When do you decide that you’re good enough? Are you only satisfied with yourself when you’ve reached the goal you set for yourself? Maybe you finally lost those (fill in the blank) pounds. Or you gave that presentation at work. Or you finished making that craft project you’ve been working on for years. You pat yourself on the back because, …
In Others’ Words: The Right Time to Quit
I have always been intrigued by this particular passage of Scripture: Cease striving and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10 NASB) Of course, this isn’t the only passage of Scripture that intrigues me, but it’s the one that’s got my attention right now. Cease striving. Aren’t we supposed to work hard? Aren’t we supposed to keep at it? Aren’t …
In Others’ Wisdom: The Wisdom of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sometimes a person’s legacy is left behind in the lives of those they influenced. And sometimes a person’s legacy is heard in the echoes of words they said. Maybe that’s why I am such a quote aficionado. Today is set aside to remember Martin Luther King, Jr, a man most famously known for the words, “I have a dream … “ …
In Others’ Words: Leave a Message, Please
There’s a lot of wisdom in today’s quote, don’t you think? And I love that it’s wrapped up in just a touch of humor. The past is a tricky thing. We have to learn from it. And sometimes our heart is comforted, even blessed, by a walk down memory lane. But sometimes . . . well, the past shows up …
In Others’ Words: From Failure to Failure
People like to talk about success — they like to bandy about different definitions for it. Success is this. Success is that. And they’re all usually talking about something as far from failure as you can get. I’ve been reading Alton Gansky’s book Imagination @ Work. (Alton’s a friend and a colleague. I admire him. Even if I didn’t know …
In Others’ Words: Wrinkles
Wrinkles. Yes, I notice them when I look in the mirror. I don’t care for them, but I don’t post whiny comments on Facebook or lament about them in my journal because, well, what am I going to do? Botox? I don’t think so. When I look in the mirror I see me — not my age. But the reality …
In Others’ Words: No Waiting Necessary
I read The Diary of Anne Frank in middle school. I thought Anne was so brave, even as I wrestled with comprehending that she was only one of the children killed during the Jewish Holocaust. What kind of madness destroys the lives of over one million innocent children? Anne Frank penned those words about not waiting to improve the world as …
In Others’ Words: Beyond Happiness
There were years I waited and watched for happiness. Hoped for happiness. And then … well, I wanted more. Happiness doesn’t stick around very long. It’s a minute by minute occurrence. Circumstantial. And I can’t control my circumstances. But oh, I’ve discovered I’ve changed through years of great happiness and great unhappiness — both fleeting. And I’ve discovered I can …
In Others’ Words: In Everything …
Two words stand out to me in Psalm 9:1 — the word whole and the word recount. As I thought through Psalm 9:1, I wondered: Do I ever give half-hearted thanks to God? Or do I ever forget to thank him altogether? And then there’s that idea of recounting … when I took a closer look at what the Hebrew …
In Others’ Words: Talent
There’s something to be said for talent. I do believe talent counts for something — a lot of things. Talent is the first thing that opens doors for us — the first thing that catches someone’s eye. You join a choir or an art class or write a short story for middle school English class … and someone — a …