"I absolutely love chocolate bunnies. Which kind of chocolate bunny is your favorite?"

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My grandmother gave me a chocolate bunny every spring when I was a kid. I always looked forward to getting it, but there were some chocolate bunnies I liked better than others. You see some years she gave me a hollow chocolate bunny. Now I really liked the chocolate, but when I bit into it, there was nothing but air. Other years she gave me a marshmallow-filled chocolate bunny. It was great because it had something inside. But marshmallow does get a little old after a few bites. My favorite years were those when my grandmother gave me solid chocolate bunnies. They were chocolate all the way through.

What is your spirit filled with? Air? Gooey softness? Or, are you solid all the way through? God wants to fill your spirit all the way through with all the sweet goodness of life. Be solid in your spirit as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today.

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"What's love got to do with your life?"

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What’s love got to do with your life? Well, here’s what some children said:

Rebecca says, “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it fro her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis, too. That’s love.”

Chrissy thinks that “Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.”

“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired,” Terri says.

Bobby believes that “Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”

“During my piano recital,” Cindy says, “I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and then I saw my Daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.”

So what’s love got to do with your life? Everything according to these children. Today, look for a way to love someone. It doesn’t matter if it’s great or small, just share God’s love as you listen to life and make a life.

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"What gets you through?"

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I spoke recently to a group and afterwards, a young woman introduced herself to me. We’ll call her Kathy.

Kathy told me that she was recently divorced. It came as quite a shock to her. She didn’t see it coming and apparently it was really hard on her.

Then she said, “One of the ways I got through it was subscribing to your Today’s Story. Every day, first thing in the morning, I started my day by opening your email and going to your website to read your story. Those stories encouraged me, they picked me up; they got my attitude headed up in the right direction. And that’s how I got through my divorce.”

I thanked her and was very humbled by her story. You see, I had no idea that I was helping her. I didn’t really even know her until then. But I was so humbled to know that God chose to use me to help her.

How do you get through the hard times of life? There’s someone waiting to help you. Someone God will lead you to. All you have to do is listen to your life today and you’ll be amazed by what God gives you.

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"What will you do differently today?"

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You’ve heard me talk about the definition of insanity that suggests it’s doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. Recently I discovered another way I could stop acting insane.

About seven years ago, I planted a bed of roses in our yard. I’ve fertilized those roses countless times, most of the time more than the recommended amount and they just wouldn’t grow.

So I decided a couple of months ago, that rather than go insane fertilizing those roses yet another season, I’d move them. And I did. I created another bed, transplanted the roses, and hopefully they’ll do much, much better now.

You know, even when some part of your life isn’t growing well, you’re tempted to leave it as is because it’s familiar. You could be miserable, but won’t take the time and energy needed to change what you’re doing.

Today, listen around your life, find something that’s not growing well for you, and change it. That’s one way to make a life, not just a living!

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"How's your sense of awe and wonder?"

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Our older daughter was home from college recently and I had the privilege to taking her out to dinner.

One of the reasons I like this restaurant is they have a soft-serve ice cream machine. Well, as I’m standing in line for ice cream, there are three Hispanic children ahead of me. Even though I don’t speak Spanish, it was obvious to me that two of them knew the drill, but one of them did not. So the other two showed her how to get a cone, position it under the spout, and pull the lever. Her eyes glowed and her mouth was wide-open with awe and wonder as the ice cream came down. The other two children laughed with pure happiness at her first-time discovery. Then she started laughing, loudly.

And so I started laughing, caught up in the moment. I even started clapping…and they did, too.

Do you get excited about things like ice cream any more? Or, have you lost your sense of awe and wonder? Listen to life today and make a life, not just a living and ask God to laugh with you about something wonderful today.

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