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Friday, August 19, 2005

"Who do you appreciate?"

Every single one of us requires appreciation. And I guess that’s why this month is National Hair-itage Month…that’s spelled “H-a-i-r—itage,” “Hair-itage.” This month encourages us to appreciate the beauty and hair care professionals in our lives like our hair stylist.

Now you may think it quite hilarious that I would talk about appreciating hair stylists, especially if you’ve been to our website at www.listentolife.org and seen the image of me there. I am, well—there’s no easy way to say this—I’m going bald pretty quickly. In fact, my hair stylist tells everyone that she makes more per minute off of me than any other customer. My haircut takes about six minutes.

So while the hair care companies aren’t beating on my door to do TV commercials, let me ask you this: is the only time you talk about your stylist when something goes wrong? Today, brag on your stylist to someone and let him/her know of your appreciation for a job well-done. And remember: what goes around, comes around.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

"Are you humble?"

A friend of mine, Mike Podolinsky, emails a weekly success series from his web site at www.michaelpodolinsky.com. Mike is a professional speaker, business consultant, and trainer based in Singapore who helps develop people to transform organizations.


In a recent email, Mike talked about how to be successful in life and one of his key points was about humility. He wrote, “Be humble. Anyone who is not humble will eventually be humbled. This does not mean you have to put yourself down or have ‘false humility,’ or say, ‘Oh, I am not worthy.’ Being humble of heart means you are grounded. The Latin root for humble is ‘humus’ which means ‘earth.’ In other words, you are ‘grounded’ and know your strengths, weaknesses, limitations, and abilities and never think you are better than others. At the same time you are just as worthy as anyone else; after all, we ALL are ‘earth.’”


Sounds like Mike knows how to listen to life and make a life, not just a living! Ask God to keep your feet on the ground as you listen to life today.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

"Do you feel mowed down by life's problems?"

One summer, I decided that the shrubs at one end of our home had grown too tall. I decided to cut them back, down to a stump.

So I got out the chainsaw and cut back the shrubs. It took a while because they were tall and thick, but eventually I got down to the main trunk. All I left was a stump.

Our girls asked, "Daddy, why did you kill the bushes?"

"I didn't kill them. I cut them back," I said.

"No, Daddy, you killed them."

"Watch them,” I said. “Soon you'll see tiny green shoots coming out of them. And by this time next year, they'll be covered with greenery."

"No, they won't, Daddy. You killed them."

Well, the next spring arrived, and slowly but surely, green shoots emerged from those dead stumps. Just a few at first, then more, and soon they were full.

Sometimes we feel cut off from God, mowed down by problems. Sometimes you may be afraid that your spirit won’t come back to life. When you do, listen to life and keep the faith. You will make a life again.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

"Who's perspective do you look at life from?"

A friend recently told me about a mother, her three-year old daughter, and mother-in-law who took off on a road trip together. They took this trip some years ago, before the law required car seats.

As mothers-in-law can be, this one was an expert in child-rearing. She saw this trip as an opportunity to discipline her granddaughter in ways she obviously needed, since her daughter-in-law wasn’t doing a very good job.

Well, most three-year-olds will fidget during a road trip, no matter how many books you read to them or toys they have and this one was no exception. The mother-in-law kept saying to the little tike, “Stop fidgeting.” And she said it so many times that the little girl finally looked at her and said, “Well all I can see is the tops of the trees.” With no booster seat, the poor thing could only look up out of the car window.

When you’re tempted to straighten out someone else, look at life from that person’s perspective. Then listen to life today for what God has to say and make a life, not just a living.

Monday, August 15, 2005

"Is God bigger than any of your problems?"

My Grandmother Greene was stricken with the cruel disease of rheumatoid arthritis. That painful disease progressed and coupled with heart attacks, fibrillations and a series of mini-strokes, I watched painfully as her life slowly and cruelly ebbed away. But I also watched as she listened to life, making the most of her moments.

I complimented her one afternoon on her endurance and attitude. "Well," she replied, "I don't do it alone. You see that sign on the kitchen counter. That's how I do it. I remember that."

On that kitchen counter was a simple yellow sign, folded in half to stand, with blue lettering which read: "God is bigger than any problem I have."

After I helped carry her casket to a freshly-opened grave, I went back to her home to change clothes. As I walked in the door, the first thing I saw was that simple yellow and blue placard. And it still read, "God is bigger than any problem I have."

And for the first time, I really understood what she meant.