Slow and steady wins the race. (Aesop’s Fables)
Another from Aesop: “The battle is not always to the strong.” These adages are simple but profound. Simple because they are easily understood. Profound because when they are considered in our actions, they can have powerful results. Like the hare and the turtle or David and Goliath, our best, steady efforts will result in the best outcomes.
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us (Hebrews 12:1).
Be intent upon the perfection of the present day. (William Law, 17th century Church of England priest)
We often look back at past experiences and regret that we didn’t do better. We get caught up in the “what if …” On the other hand, we may be tempted to look to the future with determination to make every experience the very best we can. Both may have some limited value, but as Law points out, it’s the present that we have to be intentional about. Work hard today to do your best.
Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do. (Proverbs 6:4).
Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much. (19th century Oscar Wilde, Irish poet)
When a friend offends you, most often unintentionally, it’s easy to forgive and forget. But when someone who really doesn’t like you offends you, it’s a bit more difficult to forgive. Our natural instinct is to fight back, to seek revenge. Wilde may be right, but our purpose in forgiving is not to hurt or harm the offender, but to bring him or her to a place of reconciliation and peace.
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven (Proverbs 17:9). Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you (Colossians 3:13).
We have so mixed love with beauty and charm and sensuality and contact that we’ve robbed it of its higher call of cherishing and nurturing. (Late apologist)
So-called beauty pageants usually ask a serious question or two of the contestants, which seem to be merely incidental in determining the queen. It’s difficult to deny that it’s their physical beauty that wins the prize. The same can be said of shows where beauty determines who the guy or girl will fall in love with. It’s all the world’s misconception of beauty and love.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last (Proverbs 31:30) … Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty … or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. (1 Peter 3:3-4)
Problems should be solved on the spot as soon as they arise. (Jan Carlzon, Swedish businessman)
It’s probably human nature that makes us want to avoid problems, especially if they might include some kind of personal conflict. We like to put it off until another day, thinking either that the problem will go away, or we will have a solution later. Most of us have found out, however, that problems only seem to get worse when we delay facing them. Better get at it right away.
When you pray, if you remember anyone who has wronged you, forgive him so that God above can also forgive you (Mark 11:25).
Truth and tears clear the way to a deep and lasting friendship. (Marie de Rabutan-Chantal, 17th century French aristocrat and letter-writer)
Genuine friendship certainly requires truth, and the expression of tears will often solidify a relationship. Photographer Gabriela Catalina put it another way, “Friendship: a building contract you sign with laughter and break with tears.” As you evaluate your list of acquaintances, you can probably identify those true, lasting friends by those two elements: truth and tears.
There are “friends” who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).
The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials. (Chinese proverb)
“No pain, no gain,” they say about exercise and fitness. That’s not much of an incentive, is it? Yet, we have all learned that it’s from times of stress and difficulty that we learn so much about life and perseverance. We certainly don’t want to look for difficult situations, but when they come—and they certainly will, ask God for patience and endurance.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance (Romans 5:3).
Don’t plan it all. Let life surprise you a little. (Julia Alvarez, American poet and novelist)
Your desk might tell a lot about you. The neat-as-a-pin surface could give the impression that you are extremely well organized. You probably follow a very specific plan for your work. A messy desk could convey the idea that you like freedom from too much order and planning. A little of both could be a good alternative. Leave room for some spontaneity and surprises.
We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer (Proverbs 16:1).
If one has no sense of humor, one is in trouble. (Betty White, late TV actress)
Have you ever wondered if God has a sense of humor? We are made in his image, and we like to laugh—it’s a mirror of the joy we feel in His presence and out of a heart of gratitude.
We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them (Psalm 126:2).
The Promised Land always lies on the other side of a wilderness. (Havelock Ellis, 19th-20th century British essayist)
The Bible’s Old Testament relates the saga of the People of God who wandered through the wilderness for 40 years to reach the Promised Land. Their story is one of suffering and sin but with the miraculous provision of God’s ultimate deliverance as promised. That historic journey is a lesson to us to be people who walk in faith and obedience, trusting him and his provision.
[God] provided for you so you would know that he is the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 29:6). And God will generously provide all you need (2 Corinthians 9:8).
The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life. (Rabindranath Tagor, 19th-20th century Bengali philosopher)
People who plant trees must realize that much later others will appreciate them for their beauty, shade, or timber. A slave wrote, “He that plants trees, loves others besides himself.” Someone else suggested that we should be useful as a tree by giving life to others.” Trees are a witness to life, and our lives should be a witness to the best life possible, one lived for God and others.
[They who] delight in the law of the Lord … are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season (Psalm 1:2, 3).
Life engenders life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich. (Sarah Bernhardt, 19th-20th century French stage actress)
This may sound like either a science lesson about life and energy or a philosophical statement about life itself. The science lessons are important, but Bernhardt no doubt is simply trying to help us understand something even more important. When we spend ourselves for the good of others, we both benefit and become that much richer in character and value.
The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed (Proverbs 11:25).