Posts from 2022

We like to say when we’ve made a mistake or things did not work the way we intended: “Well, we are only human!” That idea makes us comfortable with the situation and even excuses us from trying to solve the problem again. What exactly do we mean when we say,” We are only human!”? Is there someone or something we know about that doesn’t make mistakes? Could it be some other creature like lions, tigers or bears, or maybe an…

Someone once said: “Troubles are opportunities to grow, to make us better, not bitter. Rightly used, we can learn from them not to repeat our own mistakes. Once freed from them we are better equipped to solve our other life’s problems.” We are never comfortable when we are in the midst of our problems, and it is very hard to accept that we are going through them for our own good. It sometimes makes us think; “We don’t want that…

We sometimes admonish others to “look before you leap” when they share with us a plan to accomplish some new task. We really mean, “think about it.” Good advice; but it can be an expression of fear as we look back on some of our own efforts that did not work out well. And the thought may be right behind that: “you better not try that again”. So we stay defeated ourselves and try to influence our friends to “be…

In 1964 Bob Dylan recorded a song about the times then, called “The Times they are A-changin’”. It was true then and certainly true today. Every day we hear about some new idea, medical procedure, technical invention, or some threat to our safety from some foreign power. The TV, newspapers and the internet makes sure that we hear about these things immediately. The Bible tells us that it is the Word of God and that God’s Word never changes. In…

When something does not happen that was an impending disaster, we are prone to say, “Thank God for that”, or some of the older folks may say, “Thank the Lord”. Our feeling of gratitude is overwhelming that the disaster or unpleasant event did not befall us. We are most grateful to God when some disaster type of event is avoided or perhaps when some windfall or good fortune comes our way. Some folks say “Thank you, Jesus”, without giving much…

There was an old saying that we  used to hear on the playground when we were kids and someone teased us or said something negative about us and it went like this: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” It was a sort of defense that was used to help us save face or deflect the criticism. But it really wasn’t so, because words do hurt. They are very powerful and can make lifelong…

We have in the past heard this old saying when someone has gotten themselves in a bad situation by their own efforts; “Let him stew in his own juice”. It makes us feel that justice has been done and we feel “he had it coming”. If indeed the person was getting an unfair advantage by their efforts and gets in trouble we tend to feel satisfied that he got “what was coming to him or her.” This certainly indicates that…

There is an old country saying that goes like this: “You can’t get the water to clear up until you get the pigs out of the creek!” Life in our society is fast-paced and sometimes very confusing. We are bombarded with information that comes from many directions and we feel responsible to make much of it a part of our life. In this process, some garbage accumulates in our minds and in our hearts. This can cause us to feel…

We often hear folks say, “I did the best I could”. Generally, we say this when we tried to accomplish a task and didn’t get the results we wanted from our effort. It justifies us and sometimes it keeps us from trying again. James addresses this when he says in James1:2-4, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have it’s…

There is a chorus to a song that goes like this: “When the gates are all down and the signals are flashing and the whistle is screaming in vain, and you stay on the tracks, ignoring the facts, well you can’t blame the wreck on the train”. Folks sometimes continue to repeat mistakes and blame others or circumstances or events, when in truth they continue to place themselves in a position that causes the problem. In Romans 7:21-25 the apostle…

Many times folks will say, when they are bogged down in life’s problems, “I just have to take it one day at a time”. It helps us concentrate on today’s problems. But we sometimes dwell on the mistakes of the past; regrets about what we said or did that caused us a problem, or dread about tomorrow’s tasks, or even anticipation about our plans for tomorrow so that we lose track of our concentration on living today. Jesus tells us…

Many young people and older people too say, “I’m bored”, indicating that there must always be entertainment to keep them occupied. There is a little poem called HOW TO BE HAPPY, by an unknown author that goes like this: “Are you almost disgusted with life, little man? I’ll tell you a  wonderful trick, That will bring you contentment, if anything can, Do something for somebody quick!”  Knowing that we have done a good deed for someone else, even in times…