Maggie gets credit for picking this one.
Never been a country music fan, but the lyrics on this one are full of that good ol’ country wisdom.
This song reminds us that life sure does go by quickly.
And that we need to make the most of it.
Make it a great day.
Jake
One of my favorite mental images is one I heard about on a podcast from Rick Warren.
On the podcast, Rick describes God sitting on the end of the bed in the morning, looking at each and every one of us and saying “I can’t wait to see their face, to see what they are going to do today…”.
This image provides a lot of peace and positive energy for myself, to be sure.
But for me, this image is most helpful when thinking of others.
No matter who the person is and how good or bad I may deem them to be, God is sitting at the end of their bed each morning, looking for the best in them with love.
It’s easy to get frustrated with others. To get upset with those that don’t agree with you. To be disappointed with those that don’t meet your expectations.
I find it helps to think of these people as that quiet, sleeping bundle of potential seeking their own way in this world to be loved and to love.
When we can think of others in this light, we open ourselves up to look for the good in them.
We open ourselves up to love and be loved in a better way.
Make it a great day.
Jake
It’s not about you.
I try to make this a constant reminder in my head. I’d like to get to the point of not needing the reminders (constantly) but apparently I have some growing up to do still.
Reminder for those of us who need it.
It’s not about you. It’s about others.
How can I serve them?
How can I love them?
How can I meet their needs?
What do they need right now?
How can I help?
Make it a great day.
Jake
Below is an excerpt from a book that keeps popping into my head lately.
In case you don’t want to take the time to read, here is a quick summary:
What you sow, you will reap.
Thoughts are the sowing of the mind.
The mind will grow whatever is planted – in a multiplied kind of way.
Sow wisely.
Make it a great day.
Jake
An excerpt from
The Strangest Secret
by Earl Nightingale
George Bernard Shaw said, “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.”
Well, it’s pretty apparent, isn’t it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.
Now, it stands to reason that a person who is thinking about a concrete and worthwhile goal is going to reach it, because that’s what he’s thinking about. And we become what we think about.
Conversely, the person who has no goal, who doesn’t know where he’s going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion, anxiety, fear and worry—his life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. And if he thinks about nothing…he becomes nothing.
How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I’ll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.
Suppose a farmer has some land, and it’s good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn’t care. It’s up to the farmer to make a decision.
We’re comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn’t care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn’t care what you plant.
Now, let’s say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand—one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds—one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land…and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted. As it’s written in the Bible,
“As ye sow, so shall ye reap.”
Remember, the land doesn’t care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the plants—one corn, one poison. The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn’t care what we plant…success…or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal…or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety, and so on. But what we plant it must return to us.
You see, the human mind is the last great, unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.
Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast. – Marlene Dietrich
Thought for Monday – let last week go.
Think about 3 good things and then let the rest go.
New week.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Having two teenage girls in the house means we get to listen to a lot of T Swift (or T Swizzle as I call her).
I’ve never been a teenage girl, but it sure feels like she’s figured out how to tell the story of what it is like to go through that stage of life.
All the emotions. All the love. All the heartache. All the stuff that comes with growing up.
It’s a bit over dramatic, but certainly resonates with those experiencing similar emotions.
There’s something magical about empathy at that level. We all have a deep need for someone to be there at the same level of us. To not feel alone.
Whatever your favorite T Swift song or song that resonates with the emotions you’ve been feeling lately, crank it up loud today. Sing along. Remember that you aren’t alone. T Swizzle is right there when you need her.
Make it a great day.
Jake
PS – Don’t forget that the true answer to feelings of loneliness lies in the comfort and security of a relationship with your heavenly Father. He will never leave you.
PSS – I only cried a little when we all listened to and sung along to this one the other night.
Happiness is the natural flower of duty. – Phillips Brooks
Viktor Frankl talks about the idea of freedom and liberty only being meaningful when matched with responsibility and accountability.
We are happiest when we are in service to others with love.
Make it a great day.
Jake
“Finally, I wish to remember the millions of Allied servicemen and prisoners of war who lived the story of the Second World War. Many of these men never came home; many others returned bearing emotional and physical scars that would stay with them for the rest of their lives. I come away from this book with the deepest appreciation for what these men endured, and what they scarified, for the good of humanity. It is to them that this book {Unbroken} is dedicated,”
― Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption
They were called the Greatest Generation. They fought in the last (so far and hopefully) of the great wars our world has seen. They came home and built this country into something it had never been before.
It’s hard to imagine having that much grit and character to do what they did.
It seems like most people these days believe that things are headed in the other direction.
That life is surely going to be worse for the next generation and the generation after that.
The truth is that they might be right. If things don’t change, it will probably get worse.
Therein lies a glimmer of hope. Things can get better. There will be a next “greatest generation”.
There are good people out there using the lessons of history and all that we have learned to raise great kids. Not perfect, but great. There are families out there making the sacrifices and doing the hard work to create an opportunity for the next generation of their family to do and be better than the past.
It might not be this next one. I hope it doesn’t take another great war to create one. It might even never happen. But I hope it does. I hope this next generation or the one after it is one they write about a hundred years from now. With people sending emails (or whatever they’ll do then) talking about how amazing the Louis Zamperini’s of the world were. How they saved humanity from tyranny and the evil that almost devoured our world.
It happened once, surely it can happen again. If they can do it, we might as well try.
Make it a great day.
Jake
“When he thought of his history, what resonated with him now was not all that he had suffered but the divine love that he believed had intervened to save him.”
― Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption
We watched the movie version of Unbroken over the last couple of nights. It’s hard to watch and imagine a human being having survived something like that.
The craziest part though is the end.
(spoiler alert)
After being tortured physically, Louis comes home and finds himself tortured psychologically. To the point where he can’t seem to live a normal life.
Until he encounters Christ at a Billy Graham revival event.
At this point, he finds the divine love that he believed had intervened to save him.
His relationship with Christ then allows him to not only live and be “normal” again, it allows him to forgive those who tortured and mistreated him.
I don’t know about you, but this sure convinces me that there is a higher power. I can’t imagine anything else that could create such a transformation in a human being.
Our hurts, trials and daily difficulties probably don’t equal that of a Japanese POW camp during WWII, but if we allow them, they torture us just the same. They can rob us of the life of joy and fulfillment that is possible for us.
I’m pretty sure that every day after that first encounter at the Billy Graham tent wasn’t perfect for Louis. I’m sure he had at least one or two rough days after that. But, on the whole, and in the long run, he was able to find peace, joy and fulfillment. The same will be true for us. Life will continue to be difficult whether we’ve found Christ or not. But if we accept His invitation, we too can find peace, joy and fulfillment in spite of and in the face of those difficulties.
Make it a great day.
Jake
With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. – Eleanor Roosevelt
A great thought to begin the week off.
New strength and new thoughts are available and possible for us.
It doesn’t have to be like it’s been.
Things can and will be different – if you choose it.
Make it a great day.
Jake
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