Whether it’s losing weight, saving money, or trying to develop a new habit, we often give up because we don’t see results fast enough. In much of the western world, we are programmed for immediate gratification. I read recently that in the United States, 70% of economic growth comes from consumer spending. The huge advertising …
I don’t know about you, but I sometimes confuse how things are with how they should be, holding tightly to the latter in defiance of the former. Some very stubborn behavior has accompanied my insistence on enforcing “the principle of the thing.” Yesterday, I was walking with a friend and where the trail crossed a …
You could sense their hesitation as the captains took turns choosing their players. Of course, they’d started with the fastest and strongest, but at this point, we were well past the elite and down to the dregs. No doubt they’d have preferred to stop while ahead, but they were obligated to include everyone in the …
Have you ever felt like you were facing something that felt too big for you? It might have been graduating from high school or college. Or the responsibilities of parenthood after learning you had your first child on the way. Perhaps it was a job that felt a few sizes too big for you. When …
Have you ever seen a lion? Perhaps at the zoo? And how did it behave? When I was in South Africa a few years ago, I enjoyed a small safari on a wildlife refuge where we saw a number of lions. Lying placidly under a shade tree they seemed little threat. But when the food …
Do you know how much God cares about you? I mean, how much He cares about you personally, and not just as part of the world He created? I was thinking this morning about how God cares for us so much, He anticipates our needs even before we ask (Matthew 6:8). Sometimes He sends the …
One recent afternoon I was doing a little craft project for which I used a hot glue gun. The glue stuck to my fingers, along with the matted residue of what I was gluing, making quite a mess of my hands! It reminded me of the time I was using superglue as a kid, and …
As I looked out our window one recent evening, layers of billowy clouds fringed with light from the setting sun reminded me of Psalm 113:3, that says from the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised. When we awake in the morning, we can choose our …
On a recent neighborhood walk, I was amused to see an iconic banana peel lying on the sidewalk. Where do you see that outside of the slip-and-fall cliche in cartoons? Apparently the #BananaPeelChallenge went viral on social media five years ago, and many teens injured themselves attempting to replicate the 100,000+ social media likes one …
Ever had something wonderful happen in your life—something so good you could hardly believe it was happening? Maybe it was a great achievement, the birth of a child, or some other fortuitous event of significance. An oft-repeated theme in movies features an ordinary person who is either notified of an obscene inheritance or identified as …
As a preschooler, I bore a remarkable likeness to my big brother at that age. One day back then, a sepia family portrait on the wall caught my eye. I proudly pointed to the youngest male and proclaimed, “That’s ME!” Imagine my shock when my only brother, seven years older, remarked, “No it’s not. That’s …
To love my neighbor as myself, the implication’s clear; It will not work to hate myself, to be of any cheer. What does it take to reconcile conflicts hid deep within? How do I mute that voice inside, accusing me again? That critic harsh knows me too well; and crouching, lies in wait Until a …
