"Can you imagine...?

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Can you imagine Fred Astaire without Ginger Rogers? She made him look so good, doing everything he did only backwards and in high heels.

Can you imagine the Lone Ranger without Tonto? We never would have known that that Masked Man was none other than the “faithful friend” of law and justice, Kemosabe, without Tonto telling us, would we?

Can you imagine Bert without Ernie? Well, I’m sure there were days Bert could imagine life without Ernie, but you know, even when Bert complained about how Ernie acted, Bert really missed him and was always happy to see him return.

Can you imagine Batman without Robin? That Caped Crusader who vigilantly protected Gotham City at the bequest of Commissioner Gordon and Chief O’Hara would have found himself in the evil clutches of the Joker, Penguin, or Riddler on many occasions were it not for young Robin.

I guess we all need someone, don’t we? Someone to help us out in times of trouble, to keep us accountable for what we do. Ask God to give you someone as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today.

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"Do you keep making mistakes?"

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A teacher is talking with her preschool students about making mistakes. She tells them, “Boys and girls, we all make mistakes. The important thing is to ask for forgiveness. We ask God for forgiveness and we ask other people to forgive us, too.”

She goes on to talk about how even though we really try hard not to, we still make mistakes. And the conversation continues on for a few more minutes. Then she begins wrapping up her lesson with some questions. She says, “Do all of us make mistakes, boys and girls?”

“Yes,” the kids answer.

“Do we ever stop making mistakes?” she says.

“No,” scream the kids.

Then she says, “So do we keep making mistakes?”

“Yes!” shout the kids. Then one little girl pipes up and says, “It’s just life!”

And you know, it really is. Life includes making mistakes and asking for forgiveness because of those mistakes. So don’t worry about being perfect today. It’s not an option for you. Just do the best you can with God’s help. Ask for forgiveness when you need to. And listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"Do you ask for opportunities?"

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What if you absolutely love basketball, you’d rather play basketball than eat or sleep, but you never asked to try out for a team. Would you improve your playing skills?

What if you absolutely love to play basketball, but as a kid, you never asked your Dad to shoot hoops with you? Would you learn to play very well?

What if you absolutely love to play basketball, but you never asked your Mom, “Can I go to the playground to play ball?” Would you get to play much?

What if you absolutely love to play basketball, but you never asked your Grandparents, “Would you get me a basketball for my birthday?”

If you absolutely love to do something, then you have to ask for opportunities to do it. The odds of someone just walking up to you and saying, “Hey kid, you look like you love basketball. Want to play?” are slim to none.

Today, ask God for opportunities to do what you absolutely love. Listen to your life for those people God sends to you to give you such opportunities. Ask for opportunities to do what you love as you listen to life and make a life today, and not just a living.

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"Does life just happen?"

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A woman whom I coach (www.listentolife.org/coaching.htm) was talking with me about how some things happen in your life—good things—and you know that they were more than a coincidence; that they’re providential, designed and sent by God. I asked her to give me an example.

She said she was listening to a syndicated program one evening. She heard a young man who was about to be shipped out to Iraq call into the program. She turned up the radio as he talked about how he wished he could see his parents one more time before he left, but he knew that was impossible. The announcer asked him to talk about his parents some more, which he did. And the longer he talked, the more my friend realized she knew the young man.

So she took out her mobile phone and called the boy’s mother who lived in another state, told her to turn on the radio to a station with this show, and listen. The mother did, heard her son’s voice and his longing to see his parents, and him dedicating a song to them.

She’s right—no coincidence, only providence when you listen to life!

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"What's your plan of action?"

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I was watching a college basketball game recently. Duke University was playing. J.J. Redick is a senior guard for Duke and an extremely fun player to watch. On Valentine’s Day last month, he broke the NCAA record for most 3-pointers made in a career. He’s a leading scorer in his conference and seems like a really nice young man.

One of the broadcasters remarked about Redick that he became a pure or natural shooter because he was always in the gym shooting before and after everyone else. He became so good because he practices, practices, practices.

But you know, we don’t see those long practice hours. We just show up for the game and watch him score 35 points. But Redick’s plan for improvement is to practice and he acts on that plan daily.

Do you act on your plan daily to improve? You may want to improve your life, but desire without action is just a dream. Today, act on your plan to improve and practice listening to life and making a life, not just a living.

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