“If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share.”
― W. Clement Stone
I believe, if you have a healthy sense of gratitude in your life, you are less selfish, less greedy, and less likely to be a taker. We know from the Bible that it is “more blessed to give than receive.” But to an immature person, receiving is way better than giving. When you receive a gift, you get something tangible to appreciate. When you give a gift, you walk away with nothing to admire. Continue reading
Heavenly Father,
There are times when I want more money, a newer car, a bigger house, and so many other things that money can buy.
I admit that I feel cheated sometimes. I work hard and live right, but don’t seem to have as much as others.
But when I stop, and put things in perspective, I realize that I have so much, that money cannot buy. Continue reading
I love the Andy Griffith show, so forgive me for this example.
Otis, the town drunk would come in the courthouse on the weekend and lock himself up for public intoxication. He would sleep off his hangover, and he would let himself out of the prison cell the next day. It all worked very smooth, Otis was safe from hurting himself or someone else. The sheriff didn’t have to go out of his way to pursue the guilty man. And Barney got to have someone in a cell, which he seemed to like. All three were grateful in their own way.
Here comes the difficult idea. Continue reading
I am sure you have heard the old adage, “you are not promised tomorrow.” But, how often have you actually heeded those words? How many times have you started your day with the idea, that today, might be the last day of your life.
Most of us do not. We just assume that today, is like all the other days that have passed. We have always lived, and we continue to live, and we look into the future, as if, there will be a tomorrow. Continue reading
There are times in your life when things suddenly make sense. You see that relationship clearly, you know which job to pursue, you and your spouse actually know where you want to go eat that evening. Ok, the last one is a joke, but you get the idea. We call them epiphanies, revelations, or moments of clarity. We cherish those moments.
I believe the reason these moments stick out in our minds is, for the most part life is not so clear. In fact, life can be frustrating, overwhelming, and confusing. Stress, busy schedules, and mixed up priorities complicate our modern society. We have so much competing for our time and attention. Sometimes my life feels like a car on cruise control, but the speed is set way above the limit. Continue reading