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Thursday, November 05, 2009

"How do you see God?"


What’s God look like to you? Maybe for you God looks like a piñata. You’re looking for just the right prayer stick—solid and the right length—to whack God hard enough to force the goodies you want to rain down from heaven.

Or maybe for you, God is more like a prize machine, you know the kind where you drop your money down, grip the joystick, maneuver the claw over what you want from life, then drop and grab it, move carefully over to the chute and let it go.

Or, maybe for you, God looks more like a craps table. You try to be good enough to buy up enough chips to bet your life, pick up your dice, blow on them, breathe a prayer to God like “Come on now, the baby needs shoes!” and roll away.

Look, there are no magic words when it comes to praying to God. Sure, use words to pray, but prayer is more about a relationship with God than a piñata or claw or roll of the dice. Just talk to God about what’s on your mind and heart, about what’s in your spirit. Then listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

"What do you see?"

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When dandelions dot my lawn, I reach for the weed and feed to kill them. But then I remember my daughters picking the little yellow flowers to give to their mother and blowing the downy seeds to make a wish.

When I’m walking around our farm and the wind starts whipping down the mountain, I steel myself against it, sometimes reach up for what’s left of my hair, and grouse if I’m walking up hill about how I wish the wind was blowing in a different direction. But then I remember my daughters leaning into the wind, arms outstretched like wings, pretending to fly.

When I see someone sitting in a wheelchair, I see a handicapped person and feel pity for them and wonder if I’ll wind up like that. But then I remember my daughters seeing someone they can look in the eye or get up and play in her lap or push him around just like our older daughter did her great-grandmother.

When you start listening to life like a child, making a life, not just a living, gets so much easier. You trust God more and see God everywhere more often.

Try to listen to life like a child today.


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Tuesday, November 03, 2009

"Do you live as if there’s enough or as if there’s not enough?"


A friend of mine, John, had a yellow Labrador retriever named Abbie that he loved dearly. Abbie got sick and died and John was heartbroken.

His wife went shopping with some friends at an antique mall shortly thereafter. As she was browsing through the mall, she saw a dealer who had a couple of dogs there with him. She started talking with him and found a pillow with a yellow Lab on it that looked exactly like Abbie. She wanted to buy the pillow to give to John in memory of Abbie, but the dealer only takes cash and she just had credit cards. When she told the dealer why she wanted to buy the pillow, he told her to take the pillow and send the money later.

Can you believe the dealer’s generosity? Most of us act like there aren’t enough pillows in the world; there’s a scarcity of pillows. But this man understood that there are more than enough pillows to go around; an abundance of pillows. How do you live—as if there’s enough or not enough?

Live abundantly as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today.

Monday, November 02, 2009

"Are you trapped?"


I walked into our garage one day and found a sparrow flying around. So I opened the door for him to fly out, but he wouldn’t. He simply flew around the room, lighting at the windows, but not stopping at the door.

So I opened a window about half way. I walked around behind him, moving him to the window. He perched on the window in the same spot he had before, on the window frame, just above the opening.

So I stepped toward him and he flew to the other window, again ignoring the open door. I opened the window all the way this time, and moved toward him again. This time he saw the open window, flew through it, and perched outside on a tree limb. I stuck my head out of the window to check on him. He turned toward me, peeped a couple of times, and flew off.

And I thought about how patient God is with me, opening numerous opportunities to make a life, not just a living, and helping me finally find one I can see my way through. Then I peep a prayer of thanks and go on with my day.

Peep a prayer of your thanks to God today as you make a life, not just a living.

Sunday, November 01, 2009

"Is there a purpose for every season?"

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Have you noticed with the change of seasons comes less daylight? Most of us switched from Daylight Savings Time back to Standard Time yesterday. But still there’s just not as much daylight now.

I understand all about the earth’s rotation and the seasons and distance from the sun. But somehow having less daylight affects me. I feel more tired at the end of the day, because it gets dark so much earlier. In the summer, when it’s light until nine some evenings, I’d go home and work in the yard or cut the grass. I’d have all kinds of energy. Now it seems like I’m ready for bed by nine.

I guess there’s a rhythm to life, isn’t there? A beat that is fast sometimes and slow others. There’s a purpose to every season. I mean I couldn’t work forever at a summer pace. So maybe the purpose of fall is to slow us down a bit.

Find your rhythm in this season and every season. Discover its purpose for you. Enjoy the rhythm of this season’s purpose as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today.


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