With Blinders On
A man once found a friend searching for something under a streetlight. "What did you lose, my friend?" he asked. His friend replied, "I lost a coin across the street." "Why are you looking for it here then?" said the man.  His friend explained, "It's dark across the street so I decided it would be easier to look for it here under the streetlight."

Each of us searches for meaning to existence. We look here, we look there. We try one thing, then another in the vain hope that each attempt gets us closer to "happiness". Satisfaction is fleeting. Yet what we search for is right before our very eyes.

We are taught that creation shouts the existence of a creator. It is simply not logical for the world and, indeed, the universe to exist by random chance. Conditions on our home planet are perfectly suited for life, yet life cannot spring from nothing. And life requires surgically precise conditions to remain viable. It all takes the thoughtful planning and sustaining of an intelligence far beyond our comprehension.

Each of us has a choice. Do we live our life with blinders on and bounce about life like a pinball? Or should we reflect on the marvelous opportunity we’ve been offered? If the former, read no further, your destiny is assured. Party hearty and serve yourself.

If the latter, consider that you were designed with a much higher purpose. The creator made each of us for his pleasure. But that doesn’t mean we are his puppets or slaves. He gives us free will to choose how we live our lives. On the other hand, he promises if we follow his direction...if we mirror the traits that he deems noblest and best...he will give each of us an abundant life. What is that "abundant" life? That’s the fun part. It’s unknown until you live it. But he promises an absolutely unique and fulfilling life here and forever. We only need put our trust in him.

So, can you let go of the meaningless and unrewarding activities you’ve crammed your life with and let God show you the promised prize? Lay your blinders down and follow him. Forever is a terrible thing to waste.   BACK

Mulligan Mentality
Golf is an interesting game. It is both mental and physical and can bring out the best (and the worst) in a person. It has some interesting traditions as well. Take the "mulligan". A mulligan is a "do-over". If you fall short, you get another chance to do it right.

The mulligan was conceived by excuse makers. Instead working hard to achieve excellence, these folks explain away their shortcomings with "do overs". Mulligans are generally executed with a hearty laugh to make it seem like it’s no big deal, everyone does it and you can do it too. Maybe no one will notice if there are enough who are willing to conspire to mediocrity.

But a Mulligan Mentality is self deception and points to a number of character flaws that pervade the user’s life:

Winning at Any Cost. You read about them everyday in the headlines. Stories abound of those that are willing to lie, cheat and steal to achieve power, wealth and influence. But the news only reports those that do it in monstrous proportions like the Boys at Enron. Makes the rest look like pikers. But anyone that engages in it is guilty of running roughshod over others.

Corrupting Influence. The old saying says misery loves company and those so engaged often work hard to attract accomplices. Principles and standards are compromised as the weak willed are taken in.

Sloth. Always looking for the easy way out is the mark of low achievers. Avoiding work is Job One. It’s interesting that considerable mental and physical effort is often expended to dodge real work. Go figure.

Fail to fail. Failure hones character by putting what was learned in school (theory) to the test. But our individuality defies theory. It’s the testing of trial, error and failure that defines who we really are. Avoiding failure leaves us projecting characters like Spiderman, Dagwood or Dilbert. But life as a Toon is driven by the Toon Maker, not the Toon.

Each of us is "fearfully and wonderfully made" by a creator who uses each blueprint only once. That blueprint doesn’t call for brick, mortar, lumber or steel. It specifies Faith, Hope and Love. Those that follow the specs are rewarded beyond measure. Those that follow the path of least resistance, settle for mulligans and never realize what they missed. How do you play your life? By the rules or by excuses?   BACK

Greener Grass
One day, a man gazed wistfully over the fence at a neighbor’s field. It looked greener than his own and he was envious. He climbed over the fence to claim it for himself. Yet, when he stood in his neighbor’s field and looked back at his own, he found his own looked greener than his neighbor’s. "What is this illusion?" he asked himself. "How could this be?" He pondered this for a great while until day gave way to night. Then, all he could see was black. He went home much confused.

Student: Why did the man see greener grass from both sides of the fence? Teacher: The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence because you can’t see the dirt.

Temptation is like that. At a distance, it’s attractive and seductive. There are no wrinkles. There is no "dirt". But up close, all is revealed as it really is. There is no greener grass, only an illusion of something better. Be content with the green green grass of home.  BACK

Infinite Simplicity
An old gemologist summoned his young assistant, provided him with a technical description of a priceless ruby and sent him off to find it. Unfortunately, the assistant was not technically trained and returned empty handed. So, the gemologist then sent the assistant to find the largest, shiniest and most beautiful ruby. The assistant found it that very day.

The Universe is an enigma wrapped in a conundrum. Its complexity is beyond comprehension. Yet, we survive in its infinity not because of our intellect but it is sustained by forces our brains cannot comprehend. Whether we comprehend or not does not change the reality that a creator exists and sustains it.

While you scurry about your well appointed rounds, look about and marvel at the infinite simplicity of it all. Rather than looking for a cause and effect, appreciate and credit the one who sustains it all for your benefit.  BACK

Value of Time
What is the value of time?  Consider this:

Value of ten years: Ask a newly divorced couple.
Value of four years: Ask a graduate.
Value of one year: Ask a student who has failed a final exam.
Value of nine months: Ask a mother who gave birth to a still born.
Value of one month: Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
Value of one week: Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
Value of one hour: Ask the lovers who are waiting for a date.
Value of one minute: Ask a person who has missed the plane.
Value of one-second: Ask a person who has survived an accident.
Value of one millisecond: Ask the person who has won a silver medal.
Value of a friend: Lose one and know.

Time waits for no one. No one knows the number of days in his life. Treasure every moment you have and seek that which is eternal.  BACK

How to Waste Time
Have you noticed how many day-planners are available these days? And then there are the time-management self-help books: how to increase your efficiency, how to make every moment count, how to invest your time wisely and productively.

While all those voices and handy products scream for your attention, here are five proven ways to waste your time:

1. Start worrying early in the morning and intensify your anxiety as the day passes. Worry about your own failures, about what you should or could have done but didn’t. Worry about things you should not have done but did. Hanging around negative people is another secret you won’t want to forget. Potential ulcers need fresh acid.

2. Make predictions. Set your expectations in motion and be as specific as you can. For example, one month before his July 1975 disappearance, Jimmy Hoffa announced: "I don’t need bodyguards."

3. Fix your attention on getting rich.

4. Compare yourself with others. Not only will you ricochet between the extremes of arrogance and discouragement, you will also spend the time not knowing who you are.

5. Lengthen your list of enemies. Play the Blame Game and you can waste endless evenings stewing over those folks who have made your life miserable.

Put these five surefire suggestions in motion, and you can forget about all the hassles of being happy and productive. While this sounds like foolish exaggeration, how much time are you already wasting on some of these things? By Chuck Swindoll  BACK

Scarcity & Abundance
Author Stephen Covey writes about the abundance mentality and the scarcity mentality. People with a scarcity mentality see life as a finite pie: if someone gets a big piece of the pie, it means less for them. People with a scarcity mentality have a hard time sharing recognition, credit, power, or profit. They also have a tough time being genuinely happy for the success of other people--even, and sometimes especially, members of their own family or close friends and associates. It's almost as if something were being taken from them when someone else receives special recognition or success.

The abundance mentality says that there is enough glory, enough credit, enough honor in this world for everybody--that God is a God of abundance not of scarcity. In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, the story of Cain and Abel is told. God had regard for Abel's offering to Him but not for Cain's. Cain was furious. God asked Cain why he was so angry and said, "If you do well, will you not be accepted?" That's God's commitment to us. You are not in competition with anyone else. BACK

Walking Wounded
In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy is berating Charlie Brown. "...And I don't care if I ever see you again!" she says, "Do you hear me?"

Linus turns to Charlie Brown and says: "She really hurt your feelings didn't she Charlie Brown? I hope she didn't take all the life out of you..."

Charlie Brown replied: "No, not completely...But you can number me among the walking wounded!"

Thornton Wilder once said, "The very angels themselves cannot persuade the wretched and blundering children on earth as can one broken on the wheel of living. In love's service only the wounded soldiers can serve."

It makes a huge difference when you minister walking wounded if you have been there yourself. It’s no longer sympathy you feel but empathy, the ability to understand and enter into someone’s feelings.

Article from www.devotions.net  BACK

The Loneliness Within
It is lonely at the top. Leaders know they are ultimately responsible and that the well-being of so many rest in their hands. If they fail, many people will get hurt. Some leaders simply run faster to ignore the mounting pressures.

Who can they share their worries with? It can be difficult to talk with their boards of directors about their biggest problems and deepest fears. Friends outside the organization may not understand the challenges they are facing, and sharing their doubts openly may set off rumors. Sometimes it is even difficult to share these concerns with your spouse or mentor.

As a result of this loneliness, many leaders deny their fears. They shut down their inner voice because it is too uncomfortable to hear. Instead, the start listening to the external voices pressuring them, thinking that all will be well if they can satisfy them. But the advice of outsiders is often conflicting or too painful to face, so they choose to listen only to people who reinforce their views.

Meanwhile, their work lives and personal lives grow more unbalanced. Fearing failure, they favor their work life, even saying, "My work is my life." Eventually, they lose touch with those closest to them-their spouses, children, and best friends-or they co-opt them to their point of view. Over time, little mistakes turn into major ones. No amount of hard work can correct them. Instead of seeking wise counsel at this point, they dig a deeper hole. When the collapse comes, there is no avoiding it.

Who are "they"? They could be one of those executives facing prosecution for their actions or a former CEO forced to resign "for personal reasons". But "they" could also be you, me, or any one of us. We may not face a plight as severe as these leaders, but we can all lose our way.

An Unsharpened Pencil
In 2000, Billy Graham, the famous Christian evangelist, was invited to a luncheon in his honor in Charlotte NC. He initially hesitated to accept because he struggles with Parkinson's disease. But the host said, "We don't expect a major address. Just come." So he agreed.

After wonderful things were said about him, Dr. Graham stepped to the podium, looked at the crowd, and said, "I'm reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who was honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn't there. He looked in his briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn't find it.

The conductor said, "Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry about it." Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw Einstein down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.

The conductor rushed back and repeated, "Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't worry, I know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket." Einstein looked at him and said, "Young man, I too know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going.''

Dr. Graham continued, "See the suit I'm wearing? It's a brand new suit. My children tell me I've gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion. You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I'll be buried. But when you hear I'm dead, I want you to remember this: I not only know who I am, I also know where I'm going."

The Wisdom of Kindergarten
Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.

These are the things I learned:

• Share everything.

• Play fair.

• Don't hit people.

• Put things back where you found them.

• Clean up your own mess.

• Don't take things that aren't yours.

• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

• Wash your hands before you eat.

• Flush.

• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

• Live a balanced life.

• Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

• Take a nap every afternoon.

• When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together.

• Be aware of wonder.

Remember the little seed in the plastic cup? The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup -- they all die. So do we.

And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: look. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living.

Think what a better world it would be if we all -- the whole world -- had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

• Healthier relationships

• Greater spiritual and psychological well-being

• Less stress and hostility

• Lower blood pressure

• Fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety and chronic pain

• Lower risk of alcohol and substance abuse

When you're hurt by someone you love and trust, you may become angry, sad or confused. If you dwell on hurtful events or situations, grudges filled with resentment, vengeance and hostility may take root. If you allow negative feelings to crowd out positive feelings, you may find yourself swallowed up by your own bitterness or sense of injustice.

If you're unforgiving, you may pay the price repeatedly by bringing anger and bitterness into every relationship and new experience. Your life may become so wrapped up in the wrong that you can't enjoy the present. You may become depressed or anxious. You may feel that your life lacks meaning or purpose, or that you're at odds with your spiritual beliefs. You may lose valuable and enriching connectedness with others.

Forgiveness is a commitment to a process of change. A way to begin is by recognizing the value of forgiveness and its importance in your life at a given time. Then reflect on the facts of the situation, how you've reacted, and how this combination has affected your life, health and well-being. When you're ready, actively choose to forgive the person who's offended you. Move away from your role as victim and release the control and power the offending person and situation have had in your life. As you let go of grudges, you'll no longer define your life by how you've been hurt.

Forgiveness can be challenging. It may be particularly hard to forgive someone who doesn't admit wrong. You may want to talk with a person you've found to be wise and compassionate. You may also want to reflect on times you've hurt others and on those who've forgiven you. Forgiveness has the potential to increase your integrity, peace and overall well-being.

If the hurtful event involved someone whose relationship you otherwise value, forgiveness may lead to reconciliation. This isn't always the case, however. Reconciliation may be impossible if the offender has died or is unwilling to communicate with you. In other cases, reconciliation may not be appropriate, especially if you were attacked or assaulted. But even in those cases, forgiveness is still possible — even if reconciliation isn't.

If you haven't reached a state of forgiveness, being near the person who hurt you may be tense and stressful. You have a choice whether or not to attend specific functions and gatherings. Respect yourself and do what seems best. If you choose to attend, don't be surprised by a certain amount of awkwardness and perhaps even more intense feelings. Do your best to keep an open heart and mind. You may find that the gathering helps you to move forward with forgiveness.

Getting another person to change his or her actions, behavior or words isn't the point of forgiveness. Think of forgiveness more about how it can change your life — by bringing you more peace, happiness, and emotional and spiritual healing. Forgiveness takes away the power the other person continues to wield in your life.

What if you’re the one who needs forgiveness? Consider admitting the wrong you've done to those you've harmed, speaking of your sincere regret, and specifically asking for forgiveness without making excuses. Remember, however, you can't force someone to forgive you. Others need to move to forgiveness in their own time. Simply acknowledge your faults and admit your mistakes. Then commit to treating others with compassion, empathy and respect.

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling wasn't going to take an empty pot but his mother said he must be honest about what happened so he went to the palace. He was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the others. They were beautiful, in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many laughed at him.

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"

The emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. He looked at Ling and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it! How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it."