Thirty-five years ago today, I came back from a college trip. A woman I was very interested in invited me over for pizza. When we parted ways that night, I said, “How about a hug?” The next thing you know, we had our first kiss.
Who would have known we would be together over three decades later? I sure didn’t! I just hoped she liked me. I was on cloud nine when I discovered the feeling was mutual.
The object of my affection then and now
We never know how the decisions we make today affect tomorrow. We can only guess, hope and pray they will turn out right. I’ve made some dumb decisions over the years. But when I took a chance and accepted the pizza invite, I am thankful that decision turned out the way it did.
Life is a winding road filled with decisions. Some should be carefully thought out. Others require a little spontaneity. Today in my devotions, I read how Esau made some bone-headed, decisions. At the age of twenty-one, I certainly had the capacity to make many rash decisions. Some I have forgotten. Others I wish I could.
But today, I celebrate one of the best decisions I ever could have made, and I remember a first kiss.
There will be some challenges and problems. Have you noticed that? They especially like to show up on a Monday morning. But if we want to get anywhere, we have to stop making excuses. A quote by George Washington Carver reminds me that finding blame is nothing more than a bad habit.
“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.” George Washington Carver
A while back, I read a book entitled, QBQ: The Question Behind the Question. The premise of the book is when we face a challenge, the questions we ask ourselves determines whether we take personal accountability or not.
Bad Questions
When is someone going to do something about this?
Why can’t that other group get their act together?
Who messed up?
Good Questions
What can I do to solve this?
How can I find a solution?
How can I make a difference?
Do we play the victim, or do we make things better? Is it possible a bad habit of making excuses drags us into a victim and entitlement mindset? I say the answer is yes.
We can choose to succeed by ditching the excuses. It starts with the questions we ask ourselves when we face a challenge. And the questions we ask can be a habit. Let’s do what we can today to make a positive impact instead of playing the blame game.
It’s a topic we know we all need, but rarely want to talk about. After all, it is much easier to blame others for our lack of willpower, than take responsibility. As a parent, some of the most humbling times were when it was obvious to my kids I wasn’t exhibiting strong character. It usually involved a bag of chips.
Published in the January 2012 Church of God Newsletter
We all have issues with self-control. Whether it’s a weakness for tasty food, idleness, or something much harder to control, we all struggle with something. Why do I suddenly feel hungry this morning?
It’s so easy to be tempted to judge, isn’t it? Last night, my wife and I watched the 1955 version of Oklahoma. I had two major observations from the movie:
My mother learned to sing from Shirley Jones because she loved the movie and when my Mom sang, she sounded just like her.
It is so easy to judge others, even fictional characters
I grew up with my mother singing The Surrey With the Fringe on Top. She sang other tunes from the movie, I’m sure. But that is the one that sticks out to me. She is a big fan of Rogers and Hammerstein musicals. After all, one of my earliest memories is of my parents taking me to a drive-in to see The Sound of Music. I don’t remember much except the opening scene and how comfy the back seat was for a long nap.
My mother loves to sing. And besides hymns, her repertoire included a heaping helping of Rogers and Hammerstein tunes. During a certain time in the sixties, she would also pepper her performances with The Girl From Ipanema.
Too Easy to Judge
I found myself judging the Curly, Laurie and Jud from the moment I saw them. I suppose that is a main objective in any play, movie or TV show. If you don’t know who the hero and the villain is from the outset, the show may fall flat. Yet, when we are led to believe a character is a hero, only to discover they are a villain, we are even more glued to a show.
We are prone to judge characters in a show. But aren’t we also apt to do so in other circumstances?
How many times do we judge someone we never met, but are in the news?
Don’t we judge others because of their appearance?
Doesn’t gossip color our perception of someone? Does it matter if we know them or not?
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Yes, everyday we are tempted to judge others. I shudder everytime I think I could be judged by the same standards I judge others. I hope Curly, Laurie and Jud will forgive me.
Whether you call it backstabbing, mud-slinging, disparagement, gossip, or some other term, it doesn’t do us any good to burn down another person’s house. Negative comments don’t do us any good.
We can tear our friends and neighbor’s down if we like, but we still end up in the middle of a mess. We look weaker for it. We know if someone is negative about another person, they are most likely negative about us as well. So we are cautious about that person. What house will they burn down next?
Politicians have been caught in this trap for decades. When they go against each other, it’s the last person standing that may win, but they don’t look any stronger. The negative ads and comments only make the victor look weak.
It is far better to love our neighbor than to burn down their house. Let’s keep our neighborhood pristine and keep the conversation positive.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
