Share your Best Seeds

"There was a farmer who grew excellent quality corn. Every year he won the award for the best grown corn.

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.

“Why sir,” said the farmer, “Didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”

So is with our lives... Those who want to live meaningfully and well must help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches.

Prayer - Submitting to God's Will

I had to talk to God this morning about a hope that had not yet materialized.   As I prayed God's presence came in and flooded my soul....... This was my prayer: 

"God, I know that trials are painful circumstances allowed by you to change my conduct and my character.

So, God, I am going to submit to it.  I am going to accept it.  I am going to embrace it. You are a good and loving God.  You have allowed this for a purpose.  You are using it to refine me.  Your work is not finished yet.  My prayer will be answered according to your will.  I will not resist, rebel or resent.  I will not become bitter.

Forgive me God.  Forgive me for thinking I know better than you.  Forgive me for thinking I could have made a better plan, that I could have got there a better way.  Forgive me for my stubbornness.  I love you and I want to be in submission to you.  I want to embrace what you allow.

I fear this spiraling road.  So I stop here and now.  I hate the bitterness in myself.  Cleanse my heart of that resistance and stubbornness. Lord, I lift the hands that hang down.

Help me as I submit to you.  You are all that I need.  You are all that I want.  Nothing else really matters.  Help me as I draw close to you.  I choose to accept what you allow."

Forgiveness - One thing evil cannot stand

In the book, The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers, Amy Hollingsworth relates a story Mr. Rogers told her about one of his professors, Dr. William Orr. 

Fred Rogers had gone to see Dr. Orr, toward the end of his life after a stroke left him partially paralyzed, but his professor was still bright in mind and spirit. Mr. Rogers asked Dr. Orr about something that was on his mind from the Sunday morning worship service he and his wife had attended earlier that day. One of the hymns had been Martin Luther’s A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. What puzzled Mr. Rogers was the verse that says:

         
The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him;

his rage we can endure, for lo! his doom is sure, 
one little word shall fell him.  

 “Dr. Orr,” Fred Rogers asked, “what is the one little word that will fell the prince of darkness?" After a quiet moment, the professor answered “Forgiveness.  You know, Fred, there is one thing that evil cannot stand, and that's forgiveness.”

Forgive. It is one little word, but it turns out to be the gift to you, not so much a gift to the person you are forgiving. Forgiveness reaches to both people.  In forgiveness, there is the absence of all evil. Because there is one thing evil cannot stand, and that's forgiveness. 

Guilt - Even a Child Can Suffer From Guilt

My eleven year old niece was riding to church with me and asked, "Aunt Paula, can I ask you a question? What do you do when you have done something wrong and have asked forgiveness but the memory of it keeps coming to your mind?"  Her question rocked me. At the time I was going through my own struggle with guilt, but she is not even a teenager yet. It showed me the enemy does not wait until we are adults to start tormenting us with guilt and shame. He tries to get his ugly tormenting thoughts into our mind as soon as he can.

I explained through my own experience that condemnation was one of Satan's greatest tools he uses against us. It is an attack on our mind. Although we wish many times we could go back and change some things, some of the choices we make do have consequences, but if you have done all you can do to make it right, then you have to believe that what the devil would like to use to destroy us God will turn it for our good, whether it be a lesson learned, or to lead us toward a different path, or make new friends. The Bible tells to cast down every thought that is not from God as it comes into our mind. Even if we have to physically take our hand and pretend to pull something out of our head. We have to do whatever it takes to tear down those thoughts that try to destroy our peace of mind.

2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Why do you think God wants us to be new creations? Because He does not want your past to be a part of you anymore!

Psalms 103:12, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."

Now that our past failures have been forgiven, we need to leave them there and press forward towards the things God has for us:

Philippines 3:13, "...this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before."

A Hole In My Sidewalk

I came across this poem by Portia Nelson, "An Autobiography In Five Chapters" . It describes so well my own journey in life. No matter how much you may feel like you will always keep making the same mistakes over and over again there is hope. The ability to change old patterns lies within you.  It is ultimately up to you to see the hole, to make a change, and walk down a different path ......


‘I walk down the street. There’s a hole in the pavement and I fall in. I’m lost; it isn’t my fault. It takes forever to get out. 


I walk down the street again. There’s a hole in the pavement but I pretend I don’t see it, so I fall in again. I can’t believe I’m in the same place; still, it isn’t my fault. 


I walk down the street again. There’s a hole in the pavement. I see it, but I still fall in – it’s a habit. But now my eyes are open and I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately. 


I walk down the street. There’s a hole in the pavement. I walk around it. 


Finally, I walk down a different street.’ 

Everyday Life Lessons

Here are 60 quotes gathered from our sister site, Everyday Life Lessons, to empower you to take action, navigate through life’s challenges, and get things done.

1. Just because you are struggling does NOT mean you are failing.  Every great success requires some kind of struggle to get there.
2. It doesn’t matter if you’ve failed or if you’ve been beaten.  All that matters is that you learn something, get back up, and try again.  Because winning is a good feeling, but winning when nobody else thought you could is an awesome feeling.
3. Stop beating yourself up.  You are a work in progress; which means you get there a little at a time, not all at once.  Read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
4. ‘Finished last’ will always be better than ‘Did not finish’, which always trumps ‘Did not start.’
5. Don’t think too much, or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.
6. Thinking too long about doing something is often the reason it never gets done.
7. If you truly want to change your life, you must first change your mind.
8. Most great things in your life won’t happen by chance, they will happen by choice.
9. Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin.  Beginning makes the conditions perfect.
10. Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.
11. There are seven days in the week and someday isn’t one of them.
12. You don’t have to be great to get started, but you do have to get started to be great.
13. Sitting on the right track is equivalent to racing down the wrong track.
14. Procrastinators who say, “There’s always tomorrow!” deny the reality that one day, they will be wrong.
15. Do something today that your future self will thank you for.
16. It’s easier to take a small action now instead of a big action ‘some day.’
17. What you do every day matters more than what you do every once in a while.
18. The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists.  It rewards people who get things done.
19. If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way.  If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.
20. The best way to prepare for the future is to take care of the present.
21. Don’t forget what happened, but understand that you cannot move forward while looking backwards.
22. Don’t carry your mistakes around with you.  Instead, place them under your feet and use them as stepping stones.
23. Mistakes teach you important lessons.  Every time you make one, you’re one step closer to your goal.  The only mistake that can truly hurt you is choosing to do nothing simply because you’re too scared to make a mistake.
24. Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.
25. No matter how many mistakes you make, or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.
26. Your mistakes should be your motivation, not your excuses.
27. Past mistakes should teach you to create a wonderful future; not cause you to be afraid of it.
28. Don’t get caught up in wasted potential from years past.  Potential is all we ever have.  Read The Power of Now.
29. No matter how long you have traveled in the wrong direction, you always have the choice to turn around.
30. You don’t drown by falling in the water.  You drown by staying there.
31. Stop looking back at the door shutting behind you before you walk past the door opening in front of you.
32. Growth begins at the end of your comfort zone.
33. Being uncomfortable and uncertain is part of learning and growing.  Get used to it.  It’s worth it.
34. In order to be creative, we must lose our fear of being wrong.
35. Take a chance on the opportunities your gut says are good, because some things only happen once.
36. Don’t let your fear of what could happen make nothing happen.
37. If you want to fly, you have to give up the things that weigh you down.
38. When you stop worrying about what you can’t control, you have time to change the things you can control.
39. When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you.
40. You might think you’re not good enough, but you’ll surprise yourself when you try.
41. People seldom do things to the best of their ability.  They do things to the best of their willingness.
42. Don’t worry about others doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
43. You’ll never reach your destination if you keep stopping to tell everyone where you’ve been and what you’ve accomplished.
44. If you are still talking about what you did yesterday, you haven’t done much today.
45. “Time changes everything.”  That’s what people say, but it’s not really true.  Doing things changes things.  Not doing things leaves things exactly as they were.
46. Every day we are faced with great opportunities disguised as difficult circumstances.
47. There is a hidden treasure inside every problem.  It’s your job to find it.
48. Nothing is impossible. The word itself says “I’m Possible.”
49. If you want to get over a problem, stop mulling it over and talking about it.  Your mind affects your mouth, and your mouth affects your mind.  It’s nearly impossible to move beyond something when you’re obsessing over it.
50. Worrying is like a rocking in a chair: it keeps you busy, but doesn’t get you anywhere.
51. Being defeated is often a temporary condition.  Giving up is what makes it permanent.
52. The one who wins the race in the long run is usually not the strongest or the fastest, but the one who has tried the hardest.
53. Often it’s the deepest pain which empowers you to grow into your highest self.
54. The one who falls and gets up is so much stronger than the one who never fell.
55. The only difference between an obstacle and an opportunity is your attitude.  Read How Full Is Your Bucket?
56. When something bad happens, you can either let it define you, let it destroy you or let it strengthen you.  The choice is yours.
57. You have three choices in life: Give up, give in, or give it all you’ve got.
58. Don’t look back and ask, “Why?” Look ahead and ask, “Why not?”  When it comes to your dreams and goals, be too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful, and too determined to be defeated.
59. No matter how many times you break down, there should always be a little voice inside you that says, “NO, you’re not done yet!  Get back up!”  That’s the voice of passion and courage.
60. Approach the start of each day with one goal and end the day with one word: DONE!

And here’s a few bonus quotes from successful entrepreneurs who inspire us:

• “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” -H.E. Luccock
• “If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake.” -F. Wikzek
• “I do not equate productivity to happiness. For most people, happiness is a massive amount of achievement plus a massive amount of appreciation. And you need both of those things.” -Timothy Ferriss
• “The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.” —Arnold Toynbee
• “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” —Winston Churchill
• “Always make your future bigger than your past.” —Dan Sullivan
• “Remember the difference between a boss and a leader: a boss says ‘Go!’, a leader says ‘Let’s go!’” —E.M. Kelly

Why I Follow Jesus

If I have problems even after I become a Christian, what is the point of following Him?

I follow Jesus not because I want a magical genie, granting my every wish, or a knight on a white horse rescuing me when I am in trouble.

I follow Jesus not because I think it will make me wealthy, or keep bad things from happening to me.

I follow Him because I believe that He is God. 

In life, he showed me how to live.  

In death, he shows me his mercy. 

In his resurrection, He shows me hope.

For that I love Him, and I will follow Him.

Jesus said "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6).

He either is, or He isn't.   I believe He is.