Think About It

I was recently working on a project that led me back to some of my college mates. Now, for some of you, that might not seem like that big of a deal; but for me it was a rather significant trip in the way-back machine. Being as I graduated from college over forty years ago, it was a pretty sentimental journey. After visiting with some of the people I was struck by how many of them were still married after all these decades. There were several of us who were married within a year or two of each other and it is pleasing to see how many of us are still married to their original spouse. As I thought about these relationships, I was reminded of the some of the advice I was given as a youngster. Often I was warned, “Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” (I Corinthians 15:33); but the converse of this could be “Good friends will build solid foundations”. There is no doubt that the group I grew up with helped shape my opinions about marriage and are a part of the reaso...

Boldness can be a virtue – but boldness is also not for the faint of heart. It is pretty easy to express our opinions, often with emotion and emphasis; but when we do, we also need to be prepared for pushback. Just because we are convinced we are right doesn’t mean that everyone will immediately jump on our bandwagon – in fact, you can almost be assured that someone out there will try to derail it. Additionally, the louder we push back at their disagreement, the more intense they can become. Now, back to my original statement. Boldness can be a good thing, but it also comes with a price. Boldness can create conflict and may damage relationships, so we must consider the cost before drawing any lines in the sand. When we face an opinion there are two things we must ponder. First, are we right? Boldness should only be reserved for those things we are certain are correct. It’s okay to have opinions (even strong ones), but boldness should be reserved when there is no doubt ours is ...

Happy Labor Day! I find it interesting that on the day we honor the value of working, most of us take the day off. Even though that is ironic, I am glad we have a day to celebrate work and have the ability to enjoy a day of relaxation. Ever since the Adam sinned, work has been a drudgery for mankind. There are times we can find value in what we do, but so often work becomes a necessary redundancy. We do what we do as long as we need to do it and can’t wait until we don’t have to do it anymore. While it is easy to see how we have gotten to the point we have gotten, what would happen if we could be re-energized by our jobs? While this is possible, the key may not be in changing jobs – what would happen if we changed attitudes? The Apostle Paul spoke of this when he wrote, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:17). When we work to make a living and pay our bills it is easy to get ...

Are you ready for some football? Well, ready or not, here it comes! Football used to be a fall sport, but with the expansion of the seasons, it is getting an earlier start. Now, mind you, I am not complaining … I’m just saying. When football season rolls around, it takes me back to some happy memories – and not one of them relates to when I was playing. I was too small, too slow and probably too passive to participate in organized ball, but that didn’t stop me from being a big fan. When and where I grew up, there were several teams to follow – one of them being the Miami Dolphins. As a youngster, I was a fan – not just of the Fish, but of their coach as well. Don Shula was a fixture on the football scene during some of my most impressionable years. As I was looking through some quotes by the coach, I came across an interesting one, “You take what’s right in front of you. You want to do the best you can with the opportunities you have.”. As I read this quote, I was taken ba...

What do you do when you hear someone gossip? I am sure that some of us join in and add to the discussion, but a lot of us probably just listen. We don’t fan the fire of negativity, but we don’t squelch it either. Maybe we merely nod in agreement or even fain interest, but we don’t do anything to put it to an end. Now the reason I bring this up isn’t (necessarily) to critique our passive complicity in gossip as much as to remind us that if people are talking to us about others, they are probably talking about us to others. There is no way that we should expect to be free from being gossiped about when we associate with people who gossip. I am almost certain that when we are outside of earshot, the target becomes us. The wise man of Proverbs reminds us, “He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets. Therefore do not associate with a gossip.” (Proverbs 20:19). It is engrained in the nature of gossips to talk about others, we shouldn’t expect to be exempted from the criticis...

Whose life can we make better today? I don’t think most of us wake up in the morning wondering how can make someone’s life miserable – but sometimes it feels like it turns out that way. Do you ever have those days when you feel like whether intentionally or not, we find ourselves at odds with multiple people? Most of us have those days periodically, but there are times when it just seems like we are magnets for mad people. When we find ourselves in that type of rut, maybe the best thing we can do is find a way to intentionally make people’s lives better. By setting out to be proactive in positivity, we will look for ways to improve the lives of the people we meet. Sure there will be times when we feel like no good deed goes unpunished, but when we set out to find ways to help people we will accomplish good. When Jesus was teaching His earliest disciples He challenged them, You’re your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father w...

What do we do when we make a mistake? There are a variety of ways to deal with our own failure, but the most responsible is to address it with those who have been negatively affected. If what we did was a sin, we should approach God seeking forgiveness. If our acts created a hardship for others we should find the ways to make it right with them. While these are adult responses to our failures, there is something else we should probably consider. When we have done what we need to do with others, are we willing to put the past behind us? Are we capable of moving forward with our lives by forgiving and forgetting our past? No, I am not talking about searing our consciences so that nothing bothers us – my point is a willingness to fail forward, then pick ourselves up and never look back. When King David reflected on God and his own shortcomings he wrote, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is...