"Are you like a rock?"

I was working in one of our horse pastures recently and saw a rock. Now, there’s nothing extraordinarily different about this rock. It’s just a rock that’s lying in our pasture. I found it by tripping over it.

I stepped back and looked at the rock after I tripped on it. And for some reason, I started thinking about that rock. You know, a horse, galloping and playing in the pasture, could step on that rock and twist an ankle or bruise a hoof. Or, I could run over it while mowing the pasture and nick and tear the mower blade. That one rock keeps grass from growing in that spot in the pasture, grass that could nourish the horses.

Now if one rock makes that much difference just by hugging the ground in our horse pasture, how much difference can one person can make? More specifically, how much difference can you make? Choose today to make a positive difference just by being you. You don’t have to do anything extraordinary. Just choose to be positive where you are as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"Where's your oak tree?"

I got an email from some friends who listen to life with us through our web site at www.listentolife.org telling me that a thunderstorm burst blew down the huge oak trees in the yard of their church facility.

One friend remembered how he had his kindergarten pictures taken at the foot of the trees. Another told stories about how people would drive their horse and buggy to services early so they could tie them to the tree with the most shade. Another recalled how friends gathered under the shade of those gentle giants when his sister was married. Still another relived standing under those trees after his mother’s funeral while friends comforted him. Their shade even reached across the street and kept the sun off of teenaged boys who awkwardly bought tickets for their girlfriends to see the Saturday afternoon matinee.

Amazing, isn’t it, how our lives intertwine even around oak trees? We are all connected by our common experiences, by our shared memories, and by the spirit of God who helps us listen to life and make a life.

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"Are you stuck?"

I read recently about a new, hi-tech water fountain. Now, most water fountains you walk up to, find the handle, turn the water on, bend over, and drink, right? This water fountain you simply walk up to, bend over, and drink. It has an infrared sensor or something like that which picks up your presence when you bend over and switches on the water.

What’s amazing is how many people look for the handle or button, search all over the fountain for it, and not finding it walk away, still thirsty; thinking, “Somebody needs to fix that water fountain.” All they had to do was bend over and get all the water they wanted. They were so stuck in their usual way of getting water, they couldn’t get their thirst quenched.

What “usual way” of doing something are you stuck in? Are you open to trying something different, maybe even more convenient?

The fact is many of us choose to stay stuck. So today, do something differently like drive home a different route. And see if God is on that path, too, as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"Where do you stand?"

Some years ago, jazz musician Harry Connick, Jr. wowed crowds during his concert tour by sending his entire band—except his drummer—off-stage during a really upbeat number. The drummer kept the beat going while Connick went from instrument to instrument and wowed the crowd some more. That’s right, Connick not only could play, but play with excellence every single instrument.

Connick again wowed the crowds in his more recent tour, but in a different way this time. When it came to the point in the concert where he previously played all the instruments, this time he enthusiastically shouted out the names—one by one—of his band members and let them have at it. And he—get this now—stepped off-stage out of the bright lights and cheered each one on. He took a step back into the shadows and clapped for the team.

Do you try to play all the instruments at work, or at home, wanting all the glory and to be a one-person band? Or, do you step back and applaud the team? Be humble as you listen to life and make a life today.

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"Today's Labor Day. What do you do for a living?"

It’s Labor Day, that day we annually set aside to honor those who labor in this nation. So what’s your labor? What do you do for a living?

One day recently a delivery person for a shipping company came by my office. As I usually do with just about everyone, I struck up a conversation about his day.

He told me about a previous stop in delivering a package to an office. The secretary there started telling him about some problem in her life. Even though these folks are on tight schedules, he took the time to listen carefully, and act interested in what she was saying. It was if she had been waiting for him to come so she could unload.

When he started to leave, he said some encouraging words to her, and then said, “I’ll pray for you.”
“You deliver more than packages, don’t you?” I said. “You deliver blessings as well.”

Does your labor deliver blessings as well? Make a life, not just a living as you listen to life on Labor Day for what God has to say.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey