Daily Stop & Thinks

STOP AND THINK – Anger may be handled wrongly in either one of two ways: blowing up and clamming up. (Jay E. Adams, Christian author and counselor)

Do you ever get mad? How do you respond in situations that make you angry? Some of us just clam up, as Adams suggests. We just don’t want to talk about it, and we’re certainly not going to share our problem with anyone else. Others of us vent our anger and strike out at those around us. Neither response is healthy, of course. Better to learn self control.

In your anger do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you are still angry (Ephesians 4:26).

STOP AND THINK – It is the best and truest friend who honestly tells us the truth about ourselves even when he knows we shall not like it. (R. C. H. Lenski, German-American Lutheran scholar & author)

Not many people take criticism well. It hurts when someone points out our faults and mistakes. Often, it’s a close friend who lovingly corrects us. False friends are the ones who hide such truth from us and do so in order to remain in our favor. But a true friend tells us what we need to hear because it’s for our own good. Thank God for such good friends!

A friend loves at all times . . . there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother . . . Wounds from a friend can be trusted (Proverbs 17:17; 18:24; 27:6).

STOP AND THINK – Affliction is one of God’s medicines! By it He often teaches lessons which would be learned in no other way. (J. C. Ryle, 19^th century Anglican bishop)

No one likes to suffer. We avoid pain at almost any cost— doctors, medicine, therapy. Yet, pain can be a blessing. Without it we might not know that we’ve hurt ourselves. But difficulties also can be of value. From them we learn to be patient, to look for the lesson to be learned, or to discover the growth that we need for worthy living.

But [the Lord] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

STOP AND THINK – The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. (Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, mystic, and writer)

Merton continues, “Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.” Whether or not “opposites attract,” as some say, it seems that many people gather around themselves those who are most like them in attitudes and values. But, true love seeks only the best for the loved one and does not want to change him or her.

What a person desires is unfailing love (Proverbs 19:22). Do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:14). Love is patient, love is kind (1 Corinthians 13:4).

STOP AND THINK – He who gives when he is asked has waited too long. (Scottish proverb)

At first reading, we might think this is a strange proverb. After all, giving is usually a good thing, isn’t it? In fact, the Bible says that if we have the ability to give to a needy person, we should do so when he or she asks. Better yet, however, is giving when we see a need or opportunity to give before we’re even asked to do so. That’s the spirit of loving kindness.

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed (Proverbs 11:25).

STOP AND THINK – Our limitations and success will be based, most often, on our own expectations for ourselves. (Denis Waitley, motivational speaker and author)

We often think that we are limited by external obstacles and difficulties that interfere with our plans and projects. Waitley argues, however, that the problems most often come from within. He says, “What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon.” In spite of problems from the outside, it is essential that we think realistically about our abilities and resources.

I can do all things through Him who gave me strength. (Philippians 4:13)

STOP AND THINK – If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. (Henry Ford, American industrialist)

Sometimes we worry so much about results and objectives, hungering for elusive success, that we forget what it really takes to achieve a worthy goal. Though Henry Ford was pretty much a self-made man, he did not achieve his success in making automobiles by himself. It takes a team that works together, always moving forward in sync.

The whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work (Ephesians 4:16).

STOP AND THINK – Love is the difficult realization that something other than oneself is real. (Iris Murdoch, Irish-born British author and philosopher)

It takes awhile for a child to realize that he or she is not the only reality in life. We are all born with a self-centered nature and think that everything revolves around us. When a child begins to understand that there are other people out there (e.g. mother and father), then he, as Murdoch suggests, can discover love and understand that he is not all that is real.

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10).

STOP AND THINK – You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you. (Brian Tracy, Canadian author on personal and business success)

This is not a new idea, but it is certainly important for all of us to understand and apply. A lot may happen to you in life that you don’t like and can’t control. Trying to take control often doesn’t work for you. But if you can control your attitude, Tracy says, “You will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.”

You were taught . . . to put off your old self . . .  to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God (Ephesians 4:22-24)

STOP AND THINK – Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain. (Author Unknown)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “Into each life some rain must fall.” Sometimes, instead of a gentle rain, it comes as a storm, creating trouble. Then it’s a temptation just to wait out the storm; stopping life to wait for better weather. But, would we withstand the storms better if we could learn to move forward joyously instead of wasting time waiting?

There is a time for everything . . . a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance … (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)

STOP AND THINK – The path to our destination is not always a straight one. (Barbara Hall, American writer and producer)

The expression “as the crow flies” indicates the shortest distance between two points, which we may not be able to follow because of the terrain below the bird’s flight. We may encounter many turns and twists, hills and valleys as we travel to our destination. That’s a parable of life, too. We often have to overcome obstacles to reach our objective.

Not that I have already . . . arrived at my goal, but I press on (Philippians 3:12).

STOP AND THINK – Thoughts are like roads; you never know where they will lead you. (Robert Schuller, late television pastor and author)

Sometimes taking an unknown road may lead to a new adventure, almost certainly to a new location. Traveling the unmarked road may result in the discovering of some exciting and rewarding place. As Schuller suggests, thoughts can be like that, too. Let your mind wander a bit, pursuing a new idea wherever it may take you. Perhaps you’ll gain new and helpful truth.

Whatever is true … noble … right … pure … lovely …  admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Philippians 4:8).