John Harrell's Blog, page 20

Habitat for Humanity

Millard and Linda Fuller found themselves looking for more purpose in their lives. Through a sequence of events that only God could have imagined, the Fullers founded Habitat for Humanity. And did they ever find purpose!

Many people believe Jimmy Carter was the founder. He wasn’t, but his and Rosalynn’s first habitat build in 1984 gave the organization new notoriety.

The recipients of Habitat homes must put in 200 hours of sweat equity building homes for others before they can be considered for a home themselves. They must qualify by having a job and a minimum credit score of 620 or higher. And they actually buy the home. Nothing is given to them. They earn it.

Over the years since its inception, Habitat has built or refurbished millions of homes. Lifting their fellow man from poverty and becoming citizens of a community offers hope. Habitat for Humanity is an excellent example of how to get things done.

I encourage you to volunteer for a Habitat build in your local community. Your life will never be the same…

Smile!

Every day I wake up with a smile! Many people need to ease into their day, but not me. I’m ready to go when I wake up.

The trauma of my childhood has given me a lightning quick wit. For years it was a coping mechanism for me, a way to keep people from getting too close. Since working through the challenges of my youth along with the subsequent healing, my wit is a great way to make others laugh. Now I use it as a way to draw people in, not keep them away.

Use your smile to lift others spirits. People are hurting. Mental health remains shredded.

You never know. Your kindness might be someone’s last, best hope…

What Are You Waiting For?

Patience is something I work on. It seems like I’m not alone because much of the world appears to be impatient.

There are passions in your life that you might be waiting to fulfill. You have a purpose and you know there’s more to life than what you are experiencing. What is stopping you? Your thoughts are preventing you from taking action.

There is always a reason to wait until tomorrow. Yet, we don’t know how many tomorrows we have left. They aren’t unlimited.

Change your thinking. Visualize. Just begin. God will direct your steps. You don’t have to have everything figured out ahead of time. This is the nexus where faith replaces fear.

Get started! What are you waiting for?

The Scapegoat

As we all have, I have known a couple of people during my life who wanted to blame me for their lack of a successful outcome. They needed a scapegoat and didn’t place value on our relationship. Needless to say, these people are no longer in my life.

Our actions have consequences. We are responsible for the decisions we make, and we must be willing to accept the outcomes of our decisions. Holding ourselves accountable doesn’t make us heroes. It does keep us steady and reliable.

Do not allow yourself to be anyone’s scapegoat. And don’t blame anyone but yourself for poor decision making. Give yourself a break if your decision was well thought out, but things went awry. You can’t control everything.

Do your best. Always. And if someone wants to blame you for their actions, you will see how they define your importance to them.

Find the healthy people. Keep looking until they show themselves…

Delete

We delete old emails and text messages when we no longer need them. Why aren’t we deleting bad habits and negative thoughts, too?

We have only so much time in this life. We can waste our time, or we can make good use of it. It’s our choice. No one else controls us or our thoughts.

The power of choice is one of the greatest gifts from the Creator. Free will is truly free. We can choose to be difference-makers, doing what we can to lift others. Or we can accept whatever life sends our way. Again, we have the power to choose.

My encouragement to you is to choose to think of others first. Be outward focused. Seek opportunities to help and encourage others. You will gain more than you give. Promise!

Delete the things that waste your precious time. You won’t miss them…

Five Stones

Goliath, who stood around 9 feet tall, was feared by the entire Israeli army. Goliath taunted them daily. He appeared to be unstoppable.

A shepherd named David saw things differently from the others. David was insulted by “this uncircumcised Phillistine.” Goliath was an abomination to the Lord in David’s eyes, so he decided to do something about him. David’s brothers, along with the other soldiers tried to talk David out of his plan, but David was undeterred. He knew he had God on his side, and God would use David to kill the giant.

You know the story of David and Goliath. David took him out with one stone hurled at Goliaths forehead. The now-emboldened Israelis destroyed the Phillistine army after David had slain Goliath.

David believed. We should believe, too. God is on our side just as He was on David’s. So what stops our belief? We see things through our eyes rather than through God’s eyes. That’s the only difference.

People sometimes ask why David took five smooth stones instead of just one. After all, he was confident that God would show up, right? Well, Goliath had four brothers. David came prepared…

Spring 2025

The season of Spring begins next week. In Texas, we have already seen signs of new beginnings such as flowers blooming. Spring comes early in Texas because of our moderate climate and short winter. Come for a visit but please don’t move here. We are full!

Every year people take on the task of Spring cleaning. It’s a good time to get rid of clutter, wash windows and clean out your garage. It feels great when you do that.

This year, why not do a cleaning of a part of your life you might not be pleased with? If you have a habit of watching too much television, turn it off and read a book. Sedentary lifestyle? Go for a walk. Junk food in your pantry? Replace it with fresh fruit, organic if you can find it and it’s affordable.

We spend our efforts cleaning the outside. Let’s be different and clean the inside as well. The results take a little longer to see, but you will see them…

Take It Easy

In many ways we have become lazy. The proliferation of 7-11 stores was due to our desire to save time. We were willing to pay higher prices for convenience.

Fast food has become a staple of American culture and cuisine. Yes, we save time when we pick up a bag of hamburgers on the way home. But we miss the human connection we get from preparing a meal together. The loss is intangible so we don’t notice it as much.

Today, there are six obesity drugs available. Give yourself a weekly shot and you’ll lose much of your appetite. Yet, you also lose the satisfaction of taking the weight off naturally through exercise. The satisfaction of accomplishment is gone. Plus, weight loss through diet and exercise has no side effects, unlike drugs.

We are hardwired to grow, to achieve. This aids in the development of healthy neural pathways. God has given us every tool we need to live long, healthy, productive lives. Let’s not take His gift for granted…

Wasteful Words

Politics has divided us in the United States in a way I never thought I would see. People who have been friends for decades have severed ties, as have families. And for what? You don’t like their politics so you can’t be associated. That’s shallow.

The funny part of this is, people make stuff up about the other side of the aisle. They post ridiculous memes designed to convince you of their moral superiority. You better get on board or you’ll not be allowed to sit with the cool kids.

We live in a world where everyone is an expert. Unless you have devoted your life to a cause, you are a casual observer. We aren’t a professional physician because we read a medical textbook.

Dying on the hill of politics is a waste of your time. Find a greater purpose…

Complaint Department

Have you ever known someone who begins most sentences with, “the problem with that is…?” I have met a couple people like that. Focusing on problems instead of solutions never accomplished anything.

Being a problem-conscious person rather than a solution-conscious person affects the brain, too. Scientific research has shown that constant complaining shrinks the hippocampus over time. The hippocampus is responsible for memory and problem-solving. You cannot miss the irony.

Our world has plenty of challenges, no doubt. Keeping our focus on solving them, collaboratively, will progress us towards new ways to approach them.

Instead of complaining, find a way to work through it. Your hippocampus will thank you…