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Some years ago there was a new eighth grade class at the local parish school, and they were trouble! Negative and sniping, they were down on everything and everybody, most especially themselves. Nobody wanted to teach this class, until finally old Sister Ambrose volunteered. She was a wise old nun, so she did something very simple. She gave each student a list of their classmates. “Next to each name,” she said, “write down all the good things you know about that person. Don’t exaggerate or make up anything. Just write the good that you see and give me your papers on Friday.” And so they did. Over the weekend, Sister read the students’ comments and then typed for each one a full page of all the good things the class saw in him or her. On Monday she handed them out. Years later, when the class had scattered to the four winds, many of them returned for the funeral of one of the boys who had been killed on the border. After the burial they were clustered around old Sister Ambrose when the dead soldier’s father came along. Silently and tearfully each of his classmates reached into their wallet or purse and produced their own worn and yellowed sheets, that were falling apart from being folded and unfolded, read and reread many times across the years. A small kindness cast its light like a beacon across many years. It pierced the darkness, and no one could put it out. May our light shine, and bring light to all we meet. And may it never grow dim. Amen. (Thanks for the contribution Natasha) We all need at least one person to believe in us! |
From now on if you listen obediently to the commandments that I am commanding you today, love God, your God, and serve him with everything you have within you, he'll take charge of sending the rain at the right time .... Deuteronomy 11:13-14 (MSG)
Repeatedly, the Bible says to "serve the Lord with all your heart." God wants you to serve him passionately, not dutifully. People rarely excel at tasks they don't enjoy doing or feel passionate about. God wants you to use your natural interests to serve him and others.
How do you know when you're serving God from your heart?
The first telltale sign is enthusiasm. When you're doing what you love to do, no one has to motivate you, or challenge you, or check up on you. You do it for the sheer enjoyment. You don't need rewards, or applause, or to be paid, because you love serving in this way.
The opposite is also true: When you don't have a heart for what you're doing, you're easily discouraged.
One characteristic of serving God from your heart is effectiveness: whenever you do what God wired you to love to do, you get good at it. Passion drives perfection. If you don't care about a task, it is unlikely that you'll excel at it.
On the other hand, the highest achievers in any field are those who do it because of passion, not duty or profit.
We've all heard people say, "I took a job I hate in order to make a lot of money, so someday I can quit and do what I love to do." That's a big mistake. Don't waste your life in a job that doesn't express your heart.
Remember, the greatest things in life are not things. Meaning is far more important than money. The richest man in the world once said, "A simple life in the fear-of-God is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches" (Proverbs 15:16, Msg).
Don't settle for achieving "the good life," because the good life is not good enough. Ultimately, it doesn't satisfy. You can have a lot to live on, and still have nothing to live for. Aim instead for "the better life" -- serving God in a way that expresses your heart.
| Wednesday, January 13, 2010 |
| Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that .... Galatians 6:4b (Msg). Another way to determine how you can serve others is to ask yourself such questions as:
Examine your experiences and extract the lessons you've learned. Review your life and think about how it has shaped you. Moses told the Israelites, "Remember today what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences with him." (Deuteronomy 11:2 TEV) Forgotten experiences are worthless; that's a good reason to keep a spiritual journal. Paul worried that the believers in Galatia would waste the pain they had been through. He said, "Were all your experiences wasted? I hope not!" (Galatians 3:4 NCV) We rarely see God's good purpose in pain or failure or embarrassment while it is happening. When Jesus washed Peter's feet, he said, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." (John 13:7 NIV) Only in hindsight do we understand how God intended a problem for good. Extracting the lessons from your experiences takes time. I recommend that you take an entire weekend for a life review retreat, where you pause to see how God has worked in the various defining moments of your life and consider how he wants to use those lessons to help others. This will give you very clear direction on the ways he wants you to minister to others. |
| Whether you replied to all when you should have forwarded, or you sent an email with a silly typo, most people have wished for an Undo Send button on at least one occasion. Google installed a five-second hold time on emails to allow users to reconsider and undo send. But what about when you say or do something in person that you immediately regret? Instead of regretting, take five seconds before you speak or act, especially in high-stress or emotional situations. Brain research has shown that by pausing, regulating your breathing, and taking just a few seconds, you are more likely to act rationally instead of foolishly. 2010 Harvard Business School Publishing |
The Mayonnaise Jar
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough; remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and start to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car.
The sand is everything else -- The small stuff.
'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, You will never have room for the things that are important to you. So...
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.
'Take care of the golf balls first -- The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled.
'I'm glad you asked'.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'
(Thanks for the contribution Wynand )
May you have a day full of blessings, in which you can feel the loving presence of your Creator, and may the present of every day bring you peace, spiritual growth, and enlightenment on all we still have to learn about every day, and the plan life has for us, every day.....
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