Sharpen your ax
A couple days ago I recorded my video message of the day entitled "sharpen you ax". The gist of the message was how easy it is to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that we forget to slow down long enough to recharge our batteries. When we allow ourselves to get beat down physically, emotionally, and spiritually we lose sight of the beauty of the people and world we are surrounded by.
Many hear me say frequently that the way we see the world is not the way the world is but the way we are. If our minds are filled with bitterness and cynicism we will likely view the world as such, however, conversely if our minds are filled with peace, love, and joy then we will also see the world that way. Just imagineers our lives were a box of crayons and we could color it any color we choose. I wonder what color you would choose? Would it be a happy color, bright and filled with beauty, or would it be a dull color, lifeless and without hope. You see, we really do have the choice of how we color our lives and how we choose has serious implications and how we act.
What gets in the way from us having a life filled with peace, love, hope, and joy? In short the answer is LIFE. But with that being said let's take a look at some of our problems. Is the problem really the problem or is the reaction to the problem the problem. Think about that for just a moment. We live in a society that has instantaneous information. The information does not have to be true for it to be relevant. Matter of fact I would say that most of the information that surfaces instantly is false. Only after emotions get involved do we realize that the news was embellished by the social media feeding frenzy. That does not even have to be something on a national level, it can be personal between friends. Right this minute I could make up something ridiculous, post it on social media and it would create a buzz until people figured out it was false. By then the damage is done. Folks would jump on the negative bandwagon, share their angered thoughts, and allow their emotions to go from happy to mad in seconds. With the constant barrage of negative information it is no wonder that our ax gets dull and our lives get turned to stone. Is the problem the problem?
Now that I have set the stage let's look at life and how to adjust our view to where we can allow the positives back in. Anger and bitterness have a tighter control on our lives and actions than we realize. Life is like practicing for something that we are trying to improve our skills at. If we simply go through life allowing it to control us then our actions or reactions will reflect the practice that we put into it and our skill level will wane instead of grow. Unfocused ability is derived from unfocused practice. What we do positively we become better at. What we allow into our lives shapes what our lives look like. If you find yourself caught up in water cooler gossip at the office or the feeding frenzy of negative information, it is safe to say that your life is most likely filled with drama instead of peace. You all know my thoughts on drama, it does not just creep into your life, either you accept it, create it, or participate in it.
To have a life of peace we must stop long enough to see and feel that which is robbing us of our hopes and dreams. You see life is a series of choices and circumstances. There are a small amount of circumstances that we cannot change, but we do have total control as to how we react to those situations. I remember recently talking to a lady whom had allowed her life to be so filled with bitterness that she literally robbed herself and the people around her of any joy. She shared with me the story of her son being in a car wreck that left him invalid and how her whole focus on life changed. She now realizes how much love God placed in his yet how often we take it for granted. We discussed at length how people were praying for the things we all take for granted and what she would give to people to roll back time and appreciate her son and the time they had together. Now she speaks at churches about the power of love and how precious time truly is. The viewed her life and the people in it with such bitterness that she literally robbed herself and others of any hope and joy through her living her life as best as she could. Thank goodness God gives each of us another chance to sharpen our ax and make a difference and it is called tomorrow. My fervent hope is that you will take the time to sharpen your ax, change your view of the world, and color your life with such beauty that everyone around you is attracted by the light you display. Life is worth living the very moment you decide to live it.
peace be with you
Dale
Many hear me say frequently that the way we see the world is not the way the world is but the way we are. If our minds are filled with bitterness and cynicism we will likely view the world as such, however, conversely if our minds are filled with peace, love, and joy then we will also see the world that way. Just imagineers our lives were a box of crayons and we could color it any color we choose. I wonder what color you would choose? Would it be a happy color, bright and filled with beauty, or would it be a dull color, lifeless and without hope. You see, we really do have the choice of how we color our lives and how we choose has serious implications and how we act.
What gets in the way from us having a life filled with peace, love, hope, and joy? In short the answer is LIFE. But with that being said let's take a look at some of our problems. Is the problem really the problem or is the reaction to the problem the problem. Think about that for just a moment. We live in a society that has instantaneous information. The information does not have to be true for it to be relevant. Matter of fact I would say that most of the information that surfaces instantly is false. Only after emotions get involved do we realize that the news was embellished by the social media feeding frenzy. That does not even have to be something on a national level, it can be personal between friends. Right this minute I could make up something ridiculous, post it on social media and it would create a buzz until people figured out it was false. By then the damage is done. Folks would jump on the negative bandwagon, share their angered thoughts, and allow their emotions to go from happy to mad in seconds. With the constant barrage of negative information it is no wonder that our ax gets dull and our lives get turned to stone. Is the problem the problem?
Now that I have set the stage let's look at life and how to adjust our view to where we can allow the positives back in. Anger and bitterness have a tighter control on our lives and actions than we realize. Life is like practicing for something that we are trying to improve our skills at. If we simply go through life allowing it to control us then our actions or reactions will reflect the practice that we put into it and our skill level will wane instead of grow. Unfocused ability is derived from unfocused practice. What we do positively we become better at. What we allow into our lives shapes what our lives look like. If you find yourself caught up in water cooler gossip at the office or the feeding frenzy of negative information, it is safe to say that your life is most likely filled with drama instead of peace. You all know my thoughts on drama, it does not just creep into your life, either you accept it, create it, or participate in it.
To have a life of peace we must stop long enough to see and feel that which is robbing us of our hopes and dreams. You see life is a series of choices and circumstances. There are a small amount of circumstances that we cannot change, but we do have total control as to how we react to those situations. I remember recently talking to a lady whom had allowed her life to be so filled with bitterness that she literally robbed herself and the people around her of any joy. She shared with me the story of her son being in a car wreck that left him invalid and how her whole focus on life changed. She now realizes how much love God placed in his yet how often we take it for granted. We discussed at length how people were praying for the things we all take for granted and what she would give to people to roll back time and appreciate her son and the time they had together. Now she speaks at churches about the power of love and how precious time truly is. The viewed her life and the people in it with such bitterness that she literally robbed herself and others of any hope and joy through her living her life as best as she could. Thank goodness God gives each of us another chance to sharpen our ax and make a difference and it is called tomorrow. My fervent hope is that you will take the time to sharpen your ax, change your view of the world, and color your life with such beauty that everyone around you is attracted by the light you display. Life is worth living the very moment you decide to live it.
peace be with you
Dale
Comments