Tag: perspective

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Bible motivation Numbers

It’s Always Too Early to Quit

“It’s always too early to quit.” Norman Vincent Peale

This morning, I was reading in the Book of Numbers, Chapter 14. Twelve spies reported on the Promised Land. Ten of the two gave a discouraging report. The other two knew it’s always too early to quit.

Have you received some discouraging news? Are you having trouble seeing the opportunity in your challenges? Take heart and remember this quote from Norman Vicent Peale:

“It’s always too early to quit.”

Norman Vincent Peale

You may say, “But you don’t understand what is going on in my life!” And you may be right. I have had some mishaps and disappointments in my life. And I certainly haven’t experienced everything you have.

But of course, you don’t know everything about my life either. However, we can agree that life can be as messy as a stinky diaper. There are some things that we can control, and other situations we just have to ride out.

high tech diaper pail
Life can be as messy as a stinky diaper

There have been times I have had to sigh and remind myself that God is in control, and I am not. But that doesn’t give me a reason to just give up. I remind myself it is best if I give to God what I can’t control while taking care of what I can.

I’ll admit it is a very delicate dance. If we are controlling others, that doesn’t help. But if we take care of matters we can control and have peace about the people and situations we can’t, we will eventually see a much better outcome.

Therefore, it is always too early for me to quit. And it is for you as well. Just because babies keep producing messy diapers, doesn’t mean we should just give up changing them. Young parents can take solace that one day, junior will be potty-trained and the mess will be a memory.

In the same way, just because we are facing messy situations today, doesn’t mean we should just give up. Change what we can, have peace about what we can’t, and pray for the wisdom to know the difference.

Categories
Quotes

Wisdom and Humility

"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes." Winston Churchill

“The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.”

Winston Churchill

It is too easy to write someone off because they have been foolish in the past. We put labels on those we don’t agree with because it is easier than carefully considering if there is some truth in their assertions.

We may even feel threatened that a group we don’t agree with has a good idea that we haven’t thought of. Surely if it was a good idea, we would have thought of it, right?

Wisdom takes humility. Every person can teach us something. It takes discernment to listen and consider other points of view. The echo chamber we are tempted to live in eventually makes us deaf.

Even fools are right sometimes. Humility makes us consider that to someone else, we may look like a fool and we are right sometimes too.

Categories
motivation

Sunrise or Sunset?

Sunset over Southwest Ohio

Depending on when you read this post, you may be sure this photo is of an early morning sunrise. Or is it? Is it an evening sunset?

Our perspective influences what we see.

  • It may be close to your bedtime
  • You may be an early riser and love seeing the sun come up
  • It’s nighttime and you are ready to call it quits
  • It reminds you of a sunrise/sunset you saw with similar clouds or landscape
  • The colors give you a clue
  • You are ready to start something new and get at it

So is it a sunrise or sunset?

Frequently, we see images and make assumptions. We all have biases. Be careful about making conclusions that can limit your thinking.

(P.S.: If you really want to know, you can check out the alt text for this image or you can ask me.)

Sunset over Southwest Ohio
Categories
Attitude

Is the world really as scary as it seems?

If you listen to the news media for very long, you get the feeling everything is falling apart and everyone is ready to strangle each other. It can leave you with a feeling of fear and despair. You get the impression apocalypse has already come and the only thing left to do is write off the world and call it a day.

But if you unplug, take a drive across the country, and get out into nature, you get an entirely different feeling. The forests are unaffected by news hype. Mountains and valleys care little about the elections and the latest violence to hit the streets. True, what mankind does to nature affects it. But the story mankind tells itself is much scarier than the reality of a quiet trail, or a babbling brook. Just don’t take in some media before you leave. You’ll probably see a story about a man-eating cougar, a rabid bear or a bigfoot sighting.

The news media itself is suffering from downsizing and cutthroat competition. Perhaps the media loves to scare us because the typical news reporter is scared he or she will lose their job next week. Perhaps when you focus on the worse of humanity, you begin to believe your own hype. 

It is so much easier to focus on the worst of humanity. It is so much more difficult, but rewarding to balance it with the good of nature as well as the best of humanity. It is out there. You just have to be intentional and escape the 24 hour news cycle once in a while.

Categories
School Cartoons

Plugging Hope at School

Cartoon of two students. A boy says, "Should we abandon all hope, or keep plugging through fourth grade?"

Cartoon of two students. A boy says, “Should we abandon all hope, or keep plugging through fourth grade?”

Sometimes, it just feels like hope is a distant goal to grasp, doesn’t it? I remember hoping and praying that school would be over soon. Thirty years later, I can tell you there’s hope. Hold on. You’re break will be here before you know it.