher)

People of religion can talk all they want about theology or doctrine, but what they really believe will be demonstrated by how they live. As someone has said, “Words are cheap.” That is, we may be able to speak well and clearly, but our lips and lives will reveal what is really in our heart—what our character and integrity are. So, show your faith by your life.

Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. … Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds (James 2:17-18).