I've seen a few birthday parties this summer that featured a pinata as part of the fun. I never get tired of seeing it break and watching all of the kids run quickly to get the candy. After all, they need to hurry! There's only so much candy and so many kids that in order to fill up their bags, they need to move quickly before it all runs out.
There are some that hold this type of mentality as adults. We feel like we have to move so quickly because, if we don't, there will not be enough for us. Things will run out, and we will not receive our share. However, the more I learn in life the more I realize this is not necessarily the case. We serve a God of abundance. A God of more than enough, instead of a God of lack. I realize more and more that the resources are there. In fact, there are more resources than we can even wrap our minds around.
One may ask, how can I access more? If there is so much then why do some have and some don't? Why so many poor around the world? I will honestly say that I cannot answer all questions. God has His reasons. However, based on what I've read recently, here are some ways I have found to make the most of the vast resources. By following these we can not only help ourselves, but also those in need.
1. Gratitude - In order to gain more, we must first learn to appreciate what we have. There are biblical examples of men who were good stewards of what God gave them. As a result, they were given more.
2. Faith - Author Robert Anthony gives a great example in his book "Beyond Positive Thinking". He shares about the abundance of water in the ocean. It is practically endless! No one can lack water if they go to the ocean to get it. However, he says it is all a matter of our expectation. For example, some of us may go with a spoon, or a cup. Others may be bolder and go with a bottle. Some of us will bring a large jug or barrell that we can barely even carry. Who ends up with more? It is obviously the one who went to the ocean expecting more.
3. Generosity - God honors a faithful giver and always gives back to us what we give to others. We don't give solely to get, but it never fails that we get back what we give. In fact we usually get more than we gave.
Author and speaker Wayne Dyer put it best. He discusses the abundance of air. We don't debate that this is my air or yours, or that we can only breathe in a certain amount. It is abundantly available to us, and we don't even think twice about it. The same is true for God's abundance. When we are good stewards and use His gifts for His glory, He is more than willing to share abundance, whether it is money, love, good times, or any other blessing. It is up to us to go to Him expectantly, to carry as much blessing in our barrell as we can so we can enjoy it for ourselves and share it with others that need it. He is waiting to hear from us!
Have an excellent day : )
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Get Out of My Way!
I admit it. I am not a very patient driver. I have a great deal of patience in other areas of my life (I am a middle school teacher after all), but driving does not bring out the best in me. I sometimes have the attitude that the road belongs only to me, and anyone not going 0-5 miles over the speed limit is simply in my way. I have my destination in mind, but these "slow drivers" make it difficult to get there.
By all means, I am not proud of the above behavior. I have come a long way, but still have miles to go. When I thought about this the other day, I thought about how God must feel with me sometimes. How many times does He have a positive "destination" for my life only for me to get in the way and try to do things myself. If I just pulled over and got out of the way it would be easier for Him to do His will in my life. The ultimate result is more blessing for me and those around me.
God is so willing and able to do miracles in my life and yours. His power is so readily available. So why do I often ignore it and do things my way? A great example of this idea is found in the book Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. He talks about having your own personal limo driver that offers to drive you all around New York City. Nothing to do but let him/her drive us through the traffic and allow us to enjoy the sights. Would we ask this person to take the passenger seat and then take control of the car ourselves, having to drive ourselves through the chaotic streets? I would hope not. The object would be to have them in control while we enjoy the sights. He also mentions that some people hire house cleaners, yet they themselves do some serious cleaning before the cleaner even gets there! Why not leave the cleaning in control of the person they've hired and enjoy the benefits of leaving it to them for a clean house?
I believe this is a great lesson to be learned. For many of us, life is good already. How much better can it be though, if we would be able to get out of our own way in life, and leave the control to the One who has all of the answers? It's a question I'm willing to see answered. I believe the result will be blessings from above. And I'll be much nicer when I drive : )
Have an excellent day!
By all means, I am not proud of the above behavior. I have come a long way, but still have miles to go. When I thought about this the other day, I thought about how God must feel with me sometimes. How many times does He have a positive "destination" for my life only for me to get in the way and try to do things myself. If I just pulled over and got out of the way it would be easier for Him to do His will in my life. The ultimate result is more blessing for me and those around me.
God is so willing and able to do miracles in my life and yours. His power is so readily available. So why do I often ignore it and do things my way? A great example of this idea is found in the book Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. He talks about having your own personal limo driver that offers to drive you all around New York City. Nothing to do but let him/her drive us through the traffic and allow us to enjoy the sights. Would we ask this person to take the passenger seat and then take control of the car ourselves, having to drive ourselves through the chaotic streets? I would hope not. The object would be to have them in control while we enjoy the sights. He also mentions that some people hire house cleaners, yet they themselves do some serious cleaning before the cleaner even gets there! Why not leave the cleaning in control of the person they've hired and enjoy the benefits of leaving it to them for a clean house?
I believe this is a great lesson to be learned. For many of us, life is good already. How much better can it be though, if we would be able to get out of our own way in life, and leave the control to the One who has all of the answers? It's a question I'm willing to see answered. I believe the result will be blessings from above. And I'll be much nicer when I drive : )
Have an excellent day!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Lessons From Mexico
I have been away from this blog site recently because I took a week-long trip to Mexico City. I title this blog Positive Power and would be remiss if I did not include powerful lessons learned on this trip.
I went with my church and an organization called Operation Serve International. The goal is to minister to people in some of the poorest areas of the city by providing medical, dental, and optical care they would not normally have access to. We also ministered to the children, and helped a local church and those living in the area. Another important aspect is to share the love of God and make them aware of how their lives can change by having a personal relationship with Christ.
This trip had powerful impacts on many lives we administered to. What I didn't expect, was the powerful impact it had on my own life. I was able to expereince a new culture and meet some great people. I speak Spanish, so I was able to have some excellent convsersations with some of the locals and help my teammates do the same as well. Throughout the trip, I learned two great lessons:
1. The power of team work. I came with people from my church (11 people). We also worked with other churches from Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and England. Together we were a group of about 60. Besides making many new friends for life, I had never seen a greater display of team work. The reason it was so effective is that every person used their God-given talents to the best of their ability. No one complained that others did things better, or that they did too much or too little. Everyone was thankful of the talents they could offer, and utilized them to the best of their ability.
2. The power of the small things. As mentioned, I am able to speak Spanish, so I was able to converse with many of the locals. In several cases, I made small compliments that I would make to anyone. The impacts of those were unbelievable. I recall a woman who came to our medical station. She was shy and nervous, head down and shoulders hunched. She had a tatoo on her shoulder. I asked about it and at the end of her visit complimented the beautiful tatoo. Her demeanor completely changed, and a bright smile lit up her face. She left with her head up, and the smile never disappeared. It showed me how something so simple could have such a powerful impact. The lesson is that those little things don't only impact the poor of Mexico. They can be used daily in our own lives and can impact anyone around us.
This is a trip I will never forget. I will have pictures of the people I met and worked with and my mind forever. Chances are that I will have this opportunity again. However, these opportunities are in our lives everyday. By using our God-given talents (however few or many there are) to the best of our abilities, we can be great team players and make great impacts in our own worlds. Also, we need to know that even the smallest gestures of kindness can have the greatest impacts to those around us. They go a long, long way.
I thank God regularly for this opportunity. I already miss Mexico City and can't wait to get back there again. However, I know that I can apply what I learned in my own city as well. Anyone can.
Have an excellent day : )
I went with my church and an organization called Operation Serve International. The goal is to minister to people in some of the poorest areas of the city by providing medical, dental, and optical care they would not normally have access to. We also ministered to the children, and helped a local church and those living in the area. Another important aspect is to share the love of God and make them aware of how their lives can change by having a personal relationship with Christ.
This trip had powerful impacts on many lives we administered to. What I didn't expect, was the powerful impact it had on my own life. I was able to expereince a new culture and meet some great people. I speak Spanish, so I was able to have some excellent convsersations with some of the locals and help my teammates do the same as well. Throughout the trip, I learned two great lessons:
1. The power of team work. I came with people from my church (11 people). We also worked with other churches from Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and England. Together we were a group of about 60. Besides making many new friends for life, I had never seen a greater display of team work. The reason it was so effective is that every person used their God-given talents to the best of their ability. No one complained that others did things better, or that they did too much or too little. Everyone was thankful of the talents they could offer, and utilized them to the best of their ability.
2. The power of the small things. As mentioned, I am able to speak Spanish, so I was able to converse with many of the locals. In several cases, I made small compliments that I would make to anyone. The impacts of those were unbelievable. I recall a woman who came to our medical station. She was shy and nervous, head down and shoulders hunched. She had a tatoo on her shoulder. I asked about it and at the end of her visit complimented the beautiful tatoo. Her demeanor completely changed, and a bright smile lit up her face. She left with her head up, and the smile never disappeared. It showed me how something so simple could have such a powerful impact. The lesson is that those little things don't only impact the poor of Mexico. They can be used daily in our own lives and can impact anyone around us.
This is a trip I will never forget. I will have pictures of the people I met and worked with and my mind forever. Chances are that I will have this opportunity again. However, these opportunities are in our lives everyday. By using our God-given talents (however few or many there are) to the best of our abilities, we can be great team players and make great impacts in our own worlds. Also, we need to know that even the smallest gestures of kindness can have the greatest impacts to those around us. They go a long, long way.
I thank God regularly for this opportunity. I already miss Mexico City and can't wait to get back there again. However, I know that I can apply what I learned in my own city as well. Anyone can.
Have an excellent day : )
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
What Are You Thinking?
The question in the title is always an intriguing one. We are usually very curious about what someone else may be thinking, whether it is about us or any other topic. The answers to the question can be as interesting as curiosity that peaqued our question in the first place.
I present this question for a reason besides being curious about what you are thinking at the moment. Instead, I ask because many of my recent reading material suggests that we focus on what we are thinking on a regular basis. The information suggests that we have full control of the thoughts that enter our mind, and it is up to us to keep them positive.
Easier said than done? At first, one may be tempted to answer yes. However, the more I practice and experience the benefits of controlling my thoughts, the more natural it becomes. I realize more each day that by keeping my thoughts positive, I experience more of the positive in my life. The same is true for anyone else. I need to say that I don't believe we could or should completely avoid negative thoughts. It is nearly impossible to do so, and I believe we can use them to learn from difficult situations and creative positive outcomes from them.
At this point, many would ask, "what do I think about?" or "what is a good method I can use to keep my thoughts positive, especially when a great deal of negative is occuring around me?" In my opinion, the best way to start is by following St. Paul's advice from Philippians 4:8. It says: whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
I have found that it is a two step process. The first is to focus on the things noted above. The second is to stop at times during the day and actually take periodic time-outs. I find that it helps to just stop and think about peaceful, pure, and praiseworthy thoughts, even if it's only for a few minutes at a time. It is amazing how it keeps my perspective positive. The result is a more positive and productive day for me, and for those around me.
So now I ask again. What are you thinking? I suggest you try, as much as possible, to focus on the Biblical instructions from the Philippians verse. I believe you will be blessed if you do.
Have an excellent day : )
I present this question for a reason besides being curious about what you are thinking at the moment. Instead, I ask because many of my recent reading material suggests that we focus on what we are thinking on a regular basis. The information suggests that we have full control of the thoughts that enter our mind, and it is up to us to keep them positive.
Easier said than done? At first, one may be tempted to answer yes. However, the more I practice and experience the benefits of controlling my thoughts, the more natural it becomes. I realize more each day that by keeping my thoughts positive, I experience more of the positive in my life. The same is true for anyone else. I need to say that I don't believe we could or should completely avoid negative thoughts. It is nearly impossible to do so, and I believe we can use them to learn from difficult situations and creative positive outcomes from them.
At this point, many would ask, "what do I think about?" or "what is a good method I can use to keep my thoughts positive, especially when a great deal of negative is occuring around me?" In my opinion, the best way to start is by following St. Paul's advice from Philippians 4:8. It says: whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
I have found that it is a two step process. The first is to focus on the things noted above. The second is to stop at times during the day and actually take periodic time-outs. I find that it helps to just stop and think about peaceful, pure, and praiseworthy thoughts, even if it's only for a few minutes at a time. It is amazing how it keeps my perspective positive. The result is a more positive and productive day for me, and for those around me.
So now I ask again. What are you thinking? I suggest you try, as much as possible, to focus on the Biblical instructions from the Philippians verse. I believe you will be blessed if you do.
Have an excellent day : )
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