"Want a big tip?"

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If you’re a restaurant server, listen closely: if you want a big tip, leave a piece of candy with the check. If you want a bigger tip, leave two pieces of candy. But maybe you’re asking, "Why candy?"

We know big smiles, and squatting to eye level when you’re taking orders increase tips, but why candy?

It’s not so much the candy as it is the life principle that what goes around, comes around. You see, you as the server give something to the customer that’s free. Your act of generosity prompts another act of generosity, i.e., the customer responds by leaving a more generous tip.

All of life works this way. If you want to receive, you give. If you want to save your life, you lose it in following God’s ways. The blessings you receive are in direct proportion to the blessings you give. The forgiveness you receive is determined by the forgiveness you offer others.

So today, decide what it is you want most from life, and give it away. That’s one more way to make a life, not just a living.

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"Which wolf do you feed?"

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One evening an old Cherokee grandfather told his grandson about a battle that was going on inside himself.
"My son," he said, "the battle is between two wolves. One wolf is evil—anger, envy, greed, and ego. The other wolf is good—peace, love, hope, and faith."

The grandson thought for a minute about this battle between the two wolves going on within his grandfather.
Then he asked, "Which wolf wins the battle, Grandfather?"

And the wise, old Cherokee grandfather simply said, "The one I feed."

So who do you feed—the evil wolf or the good wolf within you? Do you nourish your anger, envy, greed, ego and the rest of the pack? Or, do you nourish your peace, love, hope, faith, and the rest of that pack?

The choice is yours. Feed carefully what’s inside of you. Whatever you feed, grows. So ask God to guide your choice as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today.

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"Do you see the beautiful?"

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I walked into our bedroom one morning and my wife said, "Ssssh." She sat on the edge of our bed, facing the window that looks out over our front yard and horse pastures. The window was up and she held in her hands a pair of binoculars.

She pointed out the window and whispered, "Look." Standing there in the front yard, about 15 yards from the window, were seven deer, including a mom and twin fawns who still had a few spots.

My wife reminded me just a couple of days before that "we"—translates into "you, Joey"—need to repair the fences around the horse pastures where the deer have knocked down and broken boards. So of course, my first thought was that here was my wife conspiring with the enemy.

Then she said, "I know they tear up our fences, but they sure are beautiful." Again I experienced the power of choosing to see the beautiful in God’s creation as I listened to my life. So I sat down beside her and made a life for a few minutes.

You have the same choice. So as you listen to life today, choose to see the beautiful.

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"Do you live 'for better or worse?'"

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A couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary recently which is pretty remarkable these days. They married young and were pretty like much like any other couple until nine years into their marriage, a tractor trailer smashed into the car she was driving, and killed their 6 and 7 year old sons. She suffered severe head trauma and a compound fracture. Her husband was told she may never walk again. He determined to care for her every need, every day.

Well, today she walks and is a successful real estate agent. They were told their marriage wouldn’t survive as 84% of couples who suffer this kind of tragedy divorce.

She attributes their life success to a deep faith in God and their being present with each other every step of the way. "I do believe," she writes, "that when you take your wedding vows, you need to truly mean them—for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer."

The next time your spouse does something that irritates you, remember some time she or he cared for you. Then listen to life and make a married life.

(Discover how you can Stay Married Forever at www.StayMarriedForever.org.)

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"What’s your favorite season of the year? Is it fall?"

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Fall started last week and may be my favorite season of the year. It’s beautiful in its own way.

As the temperatures fall, the trees put on a show of color that few artists can capture on canvas. The orange and red maples, the golden oaks, and all the rest of the trees become so brilliant that it’s hard for me to drive down the road without swerving. Sometimes I just go ahead and pull over on the shoulder of the highway, just to look at a maple with the most brilliant orange-colored leaves I’ve ever seen.

Interesting, isn’t it, that these leaves put on such a colorful display as they’re dying. Their artistry is a part of their dying process, as they prepare to drop off the tree.

Maybe that’s the way life is. You give others something beautiful as you prepare to leave, something spectacular to remember you by.

Prepare to leave everyday with God’s help. Show your best colors as you make a life, not just a living.

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