Everyone experiences pain. You can’t escape it on this side of eternity. But what you do with your pain makes all the difference in the world.
Pain will either stifle you, shut you down, or pain can be used as fuel to achieve a higher purpose. It’s your choice always.
Fuel burns white hot. Let your painful experiences be ignited inside. Use your pain for the greater good…
We have become texting machines rather than actually speaking to one another. Texting is fine for a quick check-in, but it’s not the same as having a conversation. Plus there is much that can be misinterpreted in a text, even a simple one.
Communicate with others. Have real conversations. Connecting is key to forming relationships with our fellow man. We are better together, and we are more alike than we are different…
Did you know that God is pursuing us every moment of every day? He wants a relationship with us, not to give us more religion but to mold us into the person He created us to be. We are on God’s mind all the time. Is He on ours?
We are rebellious by nature. No one had to teach us that. We don’t want anyone controlling us and that includes the God of the universe. Yet let’s face one simple truth: God is in control of everything. Every breath we take is a gift from our Creator.
I encourage you to take the difficult road. Surrender your will to the Creator. Learn who He is. He will guide you when you allow Him to.
From the Book of Jeremiah: “You will find me when you seek me with all your heart…”
All one has to do to see a world in disarray is open their eyes. An ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea, Hamas doing what they do in the Middle East, and these are just the bigger issues. Are we doomed?
No, we are not doomed. The world has always been a mess. As long as things are going okay in our personal lives we don’t feel the impact. Yet we are impacted.
Fear is what the media thrives on. “If it bleeds it leads” is a common saying in newsrooms across the planet. I’m not minimizing the state of the world. I’m simply saying it’s important to try to look at things objectively.
Should you find yourself fearful or panicked, remember that God is in control. Nothing surprises Him. Take heart. He has overcome the world…
When you hear someone described as “spirited,” what type of person comes to mind? Perhaps lively, engaging, emotional or energetic are appropriate descriptions.
All of those adjectives can apply to describe a spirited person. But let’s examine this a little more.
When we are making an observation or even a joke, the spirit of our words is the most important aspect of what we say. If our joke is mean-spirited, then it’s in poor taste. The same goes for conversation.
Pay attention to the spirit of your words and actions. They come from within and reveal what is in your heart…
People’s emotions ebb and flow. External things happen that can, and will knock you down. But you aren’t out unless you stay down.
When life gets really tough our natural tendency is to withdraw, take a short break and regroup. That’s fine as long as it doesn’t become a lifestyle.
If you are experiencing a hard time in your life, I encourage you to re-engage and rise up. You don’t know how high you can go unless you try…
Sometimes life makes very little sense. We try to control outcomes but get sent in a different direction than we planned. What do you do when life is this way?
Connect your dots. Look back at your life and remember other times you were confused or unsure. See how God brought everything together for you. You are here because He got you through other rough periods.
This is a promise: He will do it again…
We value what we earn. Investing our time and energy into something that produces a worthwhile outcome makes us feel good, makes us proud.
Coasting through life and accepting whatever life sends our way will dull the senses. We need mental stimulation. We need to be challenged. We learn from our mistakes. Success is never a straight line. There are curves, speed bumps and setbacks along the road less traveled. Those who succeed are the ones who keep going.
If you are experiencing a setback in your journey, I encourage you to pick yourself up and move forward. Even a little progress is progress…
In The Book of James, Verse 1:9 the author tells us to “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry.” Over the next few days we will examine this a little further.
James was the half-brother of Jesus. In his letter to the church of Jerusalem, we are encouraged to be “quick to listen.” I interpret this to mean listening should be our first choice when interacting with other people. How many times have I barely heard my counterparty because I wanted to get my voice heard? Too many to count…
Listening is an art form, and to really listen is exhausting. Listening is a verb, an action word. And when you rearrange the letters in the word “listen,” you get “silent.” This is not a coincidence.
More tomorrow…
When we tell people something, we expect them to believe us. But why wouldn’t they believe us?
Our reputation is extremely important when we are dealing with people. If we have the reputation of being one who exaggerates, the other party might be skeptical of what we are saying. Should our reputation be impeccable, then our credibility is secure.
Take inventory of what others think of your word. It might be telling you something…
