Enter your Email to Sign up for Dr. Joey's Today's Story


Powered by FeedBlitz

Thursday, March 02, 2006

"Things aren’t always like they seem, are they?"

Susan had wanted new kitchen cabinets for a long time, but her husband insisted they were an extravagance. He just didn’t’ see the need for new kitchen cabinets when the old ones worked just fine. So Susan went to visit her mother for two weeks, and when she came back home, she was overjoyed to find that beautiful new cabinets were installed in her kitchen. She couldn’t understand what changed her husband’s mind, but rather than ask him what made the difference, she was just happy to have new kitchen cabinets.

A neighbor came over to visit a few days later. “I love your new kitchen cabinets,” she said. “They are so lovely.”
“Oh, thank you so much,” Susan said. “I love them, too.”

Then the neighbor said, "All of us were so glad that the fire your husband had while you were gone was confined to the kitchen."

Things aren’t always like they seem, are they? So what! Just be grateful for all the blessings you receive, regardless of why you receive them. Thank God as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

"Did you know that there’s a part of you that never ages?"

I recently met a college friend for lunch. We had not seen each other in twenty years.

When we first sat down, I looked at him and said, “Okay, I’ll lie to you if you lie to me—you haven’t changed a bit” and we both had a big laugh. The fact is we had both changed—a lot more gray hair and a lot less hair, a few more wrinkles and a few more pounds.

But you know, as we sat there eating and catching up, his laugh hadn’t changed one bit. He still had that same laugh that I remembered, and his eyes still sparkled when he laughed.

You know, our bodies age—our hair turns gray or loose, our faces wrinkle up, and we weigh a little more. But our spirits don’t—our laughter, our sparkling eyes, those parts of us that are who we really are.

So when you look in a mirror today, don’t look at your hair and wrinkles and flab. Look yourself in the eye and laugh. And when you do, know that you’re looking into your soul, the part of you that never ages.

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

"Do you know how much a billion really is?"

Have you noticed how casually we throw the number “a billion” around? It seems like politicians especially are good at saying so many billions of dollars without blinking an eye.

I researched how much a billion is and here’s what I discovered from an advertising agency that did a good job of putting that figure into perspective:

A billion seconds ago, it was 1959.

A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive.

A billion hours ago, our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

A billion may be a little larger than we imagine, at least when measured in something other than dollars. When we hear something over and over, we are anesthetized about its true meaning.

Avoid sleeping your way through life. Stay awake to its true meaning. Hang on the edge of your seat for every opportunity to pay attention to what’s going on around you. And always, whatever you do, listen to life today for what God has to say and make a life, not just a living.

Monday, February 27, 2006

"What's your perspective?"

My wife and I were enjoying a meal in a restaurant when one of the owners came over to visit with us. “I saw you walking out of the parking lot to come in,” she said to me, “and you’ve lost weight. How much weight have you lost?”

“I haven’t lost any weight,” I said. “Maybe it’s just this floppy shirt.”

“Maybe” she said, “but I think you have.”

So she left our table and in a few minutes some other friends stopped by. I stood up and hugged one of them and we talked for a couple of minutes. Then she said, “Have you gained some weight? You look like you’ve gained weight.”

“No, I don’t think I have,” I said. “Maybe it’s just this floppy shirt.”

“Maybe,” she said, “but I think you have.”

Well, when I sat back down, my wife and I burst into laughter.

Life is what we make of it, isn’t it? You bring your own perspective to life experiences and see what you choose to see. Yet another reason why it’s so important to get your perspective from God as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

"What ladder are you climbing?"

Do you remember when you were too little to do certain chores around the house? And how badly you wanted to run the vacuum cleaner or push the lawn mower or climb the ladder and wash the really high windows?

Then, as you grew older, you finally got to climb the ladder, only this time it was the ladder of success. And now that you’re successful, you’ve realized that the problem with finally getting what you want is that then you've got it! Success is just another rung on the ladder and you have to spend more time working and less time playing golf or fishing or with your family and friends. You’ve climbed the ladder of success only to discover that your ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.

Climb down from your ladder today and do something you really want to do. And listen to life today and make a life, not just a living.