A Year of Time

 

…Though even thinking on the subject of time may prove discomforting, it is not a bad idea—especially at the beginning of a new year.

As we look into 2013 we look at a block of time. We see 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. And all is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchased it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life.

The gift of time is not ours alone. It is given equally to each person. Rich and poor, educated and ignorant, strong and weak—every man, woman and child has the same twenty-four hours every day.

Another important thing about time is that you cannot stop it. There is no way to slow it down, turn it off, or adjust it. Time marches on.

And you cannot bring back time. Once it is gone, it is gone. Yesterday is lost forever. If yesterday is lost, tomorrow is uncertain. We may look ahead at a full year’s block of time, but we really have no guarantee that we will experience any of it.

Obviously, time is one of our most precious possessions. We can waste it. We can worry over it. We can spend it on ourselves. Or, as good stewards, we can invest it in the kingdom of God.

The new year is full of time. As the seconds tick away, will you be tossing time out the window, or will you make every minute count?

Author, Steven B. Cloud

No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. (NLT)

Philippians 3:13-14

The Waste in Worry



If we were to keep a record of all the things we worried about during a given period of time, we would discover, in reviewing them, that the great majority of our anticipated problems or troubles never come to pass. This means that most of the time we devote to worrying, even the constructive kind that prompts us to try to come up with a solution to what is troubling us, is wasted. Thus, we not only caused ourselves unnecessary mental anguish, but also took up valuable minutes and hours that could have been spent elsewhere.

To avoid this, it is often necessary to subject potential sources of worry to the coldly objective and analytical light of reason. Once, sortly before a major concert before a standing-room-only audience, a member of Arturo Toscanini's orchestra approached the great Italian conductor with an expression of sheer terror on his face. "Maestro," the musician fretted, "my instrument is not working properly. I cannot reach the note of E-flat. Whatever will I do? We are to begin in a few moments."

Toscanini looked at the man with utter amazement. Then he smiled kindly and placed an arm around his shoulders. "My friend," the maestro replied, "Do not worry about it. The note E-flat does not appear anywhere in the music that you will be playing this evening."

The next time we find ourselves in the middle of worrying about some matter, we might be wise to stop and ask ourselves what the odds are of the problem really coming to pass. We may be able to go on to something more constructive.

- by Brad Stevens

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God."

Philippians 4:6

Don't Worry



Years ago, I was enthralled as I listened to a pastor who for several years had faithfully served the church. His executive responsibilities had taken him all over this country. As he concluded his message, he told of one of the most frightening, yet thought-provoking, experiences of his life.
He had been on a long flight from one place to another. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: Fasten your seat belts. Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened."

As he looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive. Later, the voice of the announcer said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us."

Then the storm broke. The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightening lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash.

The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, "As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying. The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm.

Then, I suddenly saw a little girl. Apparently the storm meant nothing to her. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat; she was reading a book and every thing within her small world was calm and orderly. Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity,when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid." The minister could hardly believe his eyes.

It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark,our pastor lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time. Having commented about the storm and behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid.

The child replied, "'Cause my Daddy's the pilot, and he's taking me home."

There are many kinds of storms that buffet us:
• Physical,
• Mental,
• Financial,
• Domestic, and...
Many other storms can easily and quickly darken our skies and throw our plane into apparently uncontrollable movement. We have all known such times, and let us be honest and confess, it is much easier to be at rest when our feet are on the ground than when we are being tossed about a darkened sky.

Let us remember... Our Father is the Pilot. He is in control and taking us home... so Don't Worry.

Author Unknown

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”
John 14:1

Thoughts To Live By



You shall not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.
You shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.
You shall not carry grudges, for they are the heaviest of all life’s burdens.
You shall face each problem as it comes. You can only handle one at a time anyway.
You shall not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor bedfellows.
You shall not borrow other people’s problems. They can better care for them than you.
You shall not try to relive yesterday for good or ill, it is forever gone. Concentrate on what is happening in your life and be happy now!
You shall be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own.
You shall not become “bogged down”by frustration, for 90% of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive action.
You shall count your blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one.

Author Unknown

 Peace I leave with you;my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 14:27

It Couldn't Be Done

Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That maybe it couldn't, but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so "till he tried."
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried, he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it."
But he took off his coat and took off his hat
And the first thing he knew he'd begun it.
With the lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin,
Then take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That cannot be done, and you'll do it.

Edgar A. Guest

God loves me.

I John 4:10  

Worry is Like a Rocking Chair

It Gives You Something to Do, But Doesn't Get You Anywhere.



People who continually worry about every detail of their lives are like a patient in a mental hospital who stood with her ear pressed against the wall.

"What are you doing?" an attendant asked with curiosity.

"Shhhh," the woman whispered, beckoning to the attendant to join her at the wall.

The attendant pressed her ear to the wall and stood there for several moments listening intently.  "I can't hear anything," she said.

"No," the patient replied with a furrowed brow.  "It's been like that all day!"

Some worry about what might be said.  Others worry about what hasn't been said.  Some worry about what might happen.  Others worry about what hasn't happened which should have happened by now.

Others worry about their futures while others fret over the consequences of their past.

We were created to live abundant lives in our minds, our bodies, and our spirit.  Like a flower we were meant to blossom, not to wither on the vine. 

Casting the whole of your care (all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns) once and for all on Him; for He cares for you affectionately, and cares about you watchfully.

I Peter 5:7 AMP



Habits-Good and Bad

Zig Ziglar remarked, "People often say to me that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing...that's why we recommend it daily."

I had lunch today with a group of women.  Let me just say that there were two of us in the room younger than 60.  The majority of the room was closer to seventy-five or eighty years old.  The two honorees were twins who will be one hundred on Sunday.  These were two of the cutest people I've ever met!  One of the sisters does most of the speaking--only because the other can't get started quickly enough.  When asked if they lived together, the quiet sister quickly said, "No." 

I hope, when I get to be their age, I am just as spry and quick-witted as these gals.  They are an inspiration to us all.  As the other girls around the table were asking their secrets to a long life, we were surprised that there really weren't any.  They eat whatever they want to eat.  They don't necessarily exercise a lot.  They each have been married and have children.  They each have lost children and their spouses. 

What impressed me more than anything was their attitude.  They just take each day as it comes.  There isn't worry about what might be or what was.  They make the choice, every day, to accept the world as it comes to them, good or bad.  It is what it is, you deal with it and then you move on.  No big secret here, they said in various ways.  Every day is a new day, a do-over, a fresh start.  Use it!

These ladies have developed the habit of a positive attitude.  Habits are made of knowledge, attitude and skill.  They are learned over time.  Negative attitudes are just as dangerous to your health as smoking cigarettes and overeating because complaining, criticizing, comparing, competing and contending only lead to misery.  These are just symptoms of something much deeper happening.  People need to feel understood.  When they feel understood they don't have to be judge and critic, of themselves or anyone else.

These women understand that life is going to have its ups and downs.  Days like today are the times to relish and feel the joy.  They know that times will come when they will need to draw on these memories to get past the pain.  And they have chosen to view their world as more good than bad. 

One of the women at the luncheon asked me if I always had a smile on my face.  She said she'd never seen me without one.  I told her that I tried to.  I'm only a little over half the birthday girls' age but I have learned in that time that the smile is my choice.  Certainly there are days when the world is just too hard.  There are the days when it takes every ounce of energy I have to paste that smile on my face and head out, but I have made it a habit to put it on, along with my makeup, every morning.  And what I've discovered is that when I do this, my day is better.  It forces me to set aside whatever is not 'right' about my day, and focus on others.  I don't need to share my worries or fears with anyone else.  They have enough of their own.  So when I go out my door, the smile is in place and my goal is to make everyone's day a little brighter, even if it's just with a smile.

Attitude, positive or negative, is a habit that you develop.  Some of us have developed a habit of looking for the bad things and they will surely come, if that's what you're looking for.  Others have developed a habit of looking for, reaching for, the good things and we pull them to us like life vests.  These two beautiful women are such wonderful examples for all of us.  When I grow up, I want to be just like them!

Happy Birthday, Girls!