Freedom is not Free

Here in the United States, we celebrate this week our independence. What a great country with an abundance of freedoms and opportunities. I had the privilege of interviewing a WWII veteran this week for Live On Purpose Radio, and gained a greater appreciation for the cost of freedom. Zane Taylor has shared his story in a book called “Lesser Heroes”. He told stories about crawling on his belly as he tried to avoid machine gun fire, or digging a hole to hide in to avoid the shrapnel flying all around him. He left his home and family to watch his buddies die around him. Freedom is not free, it is a precious gift granted by others who paid a dear price for it. May we all remember those who gave it to us this 4th of July weekend!

The Cracked Pot

I heard this parable years ago, and then one of our subscribers brought it back to my attention recently.  It is a little longer than most M-Power messages, but worth the read.  Thanks Ken!

 

An  elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole  which she carried across her neck. One of  the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.     At the  end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived  only half full.   For a  full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a  half pots of water.     Of  course , the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.     But the  poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it  could only do half of what it had been made to do.   After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one  day by the stream     ’I am  ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all  the way back to your house.’   The old  woman smiled, ‘Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path,  but not on the other pot’s side?’     ’That’s  because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your  side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.’     For two  years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the  table.   Without  you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the  house.’   Each of  us has our own unique flaw. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have  that make our lives together so very interesting and  rewarding.   You’ve  just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in  them.     

 

Forward this one to all of your crack pot friends today.

Create The Advantage

My weeds have been teaching me some things.  A few days ago while I was out doing battle in my garden, I noticed that some of the weeds have very strong and deep roots, which makes them a little harder to pull, giving them a great advantage.  Others had roots that were not so deep, but very fragile.  This type was easy to pull, but would reappear from the broken root fragments only a few days later, giving them the advantage.  Either way, weeds seem to have adapted to the particular package that they have.  Whether your roots are deep or shallow, find a way to make the best of the package you have.  Create the advantage!

 

Camel or Crystal

A few years ago, Vicki and I visited the Canary Islands where we had the opportunity to ride a camel.  One thing I didn’t know before about camels is that they grumble and complain before responding to any command of the wrangler.  At first I thought we just ended up with a “bad attitude” camel, but then heard every camel in line responding in the same grumpy way.  In contrast, we have a sweet retriever mix in our family named Crystal.  I sometimes get up early in the morning to go walking, and even at 5:00 a.m. she wiggles enthusiastically and wags her tail, eager to join me.  What about you?  Today you have a choice to be a camel or a Crystal.

 

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Just Your Opinion

Everybody has an opinion.  Your opinion of yourself has a lot to do with how you feel on a daily basis.  My friend Kirk included an interesting thought within his e-mail today that said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”  People often confuse humility with having a poor opinion of yourself, but that is just as much a pride problem as thinking you are better than other people.  What you are really saying is that your own opinion is somehow better than, or superior to the opinion of others.  So your spouse thinks you are awesome but you think you stink.  Your friends think you are incredible but you think you’re miserable.  You think you are worthless but God thinks you have immeasurable worth.  Who is likely to be right?  Don’t cling so tightly to your own opinion that you remain stuck in your private captivity.  Opinions can change!

Graduating

My son, Ryan, will be graduating from High School this week.  It reminds me of a message I sent out a few years ago about moving to the next level.  You know how sometimes you are rolling along with life, feeling that you are getting your stride and figuring some things out when WHAM!  Something throws you for a loop, or you find yourself slipping back into some modes that you thought you were past.  I’ve talked with so many people who get discouraged when they see themselves struggling.  This is a common human experience - and it does NOT mean that you are failing.  It may mean that you are moving to a higher level.

 

Think about it like a video game.  In these games that my kids like so well, you always start out at the first level.  It can be a little challenging, but as you learn the game you get better at it.  When you master the first level, you move on to the next.  Suddenly, the game is more challenging.  You struggle a bit to succeed, which eventually happens and you move on to yet the next level where the game is again “kicking your trash” as my kids put it.  As you struggle with each level, your skill and confidence increases.  It is not that the game gets easier, but that your mastery of it increases.  Stop every once in a while to see the ground you’ve already covered in your life and learning.

 

Congratulations to Ryan, and all of those other graduates out there – best wishes on your next level!

Shake It Off

My good friend, Kirk Weisler, shared a great story this week that I think you will find relevant.  You can link into the original post here: http://kirkweisler.com/t4d/2008/05/19/dry-off-and-do-something-step-up/

 

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well.  The animal cried pitifully for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.  Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

 

The farmer invited all his neighbors to come over and help him.  They all grabbed a shovel and began to toss the dirt into the well.  At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly.  Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well.

He was astonished at what he saw.  With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing.  He would shake it off and then take a step up.  As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.  Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

 

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt.  The trick to getting out of the “well” is to shake it off and take a “step up.”  Each of our troubles is a stepping stone.  We can get out of the deepest of “wells” just by not stopping, never giving up!  I also love what Jeffrey R. Holland said about the various troubles we face in life.  He said, “no misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse.”

 

Shake it off and take a step up. 

 

 

Why Are They There?

Occasionally along the path to our dream we encounter giants that stand in our way and threaten us.  In a menacing way, they insist that we turn back, trying to discourage and intimidate.  These giants may be immovable objects, opposing individuals, sluggish systems, or crushing burdens.  In a scene from Harry Potter, the kids encounter a huge three-headed dog-like beast named “Fluffy”.  After fleeing from the beast, Hermione chides the boys a bit for not noticing that the beast was actually guarding something – a trap door.  Ask yourself what your particular giant is guarding.  Only by moving beyond and through the giants can we attain the dream.  Sometimes the brick walls are there only to test how badly we want something.  Make sure you have something bigger than your giant on your side – namely your God, your resolve, and your dreams.

Flowers For The Living

This weekend is Mother’s Day.  It is also the time for a funeral for a neighbor of mine.  For both of these events, people will bring flowers.  I was having a chat with a good friend of mine last week about how sometimes we give the least to those who matter most.  He shared a story about a friend of his who died before he really was able to express his love and appreciation.  “Give em flowers while they’re living!” is Dino’s advice.  What a gift our life and relationships are.  Don’t be so caught up in the stuff of your life, that you fail to connect with the ones who mean the most to you.

Idle Worship

In biblical times, people were often warned of the evils and perils of idol worship.  While I think that we have tendencies toward that in today’s world as well, another problem that saps the strength of some of our best people is “idle” worship.  The allure of easy money, or of sitting idle and relying on the productivity of others has enticed many to pursue a course that actually creates more captivity.  Industry, creativity, and good old fashioned hard work are time-tested principles that can breathe the life back into a struggling economy.

 

Make something today!