One sure way to be happy in life and at work is show others kindness. It is amazing how much good it does us to show others kindness. I know we all are capable of this because we all do it some of the time, and when we do show another a genuine act of kindness , it always makes us feel all good and happy inside. The challenge for all of us, including me, is to be that kind, giving, caring, unselfish person all the time. I think the following words of encouragement can help me and you do that…
Chuck Swindoll writes:
In our pocket of society where, relatively speaking, pampered affluence is rampant, we are often at a loss to know what kind of gifts to buy our friends and loved ones on special occasions. For some people (especially those who “have everything”), the standard gift won’t cut it. Nothing in the shopping mall catches our fancy.
I have a suggestion. It may not seem that expensive or sound very novel, but believe me, it works every time. It’s one of those gifts that has great value but no price tag. It can’t be lost nor will it ever be forgotten. No problem with size, either. It fits all shapes, any age, and every personality. This ideal gift is . . . yourself. Don’t forget the unusual value of kindness. That’s right, give some of yourself away:
• Give an hour of your time to someone who needs you.
• Give a note of encouragement to someone feeling down.
• Give a hug of affirmation to someone in your family.
• Give some time to someone who is lonely.
• Give a meal to someone who is sick.
• Give a word of compassion to someone who has suffered a loss.
• Give a second chance to the fallen.
• Give a deed of thoughtfulness to someone who is often overlooked.
• Give a gentle response to the frustrated.
In the words of Ephesians 4:32, be kind. My sister Luci paraphrases this verse, “Just be nice.”
Covering all the one another commands of the Bible (and there’s a lot of them!) is the umbrella of kindness. Kindness braids mercy and grace, humility and gentleness all together. Kindness gives grace, requires humility, and asks that we think of others before ourselves.
Ever notice that kindness is most appreciated when life has gone sideways? When you’re having “one of those days,” kindness speaks that thoughtful word and draws you back like a lifeline.
Who should the world look to as a model of kindness but the body of Christ? Unfortunately, ask the man on the street how he would describe the Christians he knows and I dare say kind would not be his first or even his second response. I say we change that.
Kindness is something you and I can do today. A gentle response. Being the first to forgive. Giving the gift of time, compassion, and thoughtfulness. In ordinary ways, we can give ourselves away and, by doing so, model God’s agape love. Remember 1 Corinthians 13:4-”Love is kind.”
Look for ways today to give ordinary kindness, and you’ll find there’s nothing ordinary about it. And, you will be happy in life and at work!
We have all heard people say that “the world’s a tough place” or “it’s a dog-eat-dog world”, and maybe those folks are right. But, I believe living a happy life at home and at work is still very possible. I have spoken to many folks and ask them “are you happy”. If they say yes, I ask why. If they say “not really” or “not totally”, I ask why. After listening to literally hundreds of responses, I thought it might be helpful to craft a list a list of practical steps or principles one can use to get and stay on a path to living a happier life at home and at work. Here it is:
Be purposseful about finding pleasure in the simple things in life…at home and at work.
Make the best of your circumstances; no one has everything, and everyone has something. You will experience joy intermingled with sorrow; allow laughter to outweigh the tears!
Don’t take yourself too seriously; but take serving and being kind to others very seriously.
Understand that you can’t please everyone, so don’t let criticism worry you.
Don’t allow the world to set the standard for you. God says simply, be holy because I am holy. Let God’s standard guide your thoughts, words, choices, and actions.
Pursue your dream(s); the things that energize you…but stay out of debt.
Never borrow trouble; imaginary trials are much harder to bear than real ones.
Jealousy, gossip, and hate can poison the heart and soul; don’t practice any of these and avoid those who do.
Always continue to learn and grow personally, professionally, and spiritually; read, pray, travel, and participate in many activities and interests.
Don’t hold postmortems; don’t brood over sorrows, regrets, or mistakes. Pray and move your feet!
Be a humble, obedient servant; use all that God has blessed you with to be a blessing to those less fortunate.
Take care of yourself; maintain a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and get the rest you need.
Give it a try; invite your family and work associates to join you. Practice these practical steps and start living a happier life at home and at work.
If you are unhappy, lonely, feeling down, discouraged, depressed, or disillusioned, I encourage you to please read and meditate on these words…God breathed through the prophet Isaiah. If you will take the time to do so, you will begin to feel restored, refreshed, and recharged. Whatever has happened, or is happening in your life to cause you to lose hope, God wants to change that. he wants to fill you with his spirit, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of life, joy, and peace. He wants to rebuild, restore, and renew your life as only he can do, and then he wants you to rejoice and be happy in life and at work!
The Year of the LORD’s Favor – Isaiah 61
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the LORD,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of their shame
my people will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
they will rejoice in their inheritance;
and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,
and everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 “For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and iniquity.
In my faithfulness I will reward them
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the LORD has blessed.”
10 I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise
spring up before all nations.
“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)
A man was exploring caves by the Seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn’t look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could. He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock . Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!
Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left.
Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!
It’s like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn’t look like much from the outside.. It isn’t always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it and move on, never bothering to discover what is inside.
We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful, colorful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.
There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth. May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.
I am so blessed by the gems of friendship I have, and am very thankful to my friends who have chosen to look beyond my clay vessel. Please appreciate every single friend you have; life is too short and friends are too few! Take the time to discover what’s inside. If you do this you will be happy in life and at work!
Please feel free to pass this on to another Clay Ball! And remember, do not ask God to to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet.
The family is the most important institution and organization in the world today. As the health of our families have declined, so has our society. Today most families are chaotic, scattered, disorganized, frantic, confused and stressful. Does this sound familiar to you? Be honest. I know it does to me. The result of this is a structureless, directionless, and dare I say unhappy family. A family where no one really knows one another intimately because we never have or take the time to communicate about dreams, goals, priorities, victories, failures, challenges, or feelings.
Families are very important. Families are important to our society and world. And, families are very important to God; he created them with a purpose, to provide for many of the personal, physical, and spiritual needs we all have.
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)
So, what can we all do to do create a healthy family? Put simply, stop the insanity. Literally stop, come together and talk to one another. Talk to one another about who we are as family, what makes us unique and special, what is important to us as a family, what we can do together, how we can live our family life to the fullest, etc.
I beleive that, if we would all be very intentional and purposeful in doing this we would have a chance to create a happy, healthy, full family life. And let’s face it, a happy family life can lead to a happy work life!
I was recently introduce to a great book that I believe can help us all accomplish this. The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family, by Patrick Lencioni, is written as a fable, using realistic and humorous characters and plot lines that will keep you turning pages with anticipation while you’re learning how to bring sanity to your family life. And you’ll be amazed how just a little bit of structure and a few minutes of follow-through each week can make the difference between stressful chaos and fulfillment at home. I encourage you to read it with your spouse and talk about how the ideas Lencioni introduces might help you be happy in life and at work.
As Good Friday and Easter appraoch, I thought it would be good to examine what Jesus taught us about brokenness and renewal.
“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many” (Mark 14:22-24)
Years ago, I learned a simple lesson that I pray will help you today. If you or I want to be blessed, contented, or encouraged, we first need to be broken.
Earlier, in Mark chapter 6, Jesus fed the five thousand; He broke the bread and blessed it, and the disciples distributed the food to everyone. This breaking, blessing, and distributing of bread brought life. And now, Jesus is taking the bread and breaking it as a symbol of His imminent death; a symbol that still resonates in our lives to this day when we take communion. Before blessing comes brokenness. It was that way in Jesus’ life and it will sometimes be that way in my life and in your life.
Brokenness hurts. Trials are no fun; trust me, I know. But in our broken and difficult times, God reveals himself to you and me in wonderful, powerful ways; ways that you wouldn’t otherwise see. He wants to teach us things beyond our imagination. He wants to show us how to live and what it means to live by faith; trusting fully in him. Guess what happens when you break in a horse? Yep, you got it. Among many things, that horse becomes your companion, useful for so many things. Now, I’m not saying that you all are horses, but I think you get the picture.
The brokenness of Jesus brought about eternal life! Any amount of brokenness you or I experience cannot compare to his brokenness and awesome sacrifice for our sins. So, I encourage you to look at the trials and brokenness that comes your way differently; don’t ask “why”, instead ask “What does God want to teach me?” Open your heart to him and to learning and growing from the trials and times of brokenness that come your way. God will doing amazing things in your life. Draw closer to him and allow him to draw closer to you; experience and embrace those broken times and be ready for the blessings to flow. When you do this, you will be happy in life and at work!
I hope these scriptures will be an encouragement to you:
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart; these, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).
“The Lord is close to the broken hearted, And saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
The following post is from the Wednesday, March 3, 2010 TGIF Volume 1 by Os Hillman.
“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” – Hebrews 12:15
In business and life the opportunity to harbor bitterness for a wrong suffered is great. We are given plenty of opportunities to grow bitter from relationships that bring hurt and pain. The writer of the Hebrews passage above admonishes us not to miss the grace of God so that we won’t take up bitterness as a response to life’s pain. He cautions us against this because he knows that a bitter root grows and grows until it eventually defiles many others through a wake, no a tsunami, of bitterness. If bitterness is allowed to take root, we become imprisoned to it. God’s grace will no longer have as great an effect in our lives, not because God’s grace is not sufficient, but because we chose to hold onto and carry the bitterness. And, like a big rock it weighs us down; we become ineffective, insensitive, and spiritually dead. we can even become physically ill from it. God does not live in bitterness. He lives in in grace and in freedom. he has provided grace for every person, you included, to walk in and to be free from bitterness.
Consider the person (could be you or me), who one day is is challenged to deal with an individual who hurt them terribly. They are faced with a decision. Do they choose bitterness, or do they choose grace? Oh, how their natural tendency is to choose bitterness. But God provides them with the courage to choose grace, and with that grace comes freedom – a freedom to love and even accept the person who was the source of such great pain.
This is the real place where Christ’s power is most revealed. We cannot live without his supernatural grace. Are you in need of grace today? It is there for the receiving. It will take courage to accept it and walk in it. This will be your step to freedom and to living a victorious life!
I love the sunshine! Who doesn’t? But, the reality is sometimes it rains…on all of us; But unlike the weather, we seldom receive a forecast for the the rain and storms of life. We can basking in the sunshine of life and wham, next thing we know we are in the middle of a raging storm complete with torrential rain, strong winds, booming thunder, and frieghtening bolts of lightening. We can go from feeling happy and safe to being lost, confused, sad, hurt, angry, or bitter. The storms of life can really knock us off course, and in some cases make us fear that we will never be able to find our way back home.
When this happens, how do we weather the storm? How do we maintain our bearings? How do we make it back home safely? I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I hope this video will provide you with a better understanding of the storms in your life and offer you encouragement that, even in the worst of storms, there is a way to get back home safely.
“A sculptor does not use a ‘manicure set’ to reduce the crude, unshapely marble to a thing of beauty. The saw, the hammer and the chisel are cruel tools, but without them the rough stone must remain forever formless and unbeautiful. To do His supreme work of grace within you, God will take from your heart everything you love most. Everything you trust in will go from you. Piles of ashes will lie where your most precious treasures used to be!” (A.W.Tozer)
I love this Tozer quote which is used in the opening monologue of the movie the Heart Of Texas”. Today’s thought is not about this movie, but I would highly reccomend seeing it; to see a promo, click hear.
Now, back to the message for this post…
How do you respond when your husband or wife, friends or family trample your emotions? When your child rebels? When you lose a big deal or important client? When your boss fires you unexpectedly? In this very difficult economy, you may have lost thousands in savings or in the value of your 401K or other investments? When disappointments like these smash into your life, you may want to scream, “How could God allow this to happen?”
But, what if God didn’t just “let it happen?” What if the things you treasure the most and hold on to the tightest are damaged or destroyed? What if what you call disappointments are really God’s appointments? What if like a skilled sculptor, He is using your disappointments like the sculptor’s hammer and chisel to chop and carve away the undesirable elements in your life, leaving you pure and radiant…His beautiful masterpiece?
Life’s disappointments can destroy you, or you can become stronger because of them. The dangerous spiral of disappointments can lead to discouragement, disillusionment, depression or even despair. But you can learn to break that cycle and embrace the disappointment and trails with a faith that recognizes that they are the hammer and chisel God uses to make you a reflection of Him. We can follow the selfish course of our natural reactions and be subtly trapped in a downward spiral that swiftly leads into depression and discouragement. Or, we can take those trials and count them all joy, knowing that our faith and endurance will be strengthened. Our disappointments are the stone that God will use to sculpt us as a sculptor would his rough stone. If we respond by taking the steps of trust, obedience and relying on His grace , we will discover that we are being sculpted into His masterpiece that reflects the radiance of His image and character. Knowing this, today as you face those trials or are in the pit of despair, what will be your decision? To continue on that road of despair, or make the turn and trust Him and His grace?
I offer these scriptures to encourage you:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”(James 1:2-4)
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”(Romans 8:28-29)
One sure way to be happy in life and at work is show others kindness. It is amazing how much good it does us to show others kindness. I know we all are capable of this because we all do it some of the time, and when we do show another a genuine act of kindness , it always makes us feel all good and happy inside. The challenge for all of us, including me, is to be that kind, giving, caring, unselfish person all the time. I think the following words of encouragement can help me and you do that…
• Give an hour of your time to someone who needs you.
Kindness is something you and I can do today. A gentle response. Being the first to forgive. Giving the gift of time, compassion, and thoughtfulness. In ordinary ways, we can give ourselves away and, by doing so, model God’s agape love. Remember 1 Corinthians 13:4-”Love is kind.”
If you are unhappy, lonely, feeling down, discouraged, depressed, or disillusioned, I encourage you to please read and meditate on these words…God breathed through the prophet Isaiah. If you will take the time to do so, you will begin to feel restored, refreshed, and recharged. Whatever has happened, or is happening in your life to cause you to lose hope, God wants to change that. he wants to fill you with his spirit, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of life, joy, and peace. He wants to rebuild, restore, and renew your life as only he can do, and then he wants you to rejoice and be happy in life and at work!
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
8 “For I, the LORD, love justice;
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
A man was exploring caves by the Seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn’t look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could. He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock . Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!
to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth. May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.
