"Do you ask or assume?"

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Last month, the Midwestern part of the U.S. was pummeled by an ice storm that made driving extremely hazardous. Everyone was advised to stay in.

But not everyone listened. A mother decided that since her daughter was coming home for winter break that weekend, the family simply had to have their Christmas tree up and ready to decorate. Her daughter not just enjoyed decorating the tree when she got home, it just wouldn’t seem like the holidays to her if she didn’t. There was nothing for the family to do but risk driving on the ice.

Everything went surprisingly well. They got the tree home and up before the daughter got there. When the daughter got home, it was a great homecoming…until she said, "I can’t believe you guys went out in this weather to get the tree."

Her mom said, "We knew how much it meant to you, sweetheart."

"How much it meant to me?" the daughter, "I only cared about it because it meant so much to you!"
Always ask and never assume as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"Do you make the most out of life?"

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A friend of mine told me the story recently of buying the biggest Christmas tree his family had ever put up. They were so excited with their 14-foot, evergreen beauty after wrestling it home.

They put it in the stand, making sure it was nice and straight. Next they decorated every square inch of it with their favorite ornaments and some new favorites, too. You see, when you move up to a 14-foot tree like this one, you have to get some more ornaments. They were so proud of their Christmas tree…

…until all of a sudden, while they were all relaxing, they heard a giant "Crash!" You guessed it—their 14-foot Christmas beauty had fallen. It turns out that their tree stand was only rated for trees up to 9 feet tall.

So they removed the ornaments, my friend got out his chainsaw, and whacked off five feet of their evergreen beauty. The whole family was pretty bummed out by the less-than-perfect situation, until the four-year-old daughter said, "I’m so excited…we get to decorate the tree again!"

Ask God to help you make the best out of life as you listen to life today.

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"What are you singing today?"

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A mother of two young children emailed me last month about a shopping experience when she stumbled upon a CD of Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas songs. She immediately remembered how much she and her sister loved singing those songs, virtually wearing out the vinyl album. So she decided to buy the CD and share it with her children, hoping that like she had great Christmas memories of singing along with the Chipmunks, her kids would, too.

Of course they loved it! They all tried to sing the loudest during Alvin’s solo of "I just want a hula hoop" just like she and her sister did. That put a big smile on her face, she says, but tears to her eyes when she thought about how they would be "too big" one day to enjoy the Chipmunks anymore.

So I reminded her that her mom probably felt the same way about her two daughters. And to just imagine how her mom must feel now, hearing her grandchildren sing the same Chipmunk songs her two daughters did—what a thrill!

The good stuff in life passes down to the next generation as you make a life, doesn’t it?

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"Do you misunderstand?"

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Recently, my nephew and his dad (my brother) were talking about his role in the Christmas play at school. They were discussing his costume and what he’d do in the play; those kind of things.

"What character are you playing?" my brother asked.

My nephew said, "I’m a shepherd."

"Oh," my brother said, "Do you know what a shepherd does?"

"I guess he herds sheps," my nephew said.

And my brother, without laughing, said, "That’s sheep, son. He herds sheep."

"Oh good," my nephew said. "That makes sense now. I didn’t even know what a shep was, Daddy. I didn’t know how I was going to herd it."

Do you ever get assigned a role at work or home and wonder how you’re going to do it? And you’re not even sure what it means?

Life’s like that sometimes. Next time you’re asked to do something you’re not sure about, ask your Heavenly Daddy to send you some help as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"Do you learn from others?"

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John received a parrot as a gift. This parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by dong anything he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary. Finally, John was fed up and yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. So John grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer.

For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then there was total quiet. The bird didn’t even peep for over a minute. John got worried and quickly opened the freezer door. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

Then the parrot said, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

Do you need to change some way you act? Look around you and learn from others why you should change as you listen to life and make a life.

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