Do you prepare for success?

I plan to do something this weekend that may seem somewhat unusual or just plain strange to those of you with snow on the ground or temperatures in the teens: I’m going to cut back and fertilize my rose bushes.

Sound crazy to you? Well, I understand why you think that. If I didn’t know about how to care for roses, I would as well.

You see, if I want rose blooms to cut in spring and summer, now is when I prune the canes. The bush grows best where it’s pruned. The new growth will come this year from the places on the bush where I trimmed back last year’s growth, and make room for this year’s growth.

Also, I fertilize now so that when the root system starts waking up in a few weeks, they have all of the nutrients they need. That way the bush gets a great start in its new year and is ready to produce lots of blooms.

You have to prepare for success with roses. And with God. What’s God pruning and feeding in your life that will produce beautiful results later? Discover what God’s up to with you as you listen to life and make a life.

"What color is your index finger?"

It was an amazing thing to me to watch as Iraqis voted for the first time in an open election. I wasn’t intrigued by the politics of the situation, but by the human expressions revealed that day.

For instance, a man injured by a car bomb was carried miles to his polling place. A woman whose husband was killed walked miles with her children to vote. An old man, who said he thought he’d never live long enough to see this day, shuffled his feet for three miles to cast his ballot. These people voted, despite personal adversity, long distances, and threat of death.

And the ironic symbol of all of this first-time voting was an ink-stained index finger. Who would have thought a security measure would become a symbol of national pride? And yet, resilient Iraqis held up their stained index fingers, some even in a V for Victory. Why even some members of our Congress stained their index finger to honor the sacrifices of our troops and the Iraqis.

You just never know what symbol we’ll use to express the joy of listening to life and making a life, do you?

Want some peace?

Where I live on the East Coast, the weather sure has been fickle this winter. For about a week or so in January, we had high temperatures in the 60s and sometimes 70s. Then, about a week later, our lows dipped to 12 degrees and we had three snow and ice events. Then last month, we set a record high of 70 the week after we had snow and ice. The old adage about, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 24 hours” has never been truer around here.

It’s been a challenge to know what to wear in this rapidly changing weather. One day I wear short sleeves and no socks. The next I’m wearing thermal tops and insulated boots. It’s been really hard to predict what’s coming next.

But then that’s life, isn’t it? Life is predictable occasionally, but more often than not, life zigs one way one day and zags the other way the next day. And it’s pretty hard to figure out which day is a zig and which day is a zag until after they happen. That’s why listening to life today for what God has to say is so important to making a life. God gives you peace and hope in life’s constant change.

Got love?

I opened my email that morning as soon as I arrived in my office, just like I do each morning. I removed the spam—yes, I get it, too—and looked down through the list. I recognized our younger daughter’s email address on one of them so I scrolled down and opened hers first.

The message announced that I had an e-greeting card to open. So I clicked on the link and opened it. There was the cutest picture of a yellow Lab puppy like the ones we raise and a kitten, their noses touching. And someone had drawn in some hearts between them. The caption read, “Puppy Love.”

And our daughter wrote in, “Daddy, I know it’s not Valentine’s yet, but I couldn’t resist sending this to you. Love and kisses,” and her name.

I wrote her back and said, “Thank you, sweetheart! It’s never too early to send love. Love and kisses, Daddy.”
And it isn’t. Nor is it ever too late. Yea, I know Valentine’s is past for this year, but send someone love today. God gives it to you 365 days a year, so share it real often as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Were you free for the Super Bowl?

Like most of us, I watched the Super Bowl earlier this month. We had some friends over. My wife made a delicious meal. And we settled in the family room in time to watch the pre-game show. And I’m sure glad we did!

The most touching moment for me during the entire extravaganza was when the veterans were honored. Various groups marched onto the field proudly as the announcer called their names. Remember now, some of the World War II veterans fought for freedom over 60 years ago so some of these guys shuffled more than they walked. But they were still proud to have served their country, and stood at attention to the best of their ability.

As I sat there watching these heroes honored, I thought about all of the heroes who died for the cause of freedom, the friends and relatives of these men and women who paid the ultimate price. And I thought about how differently life would be without their sacrifice. America and a large part of the rest of the world may not be free to watch the Super Bowl were it not for these heroes. Thank God today for your freedom as you listen to life and make a life.