“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.” William James One year I was too optimistic as I purchased materials to make Christmas gifts. As it got closer to Christmas and I had not made as many gifts as I had expected, stress took its toll. My aunt suggested I prioritize my to-do list and then start at the top of the list. But then she added, “…be willing to let the items at the bottom of the list fall off if you can’t get to all of them.” Letting things ‘fall off my list’ was not something I was used to doing. Part of my problem with perfectionism was to always live up to my expectations of myself. When my health suffered from stress and lack of sleep I was forced to face facts, buy a few gifts and finish the hand-made gifts later. I was not wonder woman. The next year a friend told his story of having to select what he was reasonably able to accomplish following his wife’s death. He had three children, a business and was near completing his PhD, to say nothing of taking time to grieve and helping his children grieve. He called the process: Selective Neglect. But his secret to implementing Selective Neglect was not in neglecting, it was in selecting. Selecting is an art, not a science. Once I was open to seeking God’s will to help me select, I was able to let go of some things on my to-do list. But even more, prayer helped me reach a place where my self-image was not based on whether or not I finished a list.
Are you open to experimenting with Selective Neglect? Do you trust that Jesus cares about your stress? When faced with selecting what to neglect, who will you seek for help? Lord, thank you for Your patience with me as I’m still learning how to practice Selective Neglect. Amen “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.” Proverbs 19:20 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: William James (1842-1910), an American philosopher and psychologist who was also trained as a physician. He was the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. He is believed by many to be one of the most influential philosophers in the United States, while others have labeled him the "Father of American psychology".
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“It is Reason herself that teaches us not to rely on Reason only…our abstract conception of God cannot be supplied by Reason: she will be the first to tell you to go and try experience.” C.S. Lewis People told me if I gave up sugar I would think more clearly, as if a fog would be lifted and everything would become clear. I was skeptical about this, but I gave up sugar anyway for health reasons. Surprisingly, after sugar withdrawals of about five to six days, I experienced the effects. It felt as if I had taken off tinted glasses and was seeing differently, both in thought and judgement. A similar thing happened when I came to know Jesus personally. People told me although my circumstances would not likely change overnight, I would feel lighter, less weighed down by my troubles…I would be joyful, I would feel loved. After I genuinely gave up trying to control my life and turned it all over to Jesus, I no longer felt alone. I felt the companion of a guiding Light. All these analogies—fog, tinted glasses, lighter, loved, not alone, guiding light—were all only attempts to describe something that is indescribable. Words fail me when I try to explain a relationship with someone I can’t see or touch, and who can only be heard in my heart and mind, but not my ears. It would be like trying to describe the fourth dimension (omnipresence)…I can’t fully understand it so how can I describe it. In both cases, however, I needed to make a commitment in order to see the results described. I could not give up sugar except for my morning cereal. And I could not accept who Jesus is and still hold onto skeptical notions in case it wasn’t true. Neither of them would work without leting go of reason and genuinely experience it for myself. (The difference between experiencing sugar-free and God is, I can always eat sugar again but I can never un-know God once I've met Him.)
Are you trying to reason that God is real? Are you trying to reason that all that is said about God could not possibly be true? When are you going to personally experience it for yourself? (*) Lord, thank You for greeting me spirit-to-spirit even though I only had the smallest measure of faith in the beginning. Amen “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” Psalm 34:8 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), British novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, lay theologian, lecturer and Christian apologist. He held academic positions at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities (1925-63). Although most all of his published works (in four genres) are still in print, he is best known for The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Space Trilogy, Mere Christianity, Miracles, and The Problem of Pain. (*) A simple prayer, said with a sincere heart without reservation, is all it takes to meet God. An example might be: God, I don’t understand all about you or your son Jesus, but I want to! I give up trying to control my life…I’ve made a mess of it on my own, making all sorts of mistakes. I want to follow your lead all my life and try to live in a way that is pleasing to you, but I need your help. Please come into my life, forgive my mistakes, and be my Friend, my Savior and Lord. If you just prayed this prayer, feel free to contact me at [email protected] for support and encouragement. “We told her it was wrong to believe that the white people were somehow essentially superior to the black people, or the brown, or the red, or the yellow ones for that matter. People who thought that way were wrong to think that way…sometimes hateful, usually stupid, but always, always wrong.” William Rose, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner After a particularly large merger where I worked, thousands of people needed to learn to work together. As many organizations as possible had face-to-face meetings to meet the remote people they would be working with. At my meeting the leaders conducted an exercise, calling the people from one company "Blue" and those from the other company "Red" corresponding to the colors of their former company logos. It failed in its attempt to have us recognize our similarities and appreciate our differences. In fact, it had quite the opposite effect. It separated us into factions and began years of name-calling: “Pre-merger Red” or “Pre-merger Blue.” In essence it introduced segregation. It began the labeling of individuals with mistaken interpretations of the other company’s practices, policies, and procedures…in other words: it established prejudices. For years the merged company suffered from these problems. Only after years of working closely as individuals did the notion of our former company affiliation lose importance. As we worked on projects with each other, helping each other, and supporting each other in our common goals did we drop labels and name-calling. It breaks my heart to see a world divided by prejudice. Different areas in the world divide people groups differently. Some separate by the color of their skin, others by their religion or nationality, others by their social or economic standing, and still others by boarders and politics. But the one that hurts me the most is the political divisions; pitting families, friends, and neighbors against each other. I sometimes need to be reminded that God created us man and woman. He created us tall and short. He created a variety of colors of skin, hair, and eyes. But He didn’t create companies, countries, or governments. We may have different company backgrounds, different cultural history, and different political views, but are we that different...really? Have you been influenced by well-meaning people that have unwittingly caused a separation between you and others around you? Are you tired of the strife and name-calling? Will you take the first step to see people as individuals and not label them into groups?
Lord, thank You that we all are the same when it comes to our desire to live free and prosperous lives, leaving a better world for the next generation; even if we believe differently on how to achieve freedom and prosperity, and how we define ‘better.’ Amen “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united…” I Corinthians 1:10 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: William Rose (1918-1987), was an American screenwriter who wrote screenplays for British and Hollywood films. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the 1967 ground-breaking film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. “…we have to strip off from our idea of God some human attribute. But the only real reason for stripping off the human attribute is to make room for putting in some positive divine attribute.” C.S. Lewis Shortly after I became a Christian my younger sister, Joyce, began to disciple me. After learning the importance of daily prayer, I remember saying—with the hubris of a child—that "I am praying in the morning when God isn’t as busy.” The confused look on Joyce’s face caused me to continue with, “...since most people say their prayers before going to bed.” Joyce laughed, not at me but at the innocence of my desire to find a time when God wasn’t so busy. First she reminded me that it was morning and evening somewhere on earth every hour of the day. I felt silly. As a twenty-seven year old woman, I should have thought of that. I had returned to the patterned thoughts of a child, from when I was first introduced to prayer. Next, Joyce explained a completely new concept I had never considered: whenever we call on God in prayer we have God’s undivided attention. It is only us humans who are limited to concentrating on one thing at a time. All this time I was putting God in a box by putting human limitations on Him. It was hard to grasp the concept at that time…and still today I just take it as one of God’s many attributes that define His deity. But, I have never again been concerned about the time of day I pray, where I pray, who's watching, or whether or not God hears me. Have you ever questioned if God hears your prayers? Do you feel that if you don’t get what you asked for, it’s because there are too many other people that have more persistent prayers or more important requests? What other human limitation are you ascribing to God that diminishes your faith and trust in Him? Lord, may I always remember to speak to You in prayer with the confidence that You hear me and that I have Your undivided attention. Amen “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites....pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:5-6 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), British novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, lay theologian, lecturer and Christian apologist. He held academic positions at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities (1925-63). Although most all of his published works (in four genres) are still in print, he is best known for The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Space Trilogy, Mere Christianity, Miracles, and The Problem of Pain. “Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we can.” Ralph Waldo Emerson I remember the first time my boss referred to me as “the expert.” But, I didn’t feel like an expert. My boss had been my adviser of sorts as I took college courses…he was the expert. But it sure felt good to hear him say it. It made me want all the more to apply what I had learned to develop my expertise. As a writer I have a partner that holds me accountable for what I write. She calls me on my sloppy descriptions or if I accidently slip into another point of view. When I write myself into a dead-end, we brainstorm ways to get out of the hole I dug. Years ago my discipleship leader would hold me accountable each week for how many days I had a quiet time. But whether it was a challenge to live up to a title, a partner to achieve my goals, or a friend holding me accountable, they all helped me reach more of my potential. Without the people I allowed to push me toward my full potential, I fear I would have taken the path of least resistance…the easy way out. I fear I might never be as productive or useful as God intended me to be.
So this year when I consider a New Year’s resolution, instead of listing all the things I want to start doing, I might just ask a friend to be my accountability partner…someone who will challenge me to reach more of my potential. Are you tired of New Year’s resolutions that don’t make it to February? Are you ready to be challenged? Who will you ask to be your accountability partner? Lord, thank You for my past coaches and mentors; continue to put others in my life who challenge me so I might be all that You designed me to be. Amen “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up...” I Thessalonians 5:11 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), American essayist, lecturer, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement in the mid-19th century. Most of his essays began as lectures he delivered across the US. He remains a linchpin of the American Romantic Movement and his work has influenced the thinkers, writers, and poets that came after him. |
WelcomeI love the wisdom of the ages gleaned from relevant quotes. In them there is a connection to the human experience that crosses all borders. Join me as I relate my personal experiences, and link the wisdom of the quote to the Source of all wisdom: God's Word, the Bible. Enjoy, Libby Categories
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