Category: motivation

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motivation

Crazy Faith

Cartoon of a boy about to jump off a roof with handmade wings

The other day, my wife and I were talking with a friend about recent decisions. My wife was led to step away from a flourishing ministry to make room for the next step in her life. My wife commented on how some decisions require faith. The friend replied, “Or requires being a little crazy!” Hmm… crazy faith? That sounds about right!

I suppose any faith looks crazy to many people. After all, we live in a world that touts Seeing is believing! Yet, if everyone lived by this mantra, we would create nothing new or innovative. Without faith, there is no hope. Without hope, what’s the point of living if the present looks bleak?

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)
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motivation

Caught in the Entitlement Trap

It’s way too easy to get caught in the entitlement trap. After all, we’ve worked throughout our lives. We deserve a raise or special recognition, right? We’ve always had that benefit or this perk. Why shouldn’t we keep receiving it?

But the challenge with that mode of thinking is believing we can rest on past accomplishments. We deceive ourselves into thinking what got us here should be what keeps us here. In short, we get a little lazy and stop striving to be better. It reminds me of this proverb:

“Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬
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motivation

Greed and Poverty

Cartoon of a boy and a bank teller. The boy says, "How greedy do you have to be to work here?"

Greed is not exclusive to the rich or poor. Yet, I see a connection between greed and poverty. It may not have anything to do with physical wealth.

Several months back, I read an article that stated upper-middle-class and upper-class families were hoarding wealth because they feared it could disappear at any time. Burglaries and theft occur in poorer neighborhoods because someone feels they deserve more than their neighbor and feel justified in taking it from them.

At the same time, I have felt encouraged and emboldened when a story comes out about a generous person. The story may focus on a rich individual, but also may feature a middle-class or poor person that gave out of the generosity of their heart. 

Greed is less about the pursuit of having enough and more about a scarcity mindset that makes the person feel justified in taking from another.

Greedy people try to get rich quick but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty.

Proverbs 28:22 (NLT)
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motivation

The Dangers of Gloating

Cartoon of a bicyclist that just swallowed a bug. The caption says, "Eric thought he had tasted victory. It turns our he swallowed a bug.

Lately, I’ve noticed it’s fashionable to gloat over an enemy’s downfall. We’ve done this for eons. However, it seems to be encouraged even more in today’s American society. Unfortunately, we tend to forget about the dangers of gloating.

When someone we don’t particularly like falls into trouble, we are tempted to pile it on. We say:

  • They got what they deserved!
  • It serves them right!
  • Now they’re going to pay!
  • They’re getting just what they deserve!

Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble.

Proverbs 24:17
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motivation

Worry is Wasted Creativity

Cartoon of a man in a fetal position. He says to another, "I'm okay. This is just how I get creative."

No one really knows the future. We can make assumptions based on past experience and current data, but it’s still a guessing game. And if all the predictions are based on fear, worry is wasted creativity.

Anxiety can limit our creativity. Whether our surroundings make us anxious, or we put too much pressure on ourselves to be creative, fear and anxiety can stymie us. It wastes our imagination when we think about all the bad things that have happened, are happening now, and could happen.

The energy we put into fretting only serves to encourage those circumstances. I have found the old adage, what we think about, we bring about, to be way too prophetic.

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