Quote of the day:
“Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours.”--Dale Carnegie Think about it: A man we’ll call Bill Wilkins, a Wall Street broker, woke up one morning in a hospital for drunkards. Despondently he peered up at the house doctor and groaned, “Doc, how many times have I been in this joint?” “Fifty!” “I suppose liquor is going to kill me?” “Bill,” replied the doctor solemnly, “it won’t be long now.” “Then,” said Bill, “how about a drink to straighten me out?” “I guess that would be all right, given the circumstances,” agreed the doctor. “But I’ll make a bargain with you. There’s a young fellow in the next room in a pretty bad way. He’s here for the first time. Maybe if you showed yourself as a horrible example, you might scare him into staying sober for the rest of his life.” Instead of resentment, Bill showed a flicker of interest. “Okay,” he said. “But don’t forget that drink when I come back.” The young man was certain that he was doomed, and Bill, who considered himself an agnostic, incredulously heard himself urging the lad to turn to a higher power. “Liquor is a power outside yourself that has overcome you,” he urged. “Only another outside power can save you. If you don’t want to call it God, call it truth.” Whatever the effect on the young man, Bill greatly impressed himself. Back in his own room, he forgot his bargain with the doctor. Bill never did collect the promised drink. Thinking of someone else at long last, he had given the law of unselfishness a chance to work on him. It worked so well that he lived to become a founder of a highly effective movement in healing faith—Alcoholics Anonymous. William Griffith Wilson was Bill’s real name, though in keeping with Alcoholics Anonymous tradition, most knew him simply as Bill W. How could he have ever imagined what a worldwide good would eventually come about as a result of the moment he shifted his focus from being selfish to selfless? It is in forgetting ourselves and investing in others that we often reap the greatest dividends.—Fulton Oursler There are many benefits to living a life of love for God and others. One of the main paybacks is that when we live more for others than for ourselves, we find that life has purpose. When we live a life of purpose, we are living a life that has value. Not many things in our lives are eternal. Love is. Love has eternal value; how’s that for purpose? Over time, a life lived in selfishness will bring about a deep void inside, because God created us with yearnings that can only be satisfied by something greater then ourselves, by living in loving relationship with Him and others. He created us with a need to give to others, to sacrifice for others, in order to find lasting fulfillment and purpose.
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By Christina Lane
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was known as a master trickster, and the most cunning of men. Eventually, the gods were so displeased with his craftiness and deceitfulness that they condemned him in the afterlife to push a huge boulder up a steep hill. The boulder was enchanted so that Sisyphus was never able to complete the task: whenever he neared the top, the boulder always rolled back down—endlessly. That’s just a story, of course, but it’s an impression we can sometimes relate to. We feel like we are pushing a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down, and sometimes it can even feel like it rolls right over us on its way down. Like Sisyphus, some of us are also stuck in a discouraging cycle of expending a lot of effort with hardly any results to show for it, or getting stuck repeatedly in a difficult or unwholesome situation. But there is hope that we can break out of that cycle, and as believers, we have the extra power and strength of God to help us carry our burdens. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean God is going to magically solve all our problems. That’s where faith comes in. With faith in God’s ability to help with our burdens, we can grow and learn through the things that come our way, and come out victorious in the end. With faith we can reach the top of the hill, and be able to move on eventually. Quote of the day:
“There aren't any great men. There are just great challenges that ordinary men like you and me are forced by circumstances to meet.”-- William F. Halsey Think about it: The story is told of Genghis Khan (the great Mongol warrior who conquered more than twice as much land as any other person in history), and how he led his men to a victory over all odds. During one of the Mongols’ campaigns, an enemy army several times their size was waiting for them on the other side of a mountain pass. That pass was the only way to get through the otherwise extremely treacherous mountains. It was a well-planned trap. So what did Genghis do? He gathered his elite and sent them OVER the mountain. Yes, the way that couldn’t be traveled, and which the enemy did not even consider as an option. In the freezing cold, with low visibility and the danger of being sighted always before them, these dedicated men made it over the top and came down the other side. Did they get to the bottom and set up camp, satisfying their hunger and soothing their tired muscles? No, they went straight into battle, leading the charge, and the enemy was thrown into confusion, shocked to see the impossible done. The struggle over the mountain and into battle served more than one purpose: If we stretch further than we feel comfortable stretching wonderful things are possible. I’m sure none of those warriors were eager to face the cold and inhospitable mountain, but they did. So can we. Also, when we reach a goal, don’t stop there’s often more to achieve just around the corner. Yes, it disconcerted the enemy, but more than that, it made those warriors realize what they were capable of. Don’t you think their confidence and morale soared from then on? Can you imagine the stories they told? They gained vision for the future. Let’s share that vision and those tales of glory in order to uplift others. Maybe they will face a similar struggle, or perhaps theirs will be completely different. Either way, let’s think on our experiences and share them for the benefit of others! By Joyce Suttin,
One of my most pleasant childhood memories is lying on the bench beneath Grandma’s grape arbor on a hot summer day, and munching on fresh grapes. Years later, when I was moving to a vineyard in Italy, I envisioned many comfy benches to lie on. To my shock, we arrived to what looked like barren fields. Only the tiniest stubbly heads appeared above the roots. It was explained to me that the vines were cut back to the ground each year after the harvest to increase their yield. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but it was a fruitful field. When the growing season began, I was amazed at how quickly the roots gave birth to new vines beneath the warm Tuscan sun. Their tendrils reached out quickly through the fields, and where there had been barren earth, suddenly there was lush new growth that would produce juicy green grapes. I am a very poor gardener because I hate to prune my plants. I let my rose bushes grow to ungainly heights. I shoo away every tree trimmer who comes to the door wanting to trim our trees. I let my perennials grow wild. I like the runaway growth of living things and don’t like to be the judge of what to cut. But it is pretty clear that in order to bear fruit, trimming is needed. The same is true in our lives. Sometimes we need some cutting or pruning too, to continue to be productive. There are times the rug gets ripped out from under us. The unexpected knocks us for a loop; tragedy, illness, betrayal or failure give us a sucker punch, and we feel all of those beautiful leafy branches being ripped away, until all that is left is a stubbly, chopped-up root in some seemingly barren ground. But then, the time is right. The sun shines down. Rain falls. And the miracle of new life and growth begins again. – Adapted from Motivated Magazine. Quote of the day:
“Find a purpose in life so big it will challenge every capacity to be at your best.”-- David O. McKay Think about it: What launched Amy Tan’s career was not a big break, but getting fired. Before the million-copy sales of The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen, and The Hundred Secret Senses, Amy Tan was a writer.—A business writer. She and a partner ran a technical-writing business with lawyer-like “billable hours.” Her role with clients was largely that of account management—but this daughter of immigrants wanted to do something more creative with words—English words. So she made her pitch to her partner: “I want to do more writing.” He declared her strength was doing estimates, going after contractors, and collecting bills. “It was horrible stuff.” The very stuff Tan hated and knew she wasn’t really good at. But her partner insisted that writing was her weakest skill. “I thought, I can believe him and just keep doing this, or make my demands.” So she argued and stood up for her rights. He would not give in. Shocked, Tan said, “I quit.” He said: “You can’t quit. You’re fired!” And he added, “You’ll never make a dime writing.” Tan set out to prove him wrong, taking on as many assignments as she could. Sometimes she worked 90 hours a week as a freelance technical writer. Being on her own was tough. But not letting others limit her or define her talents made it worthwhile and on her own, she felt free to try fiction. Thus The Joy Luck Club, featuring the bright, lonely daughter of Chinese immigrants, was born. And the manager who couldn’t write became one of the bestselling, best-loved authors. (By Gary Sledge, adapted) Quote of the day:
“Every calling is great when greatly pursued.”-- William Danforth Think about it: Pudgy and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. “Football, hockey, tennis, cricket—anything with a round ball, I was useless,” he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes and ridiculed in school gym classes in England’s rural Devon County. It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first, the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to pedal along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed, strength, and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon. The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s School of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man’s cold-water exploits. Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future. Treks to the Pole aren’t the usual holidays for British country boys, and those who didn’t dismiss his dream as fantasy probably doubted he had what it takes. “John Ridgway was one of the few people who didn’t say, ‘You’re completely nuts,’” Saunders says. In 2001, after becoming a proficient skier, Saunders embarked on his first long distance expedition toward the North Pole. It took incredible stamina. He suffered frostbite, had a close encounter with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit, hauling his supply-laden sledge up and over jagged ice ridges. Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski solo to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation. Later, Saunders, at 27, headed south to trek from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, a 1,800-mile journey that had never been completed on skis.-- By Lisa Miller Fields What changed his life? Books and friends who had faith in him and encouragement. You too can follow your dreams. Find those who can support your efforts and while you are at it find someone you can be that encouragement to as well. Quote of the day:
“Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don't have any problems, you don't get any seeds...”--Norman Vincent Peale Think about it: The best thing that ever happened to boxer Gene Tunney was that he had weak hands. His manager felt that he could never punch hard enough to be the heavyweight champion. Instead, Tunney decided that he would become a scientific boxer, not a slugger. Boxing historians will tell you that he developed into one of the best boxers who ever fought. Tunney would never have been champion had he not had the problem of his weak hands. Why not turn your weakness into an assist? Quote of the day:
"Do not judge by appearances, a rich heart may be under a poor coat.” – Swedish proverb Think about it: In 1502, in Florence, Italy, there was a large block of marble given to a church in Santa Maria. The church immediately hired who they thought was a professional to sculpt this enormously huge piece of rock. Soon after commencing this great task the man drilled a hole right at the bottom, destroying this magnificent piece of marble. So the church decided just to drape a huge sheet over it, not knowing what else to do, since it had been damaged beyond recognition and repair. A certain man named Michelangelo caught word of this large stone and how it had been destroyed, so out of curiosity he went to check it out and thought, “Hey, I think I can do something here.” After a time he began work and sculpted; and what was once thought to be a lost cause became one of the greatest statues of the biblical character of David ever built. Many people today feel like a gigantic slab of marble—perhaps battered and bruised, perhaps lacking substance, perhaps someone who has been discarded by certain people. However, if you can see beyond the flaws and see the potential you could help create a master piece in that person’s life. Quote of the day:
“There has never yet been a man in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering.” -- Theodore Roosevelt Think about it: I very much like olives. One day when eating some olives I was thinking about the olive and what it has to go through to become so yummy: First, in order to be fruitful the olive tree has to have both the east wind and the west wind. The east wind is the dry hot wind from the desert. This is a harsh wind. So harsh that it can blow over green grass and make it completely wither in one day. The west wind, on the other hand, comes from the Mediterranean. It brings rain and life. The olive tree needs both of these winds to produce fruit. If you were to pick an olive from the tree and try to eat it this month, its bitterness would make you sick. It is a lengthy process to be cured of bitterness and prepared for usefulness. For the olive to be edible, it has to go through the process that includes: washing, breaking, soaking, sometimes salting, and waiting some more. The final thing about the olive is that it must be crushed in order to extract the oil. However, the crushing isn’t the olive’s end. The crushing is the best way to get what’s most valuable, the oil, out of the olive. The same is true for us. We need both winds of hardship and relief to sweep across our lives if we are to be truly fruitful. The olive is naturally bitter and has to be cured to be useful. If we are to escape the natural bitterness of the human heart we to have to go through a long process of being cured. And finally we also need to be crushed at times to bring out what is most valuable in us. Quote of the day:
“To be great, it is necessary to suffer.” – Enrico Caruso Think about it: The story behind the quote is about Enrico Caruso (February 25, 1873 – August 2, 1921) one of the most famous Italian tenor singers of all time. Caruso’s favorite saying was, “Bisogna soffrire per essere grandi,” which means, “To be great, it is necessary to suffer.” Caruso’s early life was full of difficulties. His mother gave birth to seven children, only three survived. His family was extremely poor. It wasn’t until he was 18 that he was able to buy his first pair of shoes with the money he earned from singing at a resort. In his first publicity photograph, he is wearing a bed sheet draped like a toga, because his only shirt was being washed at the time. Perhaps his poverty contributed to the richness of his character and his voice. There was something magical about his voice that brought him great riches and fame. A music critic observed, “His is a voice that loves you, but not only a voice, a sympathetic man.” An amusing illustration of Caruso’s sympathetic nature can be found when during an opera performance one of his fellow singers lost his voice and could no longer sing. Caruso sang his part while the hoarse singer mouthed the song. Surely, there are many more stories that tell of great people who overcame their difficulties. They give us hope, that if they could do it, so can we. |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
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