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motivation

The Benefit of Problems

“Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.” Alfred A. Montapert

Happy Monday! Are you dreading it? Do you have a feeling there will be problems today? On one hand, I hope this day will go well for you. But on the other hand, I encourage you to embrace the benefit of problems, for there are a few.

“Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.”

Alfred A. Montapert

That quote may not sound optimistic. You may be asking, “Why should I expect problems? Aren’t they the reason I’ll have a bad day?”

My answer is that we need problems to grow. Every problem is a challenge and every challenge is a learning experience.

strict female teacher with book pointing at scribbled blackboard
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

We have this mistaken notion that when we are in school, our goal is to answer enough of the questions on a test so that we never have to solve another one. Where did that come from? When school is done well, it prepares us to answer problems. A test in the classroom can prepare us for tests out in the real world.

Problems Exist

Problems exist, and that is good! Every opportunity came from a predicament that needed to be solved.

  • Thomas Edison had no need to invent the light bulb if gas lights were safe and efficient.
  • If a horse and buggy was fast and cheap enough, there would be no need for automobiles.
  • If humans had brains as fast as computers and we could handle all the data ever created, there would be no need for the electronic kind

That doesn’t mean all trouble is good or that it will make us feel great. There are some headaches that are out of our control. But there are others that have an answer within reach if we remain determined to stick it out and address the issue.

When trials come, consider if this is an opportunity. Is it something that requires a short-term or long-term solution? Instead of dreading them, let’s embrace the benefit of problems and eat them for breakfast!

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children's ministry Christianity love

Loving Your Neighbor

This morning, I am going to be teaching kids what it means to love your neighbor. As I’m thinking about this, I naturally tend to think about Mr. Rogers. He had a nice way of making difficult concepts simple. Here is one of his quotes.

“When we look for what’s best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we’re doing what God does, so in appreciating our neighbor, we’re participating in something truly sacred.”

Fred Rogers

We teach our kids to immediately be suspicious of others. We tell our kids to be aware of “stranger danger.” And it is good to help our kids have awareness of potential hazards. Unfortunately, there are evil people out there.

But there are also good people out there. There are ways to nurture giving in our children. And really, loving our neighbor is all about being generous. We can love because we are thankful for what we have and can give to those around us who are in need.

But what if our neighbors have no material needs? We all need to be recognized and affirmed. It may look different for each person. Some may want to be left alone. If so, what are ways we can show love by being considerate and generous?

In a world that teaches us to be scared of our neighbors, I am thinking today about how to treat my neighbor like I would want to be treated. How do we become good neighbors?

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motivation

The Power of Character

"If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of me." Dwight L. Moody

Today is D. L. Moody’s birthday. He was born 185 years ago today. I found a quote that goes along with what I’ve been pondering lately. There is a lot of power in character.

“If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of me.

Dwight L. Moody

Dwight L. Moody Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2022. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/dwight_l_moody_157636, accessed February 5, 2022.

The other day, I used a Thomas Paine quote about character and reputation. I suppose it has been heavy on my mind because of past leaders that have fallen when their character didn’t match what they preached.

In fact, it seems we have gotten to a place where we try to ignore the character of leaders. We know they don’t practice what they preach, but we assume no one else does either.

Deep down, we know we can’t trust someone with lousy character. Charisma can only do so much. Talent is not enough to overcome immorality. A preacher with an excellent presentation ends up doing more harm than good when they are found to be dishonest.

Perhaps we want to support the crooked leader because we feel we have no choice. Besides, their words resonate with us. They utter what we would like to say to someone if we had the courage.

brown wooden blocks with number
Photo by Brett Jordan on Pexels.com

Let’s Build Our Character

There are still good people out there. They have taken care of their character and therefore have the credibility to speak what is good. We can be virtuous. If we have faltered in the past (and who hasn’t slipped and faltered), we can work to build our integrity today.

Integrity comes from honesty. No, none of us are righteous. Especially me! Indeed, when we’re honest about our shortcomings, it builds integrity, honor, and trust. Being upright doesn’t mean we are perfect. It means we are honest with ourselves and others.

Like D. L. Moody said, let’s work on the power of our character. When we do, our reputations will be protected.

Categories
motivation

Advice is Like Snow

My post will be a little short today because we had plenty of snow at my house this morning. This guy got to shovel a lot of the white stuff for my morning workout.

“Advice is like snow – the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind.”

Samuel Taylor Coleridge
trees covered with snow
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May the advice you receive be soft and help you make the changes you desire. I will strive to do that tomorrow when there is hopefully a little less snow to shovel.

Categories
motivation

Sit Still!

“I have discovered that all human evil comes from this, man’s being unable to sit still in a room.”

Blaise Pascal

There is a time for everything. Unfortunately, we tend to not know when it is time to move and when we should sit still. We value action much more than contemplation, don’t we?

There is always a sales goal that we must meet. We have a production goal that has to be fulfilled. And who can forget that job that is very, smoking hot? And of course, there are plenty of distractions all around. How can our kids be so fidgety when we have work to do?

There are goals that need to be met. However, if there isn’t any time to sit still, we can lose focus on what is really important. It isn’t easy when we have so many demands.

brown tree with snow
Photo by Simon Berger on Pexels.com

Today, a winter storm is brewing where I live. Some of us will be forced to slow down and perhaps think for a while. It isn’t what any of us planned. But perhaps it is what we need to stop, sit still, and consider the bigger picture. May we all get a chance to stop and contemplate for a while. At the very least, it may be able to prevent us from some kind of human evil!