John Harrell's Blog, page 92

Era

Today’s blog might blow your mind. At the very least I hope it makes you think.

Before the earth was formed, God thought of you. He knew when and where you were to be born. Your parents would create the perfect DNA to make you exactly how He specified. Every moment of your life was thought of, along with every consequence of every decision you make. Each and every person you encounter has a reason attached to it. And there is a greater purpose to your life.

Finally, the era in time as we know time was planned. Use your time wisely. Fulfill His purpose on earth…

Wasted

All of us have the same 168 hours each week. Have you ever kept track of how you spent your time? I have, and it was eye opening to see how much time I wasted. But there are healthy alternatives.

Time spent in traffic is wasted unless you use it to listen to a podcast or audiobook. If you spend more time in a bar than in the gym, your time is wasted but so is your health. Watching the news is a total waste, so why not call someone and have a conversation? You will not miss anything on television.

I encourage you to reorient your focus to things that enrich and edify your life when you have time. You will be better off, and you will grow…

What Are You Thinking?

In the 1600’s, René Descartes wrote, “I think, therefore I am.” It’s true! Our thoughts control our actions. But it’s deeper than that.

Bad habits are hard to break. It’s not that we don’t want to change, but something is getting in the way of our progress. Some unhealthy beliefs must be addressed before we can actually change our outcomes. This could go back to childhood trauma (something I know about).

Examine your life honestly. You will figure it out. Then, you own it…

Followers

Your Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have people designated as “followers.” In other words, they are interested in what you are up to.

If people are following you, then you might be considered a leader in some way. Lead well…

Necessities

Basic needs are food, clothing and shelter, right? If we have those we are set. But there’s something else we need: other people.

It’s easy to get caught up in chasing status and stuff. The greedy side of us says if one’s good, then two is better and three is best. Yet we ignore our relationships in our driven pursuit of materialism.

Let’s slow down and take inventory of the good people God has placed in our lives. They are there for a purpose, and the good people aren’t there to help us acquire more stuff. They are in our lives to fulfill a need…

Black and White

Some people like to deal in absolutes. They are rigid in their thinking and their beliefs with no room for margin. I find those types of people to be difficult to work with.

The world is not black and white, it’s gray. We can learn from each other, but only if we are willing.

I encourage you to open your mind and your heart. Try to see things through the eyes of others. It’s not a threat to your beliefs, but a way to expand your worldview…

Awaken

This morning I have the privilege of speaking with a group of high school students about how to create safer, better connected schools. But first, allow me to awaken you to some chilling statistics.

Over 160,000 students skip school every day for fear of being bullied. 840,000 teenagers skip school at least once per month for fear of their own safety. The percentage of high school students who said they often felt lonely increased from 26% in 2012 to 39% in 2017. And finally, 100,000 kids carry a gun to school every day.

Rachel’s Challenge creates safer, better connected schools. The organization receives hundreds of messages from kids every year saying, “I was going to kill myself until I heard Rachel’s story. Thank you.”

We can change this, if we are willing. Let’s be willing…

Riches

The culture of the United States is greed. People work themselves to poor health, shaky relationships and find themselves disillusioned. They may have acquired wealth, but lost themselves along the way.

None of this is taught in the Bible. Solomon, the wealthiest man to ever live, asked God for wisdom. And he got it!

You must decide what’s important to you. If you value your family, your health and seek fulfillment, you might not have as much money, but you will be wealthier than most…

Faithfulness

It’s easy to have faith when things are going well in our lives. But how strong is our faith when the shit hits the fan? I’m guessing that for most of us our faith gets shaken.

Jesus told the disciples their faith would be shaken, and it was. I believe Jesus was saying that message for our benefit, too. It’s hard to believe when it seems that life is falling apart. We are humans, and all we can see is this side of eternity. But there’s more to the story.

Worry is a sign that we don’t believe that God is in control, nor do we believe He can fix our situation. He can, and He does. Just believe…

Choices

Every day we are faced with innumerable choices. Do we go right or left, up or down, do the right thing or take the easy way out?

Each day, give yourself an evaluation of how you did. What did you do right, and what could you do differently? Do not beat yourself up over bad choices. And don’t over reward yourself for your good choices. Just evaluate.

Whether or not you decide to do this self evaluation is up to you. It’s your choice…