John Harrell's Blog, page 74

P. U. S. H.

Many people push themselves to the point of exhaustion. They never take an opportunity to rest. They feel like they must go it alone. Nothing could be further from the truth.

We have an invisible helper. His name is God. We are instructed to come to Him when we are weary. But do we? I’m guilty of going it alone, thinking that I and I alone can solve whatever I’m working on. This couldn’t be further from the truth, either.

Perhaps we should slow down a little and ask God for guidance. He will answer.

And remember to P. U. S. H.: Pray Until Something Happens…

Trophies

We revere our trophies, don’t we? We have old sports trophies, trophy wives and husbands, and my least favorite: participation trophies!

Trophies are a representation of an accomplishment or achievement. We like to be recognized for what we are doing in our lives. And that’s a good thing.

The greatest trophy we can earn is not a physical trophy at all. It is doing what God put us on the planet to do. When the day comes and I face my Creator, I want His praise. That’s the trophy I’m striving for…

Teachers

Do you remember who your favorite teacher was? Why were they your favorite?

We all have memories of people who have made a difference in our lives. Perhaps it was a teacher or mentor. Think about why they are important in your mind. Meditate on how they made you feel. Then go do that for someone else.

We are all teachers sometimes. Teach others well…

Deadlines

Some people say they don’t do well under pressure, while others need deadlines to hold them accountable.

Working under pressure has never been a problem for me. I revel in it. And when you think about it, life is full of deadlines. The mortgage/rent is due on the first. Kids must be at school by a certain time. Your job wants you there by 8:00 etc.

We live in a time-constructed society. Deadlines are part of our daily lives…

Unseen

There is much more going on than we can see. The spiritual world is a different dimension. Just because we can’t see it doesn’t make it less real.

The Bible encourages us to keep our eyes on “things that are unseen.” Those things are eternal. Every challenge we face in our lives is a spiritual battle. Again, we don’t see it but God sends His angels to thwart our invisible enemy. Take solace in the fact that the Creator of the Universe is on our side, not the other. Therefore we are assured of victory if we just keep going.

Seeing the world through a different lens puts it in perspective. It doesn’t take away pain and struggle. But it gives us hope…

Growing

Do you ever feel stagnant in your life, feel like you are simply going through the motions? We all go through periods where we are “coasting.”

Work on yourself. It’s difficult, I know, but you gotta strive to be mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually fit. Read books by great philosophers. Exercise. Seek out a solid psychotherapist to help you heal. And read and study The Bible. Make time for your own personal growth.

And remember, if you are comfortable, you aren’t growing. Growth only comes from the discomfort zone…

Pledges

A pledge is a “solemn oath or vow” to something. Pledges are to be taken seriously.

In school we recited The Pledge of Allegiance every morning. I’m not sure if we really knew the full meaning of what we were saying. After all, we were just children. As I grew into adulthood I took the pledge very seriously. We should love our country and our flag.

Before making a pledge, I encourage you to consider if you can fully uphold your vow. Other people will hold us accountable, but we should be accountable to ourselves and our words above all else…

Taken For Granted

People need to be seen and heard. That’s universal. We want to feel recognized, like we matter.

Relationships suffer when one person is feeling neglected or taken for granted. Their sense of importance has been diminished. This can become a never ending spiral downward.

Take the time to show people you care. Your outpouring of loving kindness will be reciprocated. And you will receive more than you give…

Beliefs

We all have our own unique set of beliefs. But do you ever question your beliefs?

Our beliefs evolve as we age and grow. Many of us believed in Santa Claus until we didn’t. (Actually, I still believe in Santa and always will). Maybe we believed things we knew weren’t true, but refused to give in to disbelief. Maybe we believed in people who let us down.

There is one set of truth that never wavers: God’s truth. If it was true 1000 years ago, it’s still true today. What God says goes. He cannot lie. He can’t even stretch the truth. You can believe what He says.

Let’s base our belief system on the Word of God. We may not always understand it, but our lack of understanding doesn’t make it less true…

Closed Doors

Sometimes our best efforts aren’t enough to open a door that is closed to us. I encourage you to remember that is a good thing, even though it may not seem like it at the time.

God’s plan for our lives is too big and complex for us to understand. But if the previously mentioned door was part of the plan, it would be opened for us because no one can stop God. We must do our part, but God is the best partner we could ask for.

Remember that God is on our side. He wants us to succeed. And that includes shutting a few doors on us…