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Thursday, December 18, 2008

"Are you a careful driver?"


I phoned a friend recently to talk about a project we’re working on together. He had not had a chance to review some materials I’d sent him so I asked if everything was okay.

"Not exactly," he said. "Our daughter was in a car accident and totaled her vehicle."

"Is she okay?" I asked.

"Yes," he said, "she’s fine. It was raining and the highway was very slippery. She wasn’t speeding, but probably going too fast for those conditions, lost control of the car, and wrecked. She slammed into a pole, and well, the whole thing could have turned out quite differently."

"I’m sorry," I said.

And he said, "The State Trooper told her that he could have very easily been knocking on our door to tell us that we wouldn’t see her again. And that he cries every time he has to do that. She’s a very blessed girl."

There’s a lot of traffic on the highways this weekend. Please be very careful as you drive, okay? Save a State Trooper a tearful trip to your home.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

"How's your hand?"


I’m not much of a poker player, but I have a lot of friends who are. It’s really become a popular sport and one of my friends plays weekly with a group.

One of my friends who plays said to me recently, "Well you know, it’s not always the best hand that wins."

"How’s that?" I asked.

He explained that sometimes the player who actually has the best hand, the winning card combination, folds or gives up without presenting his hand to see if it wins. Another player may bluff or keep raising the stakes as if he has a great hand, the other player buys the bluff, and folds, only to discover when it’s too late that he had the winning hand.

Sometimes in life you’re tempted to fold early, to give up rather than to persevere. Maybe you run out of faith. Maybe you underestimate your ability to win.

God didn’t create you to fold on life. No matter how stressful this time of year is to you, keep on keeping on as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living. The life you hold is definitely a winner…because your life is in God’s hand.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

"Can you live with it?"


Today I’m with my brother at a hospital. He’s having surgery. He had surgery a few months ago on this same eye for a detached retina. Unfortunately the retina is detaching again at another place. Not exactly what we had prayed for.

When he called me last month to tell me what was going on, he was understandably upset. The odds aren’t as good that this surgery will work. His imagination went into overdrive with worry, just like yours and mine would if we were in his position. He doesn’t want to go through the incredible pain again. Or, to inconvenience his wife or worry his children or burden our parents. And what if he can’t work, he’ll lose lots of business.

Finally, I said to him, "Buddy, all we have is today. None of this stuff may ever happen, but right now is what’s happening. And here’s what we know: You can live with whatever life brings because God is with you today."

Like my brother, whatever situation you’re facing, you can live with it because God is with you today.

Monday, December 15, 2008

"What's your choice?"


A friend who listens to life with us through our website at www.ListentoLife.org emailed me recently to thank me for a story that particularly inspired her. She mentioned that her mother died a few months ago and that they were together when her mom took her last breath.

"I’ve had to be at my strongest, my bravest, and my brightest and go on for my family," she wrote.

She went to her parents’ home one weekend recently and walked into her mother’s kitchen. Reality hit her—her mom wasn’t there waiting, keeping something warm on the stove.

She decided in that moment that instead of continuing to grieve, she would be grateful; grateful she had such a strong, compassionate mother to pattern her own life after.

You have similar moments as you listen to life, moments in which you choose between staying stuck and moving forward. Be like this friend of mine. Listen to your life and be grateful for what you have, and make a life today.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

"What do you share?"


It’s hard for me to believe, but 17 years ago yesterday, our younger daughter was born. I still remember her birth like it was last week. She arrived three weeks before her due date, so my wife and I were a little nervous during her labor. And when she was born, she was a little blue and it was kind of scary there for a few minutes.

I remember trying to tell my friends and family members about those frightening moments that seemed like days, but nobody wanted to hear it. They’d say, "Is she fine?" and I’d say, "Yes" and they’d ask to see our beautiful blessing. I decided then that hardly anyone wants to hear about the labor, but everyone wants to see the baby.

And that’s true as you listen to life, also. Nobody wants to hear about the hard work you put into a project or how many, difficult long hours you worked on it. They just want to see the outcome.

So today as you listen to life and make a life, remember to share your outcomes, and talk about them as beautiful blessings from God.