Never give up; you never know until you try.
I found this little tidbit, by Patricia Alexander in "Book of Comforts," on Quoteland.com:
Fear paralyzes; curiosity empowers. Be more interested than afraid.
I've written before that this same sentiment appears in the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Spencer Johnson, MD. There, the question posed is what we would do if we weren't afraid. Most of us are curious about what would happen if we were to embark on a certain path, but many of us let fear stop us. What a shame. We miss out on countless blessings in doing so.
One of my business mentors told me recently that she can see an ant crawling up a wall and could spend hours watching it, curious as to where it will go next. (If she had the time, which she doesn't.) She does, however, take time to see what may develop from an encounter with someone--or something. Even taking time to ponder an ant's path up a wall or across the floor will relax the mind and body, something much needed in our fast-paced world. When we're relaxed, ideas flow more easily and problems (or unknowns) seem smaller and easier to manage. Less frightening.
As I've written, I'm working on a few challenging new projects, encountering many unknowns, with more to come. I'm trying to be more interested in what positives may happen than I am scared about what negatives may happen. I hope you'll join me in adopting this approach. You may find that you're praying more and relying on God more instead of trying to do it your way. What a great place to be!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Are You Still Thankful?
Never give up; you never know until you try.
It's the day after Thanksgiving. We've stuffed ourselves more than we (or Aunt Martha) stuffed the turkey. We've fought the crowds for "Black Friday" bargains and possibly saved money on our Christmas gifts. Maybe we're tired, irritable, or nauseated--even all 3. Underneath it all, are we still thankful, or did we put on "thankfulness" as we would put on a coat to go outside?
May we all have an attitude of thankfulness and love as we go into the Christmas season, filling our wish lists with things for others instead of ourselves.
It's the day after Thanksgiving. We've stuffed ourselves more than we (or Aunt Martha) stuffed the turkey. We've fought the crowds for "Black Friday" bargains and possibly saved money on our Christmas gifts. Maybe we're tired, irritable, or nauseated--even all 3. Underneath it all, are we still thankful, or did we put on "thankfulness" as we would put on a coat to go outside?
May we all have an attitude of thankfulness and love as we go into the Christmas season, filling our wish lists with things for others instead of ourselves.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
A Tribute and a Challenge (Part 1)
Never give up; you never know until you try.
Death claimed my friend Bill last Monday. He was only 67, but he crammed a lot into those years. He lived and he loved, always remaining true to himself. He was stubborn, and he was fiercely loyal. He was enigmatic—extremely outspoken on some subjects while remaining intensely private and maddeningly silent about others.
Bill was very open about his disdain of hypocrisy, especially in people who profess to be Christians. Like many of us, he questioned why, if there is a loving God out there, why bad things happen. It seemed that he blamed God and that he thought that God should make people “behave.” I shared many times my belief that God loves us enough to allow us to make mistakes, just as any earthly parent loves us and wants what’s best for us but allows us to make mistakes so we can learn from them. I didn’t want Bill’s unanswered questions, or anger with God, or anything else, to keep him from calling out to God and accepting His love and forgiveness. He probably had questions remaining when he drew his last breath, but Bill got the most important question answered: God loved (will always love) him. He loved him enough to send His Son to die to redeem him. Accepting Jesus’ sacrificial death and gift of forgiveness made Bill right with God. (John 3:16)
Bill always worked hard to provide for his family; he seemed to be of the old-school, showing his love in practical ways rather than being physically or verbally demonstrative. He seemed uncomfortable with open displays of affection, but he would hug you back and pat you on the back in a gruff, embarrassed manner. It was that trait that made his rare open displays all the more special.
He told me on several occasions that I was the daughter he never had, and I often told him that he was like a dad to me. (I’ve only seen my biological father a few times, and my first experience with a stepdad was a hellish nightmare. Mother married my current one, a real gem, in 2001.) One holiday after Dad, Bill and I had eaten the meal my mother had lovingly prepared and we were all sitting in the den relaxing, I said to no one in particular, “I feel so blessed. It’s like I’ve got a mother and two dads in this room with me.” (May we all be so blessed.)
I’ll post part 2 this upcoming week, so look out for the “challenge” part!
Death claimed my friend Bill last Monday. He was only 67, but he crammed a lot into those years. He lived and he loved, always remaining true to himself. He was stubborn, and he was fiercely loyal. He was enigmatic—extremely outspoken on some subjects while remaining intensely private and maddeningly silent about others.
Bill was very open about his disdain of hypocrisy, especially in people who profess to be Christians. Like many of us, he questioned why, if there is a loving God out there, why bad things happen. It seemed that he blamed God and that he thought that God should make people “behave.” I shared many times my belief that God loves us enough to allow us to make mistakes, just as any earthly parent loves us and wants what’s best for us but allows us to make mistakes so we can learn from them. I didn’t want Bill’s unanswered questions, or anger with God, or anything else, to keep him from calling out to God and accepting His love and forgiveness. He probably had questions remaining when he drew his last breath, but Bill got the most important question answered: God loved (will always love) him. He loved him enough to send His Son to die to redeem him. Accepting Jesus’ sacrificial death and gift of forgiveness made Bill right with God. (John 3:16)
Bill always worked hard to provide for his family; he seemed to be of the old-school, showing his love in practical ways rather than being physically or verbally demonstrative. He seemed uncomfortable with open displays of affection, but he would hug you back and pat you on the back in a gruff, embarrassed manner. It was that trait that made his rare open displays all the more special.
He told me on several occasions that I was the daughter he never had, and I often told him that he was like a dad to me. (I’ve only seen my biological father a few times, and my first experience with a stepdad was a hellish nightmare. Mother married my current one, a real gem, in 2001.) One holiday after Dad, Bill and I had eaten the meal my mother had lovingly prepared and we were all sitting in the den relaxing, I said to no one in particular, “I feel so blessed. It’s like I’ve got a mother and two dads in this room with me.” (May we all be so blessed.)
I’ll post part 2 this upcoming week, so look out for the “challenge” part!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Death
Never give up; you never know until you try.
Due to a death in my family, I haven't posted this week. I'm still overwhelmed and numb at the same time, so I'm mulling over my thoughts and will post sometime between Friday 11/11 and Sunday 11/13.
Due to a death in my family, I haven't posted this week. I'm still overwhelmed and numb at the same time, so I'm mulling over my thoughts and will post sometime between Friday 11/11 and Sunday 11/13.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
More on Friendship: Iron Sharpens Iron
Never give up; you never know until you try.
If you’re like me, sometimes you encounter someone and wonder why in the world God has allowed him or her to come into your life. Those are often the “rub you the wrong way” people. I’ve heard them called “Sandpaper People”. Although it’s been said that God seems to place those people into our lives to challenge us and to help us grow into better people, we often see their presence as a monumental curse. When we encounter them, we think to ourselves, I can’t deal with her; she’s so different from me and so irritating. Please make her go away, Lord! Actually, it’s often their similarity to us that’s really the problem; we see our imperfections mirrored to us, and they ain’t pretty. (The “ain’t” there was intentional, by the way.)
Sometimes, though, we meet someone and feel blessed to know him or her. That’s the case with a new friend of mine. I already see a couple reasons why God has brought this dear lady into my life. We have noticed that we share several strengths as well as several areas the Lord is still perfecting in us. My sweet friend has praised me generously, saying that I have encouraged her. She has certainly encouraged me when I’ve needed it, and in sharing her areas of weakness with me, she has challenged me to confront those same weaknesses in my life. Trust me when I say that a couple of those areas need lots of perfecting.
Scripture says that as iron sharpens iron, friends sharpen each other. (Proverbs 27:17) My new friend is helping to sharpen me.
If you’re like me, sometimes you encounter someone and wonder why in the world God has allowed him or her to come into your life. Those are often the “rub you the wrong way” people. I’ve heard them called “Sandpaper People”. Although it’s been said that God seems to place those people into our lives to challenge us and to help us grow into better people, we often see their presence as a monumental curse. When we encounter them, we think to ourselves, I can’t deal with her; she’s so different from me and so irritating. Please make her go away, Lord! Actually, it’s often their similarity to us that’s really the problem; we see our imperfections mirrored to us, and they ain’t pretty. (The “ain’t” there was intentional, by the way.)
Sometimes, though, we meet someone and feel blessed to know him or her. That’s the case with a new friend of mine. I already see a couple reasons why God has brought this dear lady into my life. We have noticed that we share several strengths as well as several areas the Lord is still perfecting in us. My sweet friend has praised me generously, saying that I have encouraged her. She has certainly encouraged me when I’ve needed it, and in sharing her areas of weakness with me, she has challenged me to confront those same weaknesses in my life. Trust me when I say that a couple of those areas need lots of perfecting.
Scripture says that as iron sharpens iron, friends sharpen each other. (Proverbs 27:17) My new friend is helping to sharpen me.
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