Daily Stop & Thinks

Hard Times

When I hear somebody sigh, “Life is hard,” I am always tempted to ask, “Compared to what?” (Sydney Harris, 20th century American journalist)

It has always been true that life is difficult for a lot of people. Economic woes, war, disease—all of those factors impact multitudes of people. We certainly don’t want to belittle the sufferings of others, but we should consider Harris’ comment when times are hard for us and begin to think of ways we can help those whose lives are so much harder than ours.

The Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials (2 Peter 2:9).

Love Produces Much

Whoever loves much, performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well. (Vincent Van Gogh, 19th century Dutch painter)

Van Gogh was a post-impressionist artist, whose work was most highly respected after his death. Not everyone appreciates that art form, but he was a master at it, producing almost 2,100 works including 860 oil paintings. It’s evident that he was passionate about his art style. As he said in his own words, “Whoever loves much performs much.” Work hard at what you “love much.”

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval (2 Timothy 2:15).

Friendship

Listen deeply, respond authentically, avoid judgment, and love well. (A Father’s Advice)

These might be called the four laws of friendship. Many of us have a hard time listening well because we’re thinking about our response. And sometimes our answers are not well thought through. It’s helpful, too, to avoid making judgments until we get all the facts. Friendships grow well when they are saturated with love that’s offered unconditionally.

 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance (1 Corinthians 13:7).

A Temple on Earth

Your body is a temple, but only if you treat it as one. (Astrid Alauda, poet)

Our bodies are wonderful things. Just to think of the circulation, digestive, and nerve systems is mind boggling. To be healthy, we must take care of them with nutritious food, exercise, and regular rest. But they are not to be worshipped. Christians understand that our bodies are more than just a physical entity. By faith, they become a temple of God himself.

And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple (1 Peter 2:5).

Sunshine

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. (Anthony J. D’Angelo, author)

There used to be a character in the Li’l Abner cartoon strip that was always pictured with a dark cloud over his head. Wherever Joe Btfsplk went, bad luck was sure to follow. D’Angelo suggests that we could be a completely different kind of person, one who brings light and joy into the experience of everyone around us. Wouldn’t that make life more pleasant for everyone?

For the happy heart, life is a continual feast (Proverbs 15:15).

Be happy with those who are happy (Romans 12:15).

Strength in Numbers

Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable. (Kenyan Proverb)

Phone books are becoming relics in many places as more and more people give up their landlines. So, we may never see a man tear a phone book in half, which use to be a good party trick. For almost anyone else a phone book would be like the bundle of sticks in the Kenyan proverb. It’s a great illustration of the principle of the value of togetherness and cooperation.

A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

Surprise

“I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.” (Abraham Lincoln)

That’s certainly not a common reaction, is it? There will likely always be people we don’t like (and some who won’t like us, no doubt). Often those people might be in a place where we can’t avoid them, and life can be pretty miserable unless we follow Lincoln’s example. Then we may be very pleasantly surprised in getting to know someone we really hadn’t known well at all.

If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that (Matthew 5:47).

A wise person wins friends (Proverbs 11:30).

Endurance

Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems. (Gever Tulley, educator)

Some people recognize that they don’t have much perseverance. They easily start one project or another with good intentions to complete the task but often fail to do so. Like many of us, they need to learn, as Tulley says, that the ability to stay with the project is a learned characteristic, and it comes from the experience of overcoming life’s difficulties.

We know that (problems and trials) help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character (Romans 5:3-4).

Cooperation

Coming together is a beginning. Staying together is progress. And working together is success. (Henry Ford, early auto manufacturer)

Gathering a group to launch a project or to work together in any meaningful project is only the beginning. The mix of personalities, generational distinctions, and the variety of skills within the group can create differences that are hard to overcome. So, staying together will likely require some compromises. It’s that cooperative give-and-take that will help to reach the goal.

Be of one mind, united in thought and purpose (1 Corinthians 1:10).

Accuracy

Strive to be like a good watch, have busy hands, be full of good works and be clean inside. (J. Davis Illingworth, Sr, retired pastor)

What a great picture of a wholesome, productive life! Watches are often made to be beautiful in appearance with gold cases, jewel studded, and with features like alarms, time clocks, and calendars. These days, watches even count your steps and tell you when you have a phone call. But, the number of features is unimportant if it’s not an accurate timepiece

The Lord demands accurate scales and balances; he sets the standards for fairness (Proverbs 16:11).

Never Give Up

Failure is not a reason to give up. Failure is a reason to try harder and seek new solutions. (Jim Hocking, Founder, Water 4 Good)

When Hocking launched his well-drilling enterprise in central Africa, he and his crew tried lots of ways to successfully supply safe drinking water where it was previously not available. Their attempts were not always immediately successful, but they learned from mistakes and kept working. Now, they are providing good water for thousands of Africans. Keep on trying!

If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small . . . for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again. (Proverbs 24:10, 16)

Civility

A person of faith…must avoid crude humor, selfish anger, discourtesy, and any action that blatantly disregards the norms of common civility. (William Wilberforce, 18th-19th century English statesman)

Wilberforce’s efforts to restore civility were painful and arduous but eventually were fruitful. We could certainly use another champion like him today. Today’s conversations are often cruel and hateful—sometimes even violent. Unfortunately, it is often people with religious fervor who have lost the self-control that would make their point of view more readily acceptable.

Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech (1 Peter 3:10).