"You're only as good as your word." That's something my dad always told me. Whatever you agree to, you best stand by it. Or you become unbelievable.
I just returned from picking up my lunch at a local sandwich shop. I don't normally go there, but I had received a really nice deal in the mail. "Get your lunch free, when you purchase a regular priced chip and regular priced drink." Even though I don't drink soda, I knew they had tea. Why not? It might make me a regular customer...and I'm relatively sure that was the plan anyway. With the economy being what it is, we all are trying to stir up a little more business. Even myself. So, off I go with coupon in hand.
I'm at the service bar and the young lady asks to help me. I show her the coupon and said I would like to take advantage of this great offer. Without a skip in her response, she said, "I cannot honor that today. Last week we gave out $600 worth of free food and no-one came on Saturday or Sunday." My response? "So this coupon is not good any longer?" (It said "good through the 26th"...today is the 21st)"You can come back Saturday or Sunday and use it." "Sorry, I live out of town and will not be back this way then." I ordered a salad, paid for it and gave the coupon to the register person. "Would you throw this coupon away for me? It doesn't seem to be legitimate."
I was kind to all that I spoke with in the business, but in the back of my mind I was placing a memo not to take my business, nor promote their business, ever. Why not? The salad was very good...but the respect just isn't there for me. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Integrity is easy to spot. Lack of integrity is easy to spot. I shall never forget while working for Papazano's Pizza, my nephew sent out an ad that met other ads that were discounted. Little did he realize the greediness of some people that were about to take him to the cleaners. Yet he honored his word. Coupons came in for $100 to $150 off tires, some $50 coupons came in from the phone company for switching long distance plans. It went on and on. He asked one customer what they were going to do with so much pizza. "We have a freezer," the customer said. Unbelievable!!!Some of Rusty's employees encouraged him not to honor those outrageous ads that were coming in. "I can't do that since it's not clear in the ad, I have to honor it." That week he gave away $7,000 worth of pizza!!! Integrity in it's purest form. And he did it all with a smile!
So...Quizno's, I'm sorry...I just can't feel sorry for ya!!! You had a chance to step up to the plate and show that you were true to your word, even when it created an unforeseen hardship.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Hedonism
LifeGate Church has been taking a look at six worldviews that we compete against. The one we are looking further into today is hedonism. This one has peeked my curiosity, so I delved a little deeper into the beginnings of such a view of what life should be.
What follows is adapted from The Encyclopedia Britannica:
The philosopher Aristippus (born c. 435 BC, Cyrene, Libya...died 366 BC, Athens [at 69 yrs. of age])was one of the disciples of Socrates. He was the founder of the Cyrenaic school of hedonism, the ethic of pleasure. Aristippus believed that the good life rests upon the belief that among human values pleasure is the highest and pain the lowest...and one that should be avoided. He also warned his students to avoid inflicting, as well as suffering, pain. Like Socrates, Aristippus took great interest in practical ethics. While he believed that men should dedicate their lives to the pursuit and enjoyment of pleasure, he also believed that they should use good judgment and exercise self-control to temper powerful human desires. His motto was, "I possess, I am not possessed."
Pleasure, in and of itself, is not bad...as some religions would have you to believe. Most things in life can lead to a destructive lifestyle...and most things in life can lead to a fulfilled lifestyle. Bad or good. It's up to you. Hedonism would tell you that pleasure aka happiness is what life should revolve around. Christianity would tell you "Like a city that is broken into and without walls, is a man who has no control over his spirit." (Prov. 25:28) Some things in life bring pain. We cannot avoid that. But we CAN live life in such a way that when the pain comes, we can have peace and not beat ourselves up for the part we may or may not have played in that pain. If our lives are centered, are secure upon the rock (firm foundation) of the principles Jesus Christ lived before us, we can go through any "storm" in life and know that nothing and no-one can take our freedom in Christ away from us. Happiness can and will be a very big part of our life. But, just like everything in life, we are to control our spirit so that we can experience the true happiness. Happiness that doesn't bring pain at the end of the day. Happiness that you can depend on. Happiness that is rooted in the core of our being. A place where Jesus and the principles he gave to us, rule.
Happiness does not come from pleasures. At the end of the day...you are still alone...inside. Happiness comes from knowing Jesus. Then and only then can Jesus tell you who you are. That, my friend, is true security and happiness. We don't have to go out seeking pleasures and happiness. We already possess it. It follows us. There are days I'm sad. There are days I'm exstatic...giddy...with happiness. Our emotions were given by God. He expects us to be in charge of such a precious gift called life. What we do with that gift will produce one of two things...peace or maddening insecurities. Why do we continue to search for happiness in all the wrong places?
Which will you choose?
What follows is adapted from The Encyclopedia Britannica:
The philosopher Aristippus (born c. 435 BC, Cyrene, Libya...died 366 BC, Athens [at 69 yrs. of age])was one of the disciples of Socrates. He was the founder of the Cyrenaic school of hedonism, the ethic of pleasure. Aristippus believed that the good life rests upon the belief that among human values pleasure is the highest and pain the lowest...and one that should be avoided. He also warned his students to avoid inflicting, as well as suffering, pain. Like Socrates, Aristippus took great interest in practical ethics. While he believed that men should dedicate their lives to the pursuit and enjoyment of pleasure, he also believed that they should use good judgment and exercise self-control to temper powerful human desires. His motto was, "I possess, I am not possessed."
Pleasure, in and of itself, is not bad...as some religions would have you to believe. Most things in life can lead to a destructive lifestyle...and most things in life can lead to a fulfilled lifestyle. Bad or good. It's up to you. Hedonism would tell you that pleasure aka happiness is what life should revolve around. Christianity would tell you "Like a city that is broken into and without walls, is a man who has no control over his spirit." (Prov. 25:28) Some things in life bring pain. We cannot avoid that. But we CAN live life in such a way that when the pain comes, we can have peace and not beat ourselves up for the part we may or may not have played in that pain. If our lives are centered, are secure upon the rock (firm foundation) of the principles Jesus Christ lived before us, we can go through any "storm" in life and know that nothing and no-one can take our freedom in Christ away from us. Happiness can and will be a very big part of our life. But, just like everything in life, we are to control our spirit so that we can experience the true happiness. Happiness that doesn't bring pain at the end of the day. Happiness that you can depend on. Happiness that is rooted in the core of our being. A place where Jesus and the principles he gave to us, rule.
Happiness does not come from pleasures. At the end of the day...you are still alone...inside. Happiness comes from knowing Jesus. Then and only then can Jesus tell you who you are. That, my friend, is true security and happiness. We don't have to go out seeking pleasures and happiness. We already possess it. It follows us. There are days I'm sad. There are days I'm exstatic...giddy...with happiness. Our emotions were given by God. He expects us to be in charge of such a precious gift called life. What we do with that gift will produce one of two things...peace or maddening insecurities. Why do we continue to search for happiness in all the wrong places?
Which will you choose?
Friday, April 16, 2010
My Friend
My late friend Jani, has been on my mind consistently for a while now. Memories of her just pop in my head. Some little something will remind me of her smile, her laugh, her prayers. I drove by some road kill the other day...a skunk...that made me laugh remembering that Jani loved the scent of skunk. She wanted to bottle the fragrance. What???! I have a pic of her in my chemical service book. There she is with that pretty smile of hers with the twinkle in her eye. She's holding one of her favorite hand puppets. She wanted me to keep this picture in her file so I could see the way she wanted her hair cut.
Every day, as I go to work, I must pass a couple of trees on Veterans Boulevard, that were "our trees". Jani and I used to talk about those trees and the symbolism they were to us. The tall one with few limbs was Dennis & me. We hadn't really affected or reached as many people as she and Leroy...thus the few limbs. (My thoughts...not hers). The shorter one with all the branches was Jani and Leroy, who had been foster parents for many years and had affected many lives. I shall never forget the look that came out of her eyes one day as we drove past them together. Beneath the tree that we had dubbed hers was what appeared to be a root cellar. Funny...neither of us had really noticed it before. It was covered in vines and all sorts of connecting bondage's as if it were sealed where no one could enter without first doing major destruction. I said, "I wonder what is in that cellar." Her eyes met mine with a look that haunts me to this day. "I don't know," she replied.
Well, you would have to know the way my mind, along with my friend's mind, worked, to understand the sense of foreboding we both felt. That was the first and the last time we discussed it. I can't remember just how long it was after the drive, that we had a terrible ice storm that destroyed many of our city's trees. Her tree was one of them.
There was only one other time I remember seeing that same look in her eye, and it was during the time God was preparing to bring her home. Her final lap in the race she had run. What a race it was! A unique individual, that one! We laughed, we cried, we shared many thoughts, memories and just plain ole good times. But that look...it was a knowing look without admission. She was spending a few days in a local nursing home and I felt her time was near. We had gone to visit her and like most days, there were a number of people surrounding her. She was loved. As we prepared to leave I wanted to pray with her, so I slipped between her bed and the wall. She couldn't speak at this point in her journey...the surgeries had damaged the area that controlled speech. I gently took her hand in mine and prayed for God's grace and mercy and reminded Him how much we needed her. Her eyes met mine...there was that look again. "I'll never forget you," I whispered in her ear, as tears streamed down my face. Within the week my friend went home to be with her Creator, her Saviour, her friend, her Redeemer.
The root cellar? It had it's own symbolism. Turns out it's name was brain cancer, deeply rooted, without acceptance. But, you can't wipe out a life as beautiful as hers. If you ever drive down Veteran's Blvd., notice the green vine growing up the dead tree. My friend lives on in the heart's of those she left behind, producing extended life on planet Earth. If I can touch half the number of people Jani did; if I can make a difference, as she did...my life here will not have been in vain. God was evident in her life. I pray that God will show himself to others through the life I live here as He did through my friend. I will never forget...
Every day, as I go to work, I must pass a couple of trees on Veterans Boulevard, that were "our trees". Jani and I used to talk about those trees and the symbolism they were to us. The tall one with few limbs was Dennis & me. We hadn't really affected or reached as many people as she and Leroy...thus the few limbs. (My thoughts...not hers). The shorter one with all the branches was Jani and Leroy, who had been foster parents for many years and had affected many lives. I shall never forget the look that came out of her eyes one day as we drove past them together. Beneath the tree that we had dubbed hers was what appeared to be a root cellar. Funny...neither of us had really noticed it before. It was covered in vines and all sorts of connecting bondage's as if it were sealed where no one could enter without first doing major destruction. I said, "I wonder what is in that cellar." Her eyes met mine with a look that haunts me to this day. "I don't know," she replied.
Well, you would have to know the way my mind, along with my friend's mind, worked, to understand the sense of foreboding we both felt. That was the first and the last time we discussed it. I can't remember just how long it was after the drive, that we had a terrible ice storm that destroyed many of our city's trees. Her tree was one of them.
There was only one other time I remember seeing that same look in her eye, and it was during the time God was preparing to bring her home. Her final lap in the race she had run. What a race it was! A unique individual, that one! We laughed, we cried, we shared many thoughts, memories and just plain ole good times. But that look...it was a knowing look without admission. She was spending a few days in a local nursing home and I felt her time was near. We had gone to visit her and like most days, there were a number of people surrounding her. She was loved. As we prepared to leave I wanted to pray with her, so I slipped between her bed and the wall. She couldn't speak at this point in her journey...the surgeries had damaged the area that controlled speech. I gently took her hand in mine and prayed for God's grace and mercy and reminded Him how much we needed her. Her eyes met mine...there was that look again. "I'll never forget you," I whispered in her ear, as tears streamed down my face. Within the week my friend went home to be with her Creator, her Saviour, her friend, her Redeemer.
The root cellar? It had it's own symbolism. Turns out it's name was brain cancer, deeply rooted, without acceptance. But, you can't wipe out a life as beautiful as hers. If you ever drive down Veteran's Blvd., notice the green vine growing up the dead tree. My friend lives on in the heart's of those she left behind, producing extended life on planet Earth. If I can touch half the number of people Jani did; if I can make a difference, as she did...my life here will not have been in vain. God was evident in her life. I pray that God will show himself to others through the life I live here as He did through my friend. I will never forget...
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Control Issues?
A jet pilot friend of Os Hillman once told him that whenever a jet goes out of control and begins to spin, the only thing to do is totally take your hands off the controls and the plane will right itself. This goes against our natural inclination to control and manipulate in order to bring things back under control. It is scary to be out of control. Or is it?
Saul was a man out of control. He was losing control of his kingdom to David. He was losing the favor of God and the people. It began as compromises. Eventually he was given a final test to obey the voice of God fully. He was instructed to kill the Amalekites completely; but he failed to follow through. The prophet Samuel delivered a hard word to King Saul, "Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king" (I Sm. 15:26). Saul obeyed partially, but not fully. It was partial obedience that led to his removal as king of Israel and his calling from God. Why did Saul do such a thing? "I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them" (I Samuel 15:24b). Saul's fear and insecurity made him more afraid of the people and what they thought than of God. At the core of Saul's disobedience was fear of losing control. That fear led to partial obedience and the loss of his reign as king. I Samuel 15:23 says, "For rebellion is like the sin of occult practices, and arrogance like the evil of idol worship. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king." How many of us, I wonder, are in danger of losing God's blessing due to partial obedience? How many of us have such a need to control people and circumstances that we fail to fully walk in obedience to God's voice in our lives? Saul provides a great lesson for us as workplace believers. The need to over control things around us can prevent us from receiving all that God has for us.
It is human nature to control. But being obsessed with control can throw you OUT of control. During the hard first ten years of our married life, this description fit me perfectly...and I still must keep a careful eye on it. The Lord broke my controlling spirit with only a few words as I was emotionally praying about how awful my husband was and what needed to change in him. "Take your hands off him. As long as you are trying to control him, I can do nothing." It was time for me to back off the criticisms and comparisons. That evening I asked him for a moment of his time. I'm relatively sure he thought he was in trouble again. =} Poor guy. But what he heard was something he never expected. An apology and a plea for forgiveness and patience while I endeavored to do as the Lord had instructed. The Lord was faithful to his word.
"To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." (I Samuel 15:22b)
Saul was a man out of control. He was losing control of his kingdom to David. He was losing the favor of God and the people. It began as compromises. Eventually he was given a final test to obey the voice of God fully. He was instructed to kill the Amalekites completely; but he failed to follow through. The prophet Samuel delivered a hard word to King Saul, "Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king" (I Sm. 15:26). Saul obeyed partially, but not fully. It was partial obedience that led to his removal as king of Israel and his calling from God. Why did Saul do such a thing? "I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them" (I Samuel 15:24b). Saul's fear and insecurity made him more afraid of the people and what they thought than of God. At the core of Saul's disobedience was fear of losing control. That fear led to partial obedience and the loss of his reign as king. I Samuel 15:23 says, "For rebellion is like the sin of occult practices, and arrogance like the evil of idol worship. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king." How many of us, I wonder, are in danger of losing God's blessing due to partial obedience? How many of us have such a need to control people and circumstances that we fail to fully walk in obedience to God's voice in our lives? Saul provides a great lesson for us as workplace believers. The need to over control things around us can prevent us from receiving all that God has for us.
It is human nature to control. But being obsessed with control can throw you OUT of control. During the hard first ten years of our married life, this description fit me perfectly...and I still must keep a careful eye on it. The Lord broke my controlling spirit with only a few words as I was emotionally praying about how awful my husband was and what needed to change in him. "Take your hands off him. As long as you are trying to control him, I can do nothing." It was time for me to back off the criticisms and comparisons. That evening I asked him for a moment of his time. I'm relatively sure he thought he was in trouble again. =} Poor guy. But what he heard was something he never expected. An apology and a plea for forgiveness and patience while I endeavored to do as the Lord had instructed. The Lord was faithful to his word.
"To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." (I Samuel 15:22b)
Friday, April 9, 2010
A Little Goes a Long Way
Know what makes me happy? Kindness. Kindness makes me happy! I just returned from a trip to Subway for a turkey sandwich. The weather is beautiful and the wind is blowing. Hard. A young man entered the building before I got there, but he saw me coming and stood at the door (inside)and opened it for me, commenting as he did. "That wind is blowing so hard, thought I'd help you with the door." What a pleasant experience. Kindness. I like kindness.
Time for Natural Focus
Gearing up for a long day Sunday with a last minute decision to make a trip to St. Louis for a long over-due business adventure. My side-kick, Nicole and I are rising very early to arrive by 9 a.m. Question is...can I do it? Of course I can! It might be just a tad harder for me than it was 9 years ago (the last time I tried such a thing)but do it, I can!
I'm hoping to gain a little more knowledge on Internet marketing, navigating the ups and downs of a confused economy, and make-up artistry defined by ingredients and benefits. Those three will be my main focus, while hoping to secure a chance at seeing all the vendors and making judgement calls on what South Side should incorporate and what it should leave alone. Maybe there will be a chance for me to take in one or two "real" classes on hair cutting techniques and pedicure protocol. What I can't make it to, Nicole will...hopefully.
When all is said and done, my hope is to come back with more information than what I left Oklahoma with, having added to my existence here on planet Earth. You may say there are more important things to add to yourself than beauty information. I would have to say you are correct. However, the business God has set me over, gave me entrance into for purpose, I am to be a good steward over. So, whatever my hand finds to do, I hope I will always do it to the very best of my ability...even when it stretches me some. Especially when it stretches me. How else do we grow in what we've been trusted with? We either move forward or backward. If we continue to do as we've always done with no visible movement, we begin to stink. And become quite useless and might I add, avoided. We become boring and over-looked. And our talent will moss over and God will give it to someone else to complete His design for humanity. My work is my platform for expanding the kingdom of God, and if I am not very good at what I do, my platform will disappear. So, even though there might be more important things than beauty to focus on, this just happens to be the arena I have been given responsibility in. So off I go.
I shall miss my friends at LifeGate Church this week, but shall see them next.
MJ
I'm hoping to gain a little more knowledge on Internet marketing, navigating the ups and downs of a confused economy, and make-up artistry defined by ingredients and benefits. Those three will be my main focus, while hoping to secure a chance at seeing all the vendors and making judgement calls on what South Side should incorporate and what it should leave alone. Maybe there will be a chance for me to take in one or two "real" classes on hair cutting techniques and pedicure protocol. What I can't make it to, Nicole will...hopefully.
When all is said and done, my hope is to come back with more information than what I left Oklahoma with, having added to my existence here on planet Earth. You may say there are more important things to add to yourself than beauty information. I would have to say you are correct. However, the business God has set me over, gave me entrance into for purpose, I am to be a good steward over. So, whatever my hand finds to do, I hope I will always do it to the very best of my ability...even when it stretches me some. Especially when it stretches me. How else do we grow in what we've been trusted with? We either move forward or backward. If we continue to do as we've always done with no visible movement, we begin to stink. And become quite useless and might I add, avoided. We become boring and over-looked. And our talent will moss over and God will give it to someone else to complete His design for humanity. My work is my platform for expanding the kingdom of God, and if I am not very good at what I do, my platform will disappear. So, even though there might be more important things than beauty to focus on, this just happens to be the arena I have been given responsibility in. So off I go.
I shall miss my friends at LifeGate Church this week, but shall see them next.
MJ
Monday, April 5, 2010
Let the Change Begin!
Our oldest daughter will become a married woman this June. The plans are to stay on the beach in the Outer Banks of North Carolina the week prior to the wedding. I've been thinking about that. With all the fun coming our way, I've just about decided to extend the excitement for one more week. Not to worry, sis, we're not staying at your house...well, you'd be gone anyway...so I suppose it wouldn't matter so much. But that's not the plan. Did you hear that? I FINALLY HAVE A PLAN! Haven't had one for some time now. Feels good.
Think I'll bring our living room up to snuff. Last trip our girls made home (last month), I caught them looking around, giggling and pointing their little skinny fingers at all Mom's archaic fixtures. Time just slips right on by a person if they aren't looking. The last time our living room had any attention was back in 1989 or 90. Looonnngggg time ago. So I suppose it's time. Thanks to my girls. Probably would have suffered through another 20 or so years had they, (well...Lindsey), not pointed out how very old my decorations were.
So, week two of our summer vacation, will be spent painting and re-designing. Wow...hope I have some money left over from the wedding...not likely. =} Maybe I should start planning now and putting my tips and lunch money back for that. Oh, wait...that's what I'm doing NOW for the trip to NC. Maybe I could get a waitress job up the road just North of me and when I close the shop down, run up there and make a couple bucks extra. Nah...I'll find Dennis another job.
Well, it's been fun dreaming. Wonder what I'll come up with next. Any ideas?
Think I'll bring our living room up to snuff. Last trip our girls made home (last month), I caught them looking around, giggling and pointing their little skinny fingers at all Mom's archaic fixtures. Time just slips right on by a person if they aren't looking. The last time our living room had any attention was back in 1989 or 90. Looonnngggg time ago. So I suppose it's time. Thanks to my girls. Probably would have suffered through another 20 or so years had they, (well...Lindsey), not pointed out how very old my decorations were.
So, week two of our summer vacation, will be spent painting and re-designing. Wow...hope I have some money left over from the wedding...not likely. =} Maybe I should start planning now and putting my tips and lunch money back for that. Oh, wait...that's what I'm doing NOW for the trip to NC. Maybe I could get a waitress job up the road just North of me and when I close the shop down, run up there and make a couple bucks extra. Nah...I'll find Dennis another job.
Well, it's been fun dreaming. Wonder what I'll come up with next. Any ideas?
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Reflections
Wow! Thought I was past that sort of frustration. I really have come to believe I have mellowed out so much that it's near impossible to get me riled up. Guess I learned a thing or two yesterday.
It was the annoyance of coming upon these cars that one must share the road with, yet they act as if they are the only vehicle on the road. Truly oblivious. I don't think they even look in their rear view mirror. We have 8 casinos that surround Miami, so the road I must travel to get to work, or to the grocery store, has at least 3 of these money suckers lining the road and you can not tell the economy has any sort of problem by looking at the parking lots of these establishments.
But today is another day and I've "mellowed" out once again. But then, I'm home, and not put in the place of frustration. The day has ran smoothly. Hair re-touched, hair-cut, two loads of laundry completed, communion bread made, cobbler for the evenings meal baked, chicken cubed for Greek Pasta dish, and now it's on to cleaning the house before the actual preparation of dinner and meeting time. Got to "talk" with my girls, via text message, so, I've not really had to ponder the near crash on Hwy. 10 yesterday.
Okay...okay...now I'm getting worked up again. Shut it down, Mary. They'll always be out there. You'll just have to deal with it and have a very watchful eye. You have a wedding to attend in June...can't get killed just yet. =}
It was the annoyance of coming upon these cars that one must share the road with, yet they act as if they are the only vehicle on the road. Truly oblivious. I don't think they even look in their rear view mirror. We have 8 casinos that surround Miami, so the road I must travel to get to work, or to the grocery store, has at least 3 of these money suckers lining the road and you can not tell the economy has any sort of problem by looking at the parking lots of these establishments.
But today is another day and I've "mellowed" out once again. But then, I'm home, and not put in the place of frustration. The day has ran smoothly. Hair re-touched, hair-cut, two loads of laundry completed, communion bread made, cobbler for the evenings meal baked, chicken cubed for Greek Pasta dish, and now it's on to cleaning the house before the actual preparation of dinner and meeting time. Got to "talk" with my girls, via text message, so, I've not really had to ponder the near crash on Hwy. 10 yesterday.
Okay...okay...now I'm getting worked up again. Shut it down, Mary. They'll always be out there. You'll just have to deal with it and have a very watchful eye. You have a wedding to attend in June...can't get killed just yet. =}
Saturday, April 3, 2010
TURN IN THE KEYS!
MEMO TO SELF: When you become too old and feeble to compress the gas pedal of your nice expensive car, to make it go faster than 30 miles an hour on a very busy highway, TURN IN YOUR KEYS!!! If you try to convince yourself you've still got what it takes and others on the road (no...it doesn't belong to just you) can just deal with your inability to push that little pedal down, then POSSIBLY your reasoning has also gone the way of death. Zippo...it's GONE!!! Seriously now, Mary, when you can't seem to tell there are other cars on the road (or don't CARE) and it seems okay to you to just pull out of those little casino's directly in front of those other people (remember...there ARE others on the road!) then possibly you should call a loved one and give them your car keys. Got it? If you try really hard, you MAY be able to remember it was YOU that recorded this memo. If for whatever reason you simply can't remember this, just don't wear those little knit caps that point you out as being old, demented and feeble. I'm sure the "others" want you safe and love you anyway, even if you do consistently cause near pile ups on very busy roads. Remember when you were 62 years old and wrote this blog after a near heart attack because some little casino lady with a knit cap, lost in her own little world, was allowed to drive. Remember that you could always spot the casino addicts by their driving! Oblivious to everything and everyone around them. Semi trucks and cars alike, almost eating those cute little $35,000 cars, because the driver didn't want to miss any casino in the area. Give it up!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Definition of Love
"Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction." ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery
So much of the time we mistake passion for love. You understand what I am saying, for most of us, this has been true at some point in our lives. Passion CAN be driven by love, but comes out of our emotions and on occasion will lead us down the wrong path. Once we are hooked, that same passion will compel us to hang on tight because the road is gonna get bumpy. And none of us what to fail at anything, so we tell ourselves we are in this for life and there can be no way out. "That's life."
However, true love comes out of selflessness. Not selfishness. Our desire is to be all we can be for someone elses well-being. Just as Jesus gave us the perfect example of love by laying down his life for us, we too are to lay down our lives for each other. Esteem the other better than ourselves. And...like most things, this too can become twisted in our minds and we see it in such a way that God never intended.
If we are to be the best that God designed, two will become one, by "looking together in the same direction" and will keep harm, mental and physical, far from the door.
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22,23.
So much of the time we mistake passion for love. You understand what I am saying, for most of us, this has been true at some point in our lives. Passion CAN be driven by love, but comes out of our emotions and on occasion will lead us down the wrong path. Once we are hooked, that same passion will compel us to hang on tight because the road is gonna get bumpy. And none of us what to fail at anything, so we tell ourselves we are in this for life and there can be no way out. "That's life."
However, true love comes out of selflessness. Not selfishness. Our desire is to be all we can be for someone elses well-being. Just as Jesus gave us the perfect example of love by laying down his life for us, we too are to lay down our lives for each other. Esteem the other better than ourselves. And...like most things, this too can become twisted in our minds and we see it in such a way that God never intended.
If we are to be the best that God designed, two will become one, by "looking together in the same direction" and will keep harm, mental and physical, far from the door.
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22,23.
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