Are they coming after you?

A grandfather and his grandson, Billy, went camping. They reserved a cabin out in the woods near a lake. Billy thought they’d never get there and it was late at night when they arrived.

They decided to keep the lights off in the cabin while they unpacked the car. They wanted to keep from attracting pesky insects like mosquitoes into the cabin. A few fireflies followed then in anyway.

Seeing them before his grandfather did, Billy whispered, “It's no use, Grandpa. The mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights.”

Do you ever feel like you do the best you can in life to not attract pesky problems, but they find you anyway? They come after you in the dark…with flashlights?
I guess we all feel “they” are coming after us at some time in our lives. Well, the next time you feel that way, just remember that God is in the dark with you. And no matter who comes after you, and even if they’re packing flashlights, God is there with you to help you through it. Just listen to life and make a life, not just a living, and find God.

"Got Junk?"

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure, right? Well, Brian Scudamore gives that cliché a whole new meaning for me. Brian started a company, 1.800.GOT.JUNK?, in 1989 in Vancouver. He bought a large truck and he and some friends started going around to people’s homes or businesses and removing their junk. His business grew so fast that he bought another truck. The business kept growing and Brian realized that he was onto something big. So he franchised his business and now there are thousands of his blue-and-green trucks backing up to people’s homes in the U.S. and Canada.

Brian Scudamore looked at what most of us consider a hassle and dirty work and saw an opportunity. What do you see as you look at your life?

Most of us have some junk in our habits and attitudes that we’d be better off having removed. But it is a hassle and sometimes dirty work to be honest with ourselves and get rid of some stuff we don’t need or really want. Ask God to help you remove your dirty junk as you listen to life and make a life today.

"Are you growing?"

My roses are absolutely beautiful this year. And to think that only a couple of months ago, I had pruned the canes back to only 6-8 inches. Now, they’re several feet high with lots of blooms on them.

And they’ve really grown…but that’s because I’ve fertilized and watered them. I gave the roses what they needed to grow, at least what I could give them. Of course, God sent the sunshine to energize the fertilizer and water they absorbed through their roots. But it just amazes me that they’ve grown from so small to large bushes in so short a period of time.

Maybe you feel cut off by life, kind of like my roses at six inches. Something happened to you, something beyond your control, and you’re wondering if you’ll ever be the same or even close to normal again.

Just as my roses grew, you can grow, too. Feed your spirit nourishing love and grace from God and you can grow again. Choose to drink deeply from God’s garden of good stuff as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

"Had a meeting lately?"

I coach a lot of business people, helping them set professional and personal goals and moving strategically from where they are to where they want to be, in essence, listening to their lives. Much of what we talk about is taking action on values that are important to them.

One of my common themes is that most meetings waste productive time. We put folks in comfortable chairs in luxurious, climate-controlled rooms with something to eat and drink and suddenly everybody feels like they have to say something so they can stay in the room longer.

One of the people I coach sent me something recently which reads, “Are you lonely? Tired of working on your own? Do you hate making decisions? Then hold a meeting! You can see people, show charts, feel important, use a laser pointer, impress your colleagues, and eat doughnuts all on company time! Meetings…the practical alternative to work.”

But you know, there is one meeting that’s worthwhile everyday: meet with God as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Are you a DNF?

NASCAR Nextel Cup racing was at Darlington Speedway last month. Early on in that race, Michael Waltrip and Jeff Green had an accident that sent Waltrip into the outside wall, forcing him off the race track and behind the wall.

Now Waltrip’s car was really damaged. It took a long time for the team to repair the car enough for it to run so he was behind a gazillion laps. And the car’s aerodynamics were destroyed with much of the front end missing or repaired with tape. I mean, there was no way Michael could win the race. But his team put in all of this effort and Michael went back out on the track.

And for what? Because they didn’t want a DNF—Did Not Finish—on their record.

I know life gets tough for you sometimes and you just want to throw up your hands and quit. But don’t be a DNF. Go behind the wall with God, get repaired the best you can, and stay in the race of life. Sure, you won’t finish first every time but you’re always a winner when you get back in the race. That’s how you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.