"What makes you feel special?"

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So often you might think that you have to do something extravagant to express your love or make someone feel special. But it’s usually the little things that happen day-by-day that go the farthest in creating those special feelings.

For instance, a friend shared a story with me through our website at www.listentolife.org. He’s an author and was doing an outdoor book signing. A couple came to his table and they visited long enough for him to discover that the couple had been married for a while and had children in college. He says they seemed so comfortable and content with one another.

The husband stepped away from the table for a few moments and left his wife at the table to visit longer with my friend. When the husband returned, he said, “You should thank me. I just left you alone with the nicest person I know.”
The couple walked away holding hands.

It really is the seemingly little, everyday kind of things that create the greatest intimacy in life. So don’t worry about expensive gifts or fancy trips. Focus instead on everyday gifts as you listen to life and make a life today.

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"Do you have the time?"

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I was recently at a wedding rehearsal. This one carried the typical amount of anxiety as people figured out where to stand and what to do when.

Well, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of all of this anxious activity, I listened to life and experienced the most incredible thing. The little girl serving as the ring bearer walked up to the bride and asked her to please tie the rings on her pillow. Now understand that this bride, like most of them, is making last-minute decisions about so many things, and is subjected to so many questions. And typically brides are already nervous anyway.

So here is this bride encountering the typical bride-pressures and this little girl asks her to tie the rings on. The bride smiles, says, “Sure,” takes the tiny pillow and rings and begins to tie them on, talking with the little girl about being the ring bearer, as if she has all the time in the world.

Today, when you’re pressured and pushed by life, remember this bride and her gift of taking time for people first, the same way God has all the time in the world for you. Then listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"Are you in a valley?"

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Most people I coach want to stay on the mountaintops of life. They want to enjoy the clear air and panoramic view of the apex of life.

And that’s understandable, but not very doable. At least in my experience, it’s wonderful when you get to the mountaintop, but there’s a lot to learn in the valleys of life, also.

A friend shared an experience with me through our website at www.listentolife.org. He said a farmer once told him that the tallest corn grows in the valleys, not on the mountaintop. And if you stop and think about it, the rain falls off the mountain and pools in the valley. That feeds the corn in the valley more than the corn planted on the mountain. So it grows taller.

When you’re in a valley, listen around for rainfall. I know rainy days are not nearly as much fun as sun-filled days. And maybe the sun is brilliant on the mountaintop that day. But valley rain feeds your spirit, nourishing you for the dry spiritual times of your life. It strengthens you for the trip up the mountain. So remember that God is in the valley, too.

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"When you feel like giving up, what do you do?"

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I heard Shaquille O’Neal of the NBA championship Miami Heat interviewed recently. It was immediately following the Heat’s final victory to secure the championship.

The interviewer asked him what was the secret to their winning the championship. Basically, Shaq said, “You’ve got to keep coming out to play hard every game. Even though you may win only one game and lose ninety-nine, you’ve got to play hard every day and know that you’re going to win some games.”

There’s a lot of truth in Shaq’s statement. Some days you don’t feel like playing. You might choose not to practice that day or not show up for a game. The winners show up any way.

You might get down on yourself, quit believing that you can win while you’re losing all of those games. So you could choose to give up. The winners play hard any way.

Today, when you don’t feel like it or are down on yourself, show up and play hard any way. God honors you as a champion when you do.

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"Do you just ask?"

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I sat in our kitchen one early morning, rocking and reading and reflecting on life; getting ready to enjoy the day. The window was open and I heard geese honking. They congregate around a pond surrounded by a huge grain field. They evidently wake up honking because I hear them so often.

As I sat listening to their early morning fun, I thought about how the goslings born this spring will soon fly further south for the winter. And wondered how they know to do that. They don’t have the Weather Channel to know when the first blast of Artic air resident in a low-pressure system comes sweeping down from Canada. They don’t listen to the local radio stations and get the latest report from in-studio, live, color radar. They don’t read the local paper to catch the five-day forecast. I suppose you could say they just follow the rest of the birds and maybe they do.

But it seems that God put into these geese the desire to fly south and then north again and the knowledge for when. Since God takes care of geese like this, how much more will God do for you as you ask?

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