Are you worried about fog?

We look out the bay window in our kitchen, down the hill, and across the horse pastures. It’s really quite a beautiful sight…
…except when the fog rolls in. When the fog rolls in, you can’t see down the hill and across the pastures. That means that you can’t see the horses and make sure that they’re okay. And that’s when it’s easy for us to worry.
Our minds immediately go through a million bad things that could happen to the horses, each one worse than another: a snake could bite one on the nose, one could step in a hole and hurt itself, one could get sick and die because we didn’t call the vet in time, and so the list goes on and on. Of course, so far, none of these things have ever happened to us, with or without the fog. But since we can’t see, we worry.
I suspect you’re that way, also—what you can’t see, like your future, you worry about. And I’ll bet so far in your life few if any of the things you worry about actually happen. So don’t let the fog of the future worry you. Say to yourself: God is in control. And then listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Do you have wandering eyes?

You’re sitting in a restaurant in an end-of-the-aisle booth. Your back is to the front of the establishment. The person sitting across from you has a view of the dining room. You have only the person in front of you to look at; there’s even a large petition behind her, separating you from the kitchen.
You’re enjoying your conversation with your friend, but occasionally her eyes dart off to the side and she looks with anticipation at some person moving to a table. You see the anticipation as one of those “Do I know this person?” looks.
“No problem,” you think.
But then it happens again. And again. And again. And pretty soon you find yourself leaning out into the aisle just to catch your friend’s eyes.
Do you think your friend’s glad to be with you? And really enjoying your conversation?
Probably not. So the next time you’re with someone, listen with your eyes. And the next time you’re praying, listen to God with your eyes and make a life, not just a living.

What's valuable to you?

I spoke to a group recently and afterwards, a woman came up to me and began telling me some of her life stories. I'm always fascinated by people's stories so I listened intently to each one. When she told me one particular story, I asked her if I could share it with you. She said, “Sure!” so here it is.

She and her then-boyfriend were in college together. He planned to become a medical doctor. She refused to marry him until he was in his residency training, wrongly thinking that they'd have more time to be together then. He really wanted to get married, but, of course, respected her wishes. However, he wanted to buy her an engagement ring anyway, but he didn't have enough money.

Now there are some things more precious than others to us in life, and to this budding doctor, his microscope was his most precious possession. He used it in labs, to do homework; it was virtually his constant companion. And it was also the most valuable thing he owned. So he sold it to buy her an engagement ring. And she's never once doubted his love.

So what's valuable to you?

Are you like a dragonfly?

Dragonflies are absolutely beautiful creatures. Their iridescent wings glitter in the summer sun around ponds, lakes, and wetlands all around the world. In fact, if you google for dragonflies, you’ll find literally thousands and thousands of web sites about them, and not just university professors and naturalists sponsor these sites. There are societies of people like you and me that study dragonflies, landscape their yards to attract them, and share what they learn with others.

Dragonflies inspire everything from beautiful jewelry to fairy tales. These tiny creatures trace their ancestry back millions of years.

And yet, did you know that most dragonflies live only about a month? And that basically during that month, all they do is eat and reproduce?

If you only had about a month to live, what would you do? Probably the best thing you could do would be what the dragonfly does—nourish your spirit so that you can reproduce the beauty that God’s given you. So be a dragonfly as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today.