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Friday, October 07, 2005

"As you look around your life, what do you see—the beauty or the beast?"

Some friends came over to our farm for the first time. The weather was warm enough so that my roses were still blooming. As we walked around, one of our friends said, “Your roses are so beautiful! They are gorgeous. I wish I could grow roses.”

And I realized that to someone who doesn’t grow roses, they really were beautiful. But you see, when I looked at them, I saw the black spot fungus growing on the leaves, turning them yellow, and making them drop off. When I looked at them, I saw the stunted growth of the canes, stunted because of the drought going on at the time. When I looked at them, I saw what was wrong with the rose bushes, looking right past the beautiful blooms.

You know, you can do the same thing with life. You can look at the beautiful experiences blossoming all around you. Or, you can look at all the things going wrong with your life. It’s your choice. It’s your life. You can see what you want. Choose to see the beautiful as you listen to life today for what God has to say and make a life, not just a living.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

"How are your relationships?"

A friend who listens to life with us through our website at www.listentolife.org emailed me recently talking about how much attention we pay to our vehicles. We wash. We wax. We polish them. We knock out the dents and dings. We buy old, rust buckets, haul them out of the woods, replace their parts, paint them, and sell them for lots of money on eBay. We trick them out, putting sound systems in them that produce more decibels than a jetliner, and video systems, and shock systems, and cool taillight kits. We pay a lot of attention to our vehicles.

Then she said, “What would happen if you paid that much attention to your relationships?” Now that’s something to ponder. Think about one relationship you’re in. What would happen if you cleaned up that relationship and made it shine? Or, replaced some parts of it that aren’t working anymore? Or, re-fit that relationship with some wonderful new features? What would your relationship look like then?

Listen to life and make a life of a new, shiny relationship with God.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

"Where’s your focus—on you or someone else?"

My wife and I have been asked the same question repeatedly over the last couple of months: “How are you doing without your older daughter at home?”
And many of them look rather shocked when we say, “Just fine!” Others of them give us that “You-can-be-honest-with-me” look, like we’re in a state of denial or worse, lying.
What they don’t understand is that yes, we miss her. We miss her laughter around the dinner table. We miss her telling us what happened at school that day. We miss her beautiful smile and dancing eyes. But what they don’t understand is that she’s happy. She’s where God wants her to be, learning at the next level, being challenged and I’m sure challenging a few folks. She tried out and made the cast of the fall play. She’s riding horses. She’s writing stories. She’s daily unfolding her spiritual DNA, discovering her passion, talents, and style for making a life and a living. She’s in an exciting time of life!

So my wife and I choose not to focus on our loss—that’s selfish—but on sharing our daughter’s success as we listen to life and make a life.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

"Do you love cookies?"

Finally, somebody created a theme for a month that I can truly celebrate. This month is National Cookie Month.

What’s not to love about cookies? I mean they come in all sizes from mini’s to humongous, birthday cake sized cookies. There are all sorts of flavors—oatmeal raisin (my favorite), chocolate chip, macadamia nut, peanut butter, macaroon, pecan, walnut, gingerbread, lemon, chocolate with crème filling, chocolate with peanut butter filling, chocolate with mint filling, and…I’m getting hungry so I’d better stop. And don’t start talking about how fattening they are because there are no-sugar, low-fat, cookies, too. Why, there’s even a Cookie Monster!

Cookies are kind of like people. There are all sorts and sizes and shapes. And no two are exactly alike. Sure, you prefer some over others, but you still love them, right?

The next time you hear yourself starting to judge, criticize or accuse another person, think “cookie” and listen to your life today for what God has to say.

Monday, October 03, 2005

"Where is God when life hurts?"

What Hurricane Katrina did last month to the U.S. Gulf coast is nothing short of horrific. Lives were lost, some unavoidably, and others needlessly. Property damage really can’t be measured even in billions of dollars.
What the American people did last month, and continue to do this month, to alleviate suffering of residents from the Katrina region is nothing short of amazing. Generous homeowners in communities thousands of miles away took strangers into their homes, displaced people with no where to go. A friend of mine drove down with a horse trailer, picked up eight horses, and brought them back hundreds and hundreds of miles to his farm. No one will ever know how many thousands and thousands of persons generously gave money, bought bottled water, did free concerts, and offered many, many other kindnesses to those affected.

Even in times of heartache and pain, devastation and disaster, God’s love shines through in your actions. Where you are, God is. Listen to your life and help others make a life and a living.