"Which are you?"

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 I was flying to share a Listen to Life experience out of state. Most of us flying nowadays cram everything we might need into a too-small suitcase which we then attempt to cram into an overhead bin that’s barely large enough to put a pillow in.

Well, I had boarded, shoe-horned my suitcase overhead, and sat down. A mother traveling with her child, about three years old, boarded with her luggage. She pushed the child and pulled the bag and being a petite woman, I frankly wondered how she did both. Then she attempted to pick up the bag—which she did—and cram it into the bin. But it wouldn’t go in.

A flight attendant approached and the mom asked for help. “If it won’t fit, it won’t fit. You’ll have to check it,” the attendant said, and pushed on by.

Before I could get up to help, another flight attendant walked up, smiled, and said, “I’ll get that for you. Just find your seat and settle in with your child.” And he wrestled with the bag until it went in and the door shut.

While some say, “It can’t be done,” others do it. Which are you?

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"Are you smiling?"

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 My wife plays a game with me when we’re away from home, whether it’s eating out or shopping or whatever. In fact, she’s kind of got me programmed to play now with no prompting. You could call the game, “Make Them Smile.”

Let’s say we’re eating in a restaurant. And our waitperson is obviously not having a good day and sometimes appears to be having a miserable day. There is no inflection in voice tone. No eye contact. No smile.

These cues are my signal to play, “Make Them Smile.” My mission—and I always accept it—is to make that waitperson smile before the meal is over. And so I begin trying to make eye contact, or doing something silly or saying something, anything to lighten the person’s load.

Recently I had the marvelous challenge of playing “Make Them Smile” with several people. So I ordered a cheeseburger with no cheese—there was no hamburger listed on the menu—and from then on we had a great time smiling.

Have you noticed how hard it is to smile and not enjoy life? God gives you so much to smile about. Share your smile as you make a life today.

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"Is perfection an option for you?"

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 The Journal of Health Psychology published a report based on a six-and-a-half year study of Canadians that finds that perfectionists are about 51% more likely to die earlier than those who give themselves a break.

The study suggests that the stress and inner turmoil of doing life “just right” created a lifestyle that ends life more quickly than for those who have a more relaxed disposition.

It seems to me, as I listen to my life, that earlier in my life I did try very, very hard to do life “just right.” As if, “just right” was possible.

Now, I’m more concerned with “good enough is good enough.” And my productivity is higher and my family says my personality is easier to live with.

What created the change for me? I realized one day that if I can do life “just right,” I really have no need for God to forgive me, redeem my efforts, and transform my life. So I’m listening to life so I can make a life of forgiveness, redemption, and transformation that I can share with you. This much I can do right.

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"So who’s listening these days?"

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 Now before you answer, think about it for just a second. We now have more ways to share more information—and opinions—than we’ve ever had before. As if email and voicemail weren’t enough, now there’s Facebook and twitter in which anyone who claims to know anything about whatever can rattle and prattle on endlessly, proving a personal point to anybody that will pay attention.

While once there was only the radio and phonograph, now there’s the iPod and mp3 player and satellite radio and Internet radio. They’ll gladly fill any of your awkward silence with everything from your personal music playlist to your favorite news/talk opinions.

So it occurred to me today to wonder, “Who’s listening to all of this?” and to coach you to do yourself one favor at some point today: Sit in silence for 10 minutes. Such silence keeps the maddening crowd at bay for at least a little while and helps you hear, then listen to, God…who’s waiting to speak with you.

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"Is your life spinning out of control?"

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 It was a beautiful day so my friend and I decided to eat out on the deck of our chosen restaurant.

 I enjoyed the gorgeous location, just off a river, and was listening to life for what God had to say. I looked next door and noticed another restaurant had outside seating as well, but it was closed. Evidently it had been closed for some time. A ceiling fan hung from the ceiling and I saw a bird fly onto the top of it with a stick in its mouth. The bird repeated these trips numerous times.  

My friend and I finished our meal, and I asked if we could walk over closer to the ceiling fan. I discovered there that the bird was building its nest on top of the ceiling blade. And I thought to myself, “What happens when someone turns it on?”

You and I, like this bird, build our enterprises with good intentions. But in a blink of an eye, life changes. What we once thought was secure, is no longer.

For those times when your life spins out of control and you’re at a loss to recover, listen to life for God.

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