View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/instruction-april-9/

"Learn from others what to pursue and what to avoid, and let your teachers be the lives of others" (Dionysius Cato).

IT’S A SIMPLE THING, BUT IT’S HARD TO ADOPT: THE WILLINGNESS TO BE INSTRUCTED. If any instruction needs to take place, it’s more satisfying to our pride to be the instructor rather than the instructee. Most of us would agree that straightening out someone else is more comfortable than being straightened out ourselves!

But if we back away from being instructed, we cut ourselves off from most of the learnings that make our lives useful and enjoyable. “Learn from others what to pursue and what to avoid,” Dionysius Cato said, and his advice is full of insight. When others try to share with us the wisdom they’ve learned from the mistakes they’ve made, common sense says we ought to be “instructable.” We need to learn from the mistakes of others because, as the old saying goes, we won’t live nearly long enough to make them all ourselves.

However, there are certainly times when our own experience can be a powerful teacher, and on such occasions we need to be just as open to our own “instruction” as we are when someone else is teaching. That’s especially true when our experience is the painful kind. Benjamin Franklin knew what he was talking about when he said, “Those things that hurt, instruct.” Yet we often ignore pain’s lessons and have to repeat our schooling even more painfully later on.

If someone pointed out how many times a day we’re in the position of either instructing or being instructed, we’d probably be surprised. The fact is, much of life consists of these two interactions. So, the more we can learn about what makes a good instructor and a good instructee, the more advantage we give ourselves in life.

When was the last time you willingly let yourself be instructed? If the honest answer is that it has been a long time, you may be older than you realize — or you may simply have let your mind grow old before its time. Like it or not, “instructability” (or the lack of it) is a prime indicator of how much life we’ve got left in us!

"Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer an injury to one's self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are aware of their own self-importance, learn so easily; and why older persons, especially if vain or important, cannot learn at all" (Thomas S. Szasz).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/godliness-april-8/

"The difference between worldliness and godliness is a renewed mind" (Erwin W. Lutzer).

IF IDEAS HAVE CONSEQUENCES, AND THEY CLEARLY DO, THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL OF ALL OUR IDEAS IS THE IDEA OF GOD. Once we choose how we’re going to deal with this idea, a very different kind of life begins to unfold than any that would have come from another choice. Nowhere does life ask a more basic question than when it asks what we’re going to believe about God.

Today, think with me about the concept of  “godliness” as a character trait. Let’s attempt to set aside our personal preferences and predispositions and ask what would really be involved in this trait.

(1) Openness to the idea of God. “The finest fruit of serious learning should be the ability to speak the word ‘God’ without reserve or embarrassment” (Nathan M. Pusey). The godly mind is receptive to the possibility that God may be more real than we have thought.

(2) Commitment to the truth about God. ‘A’ can’t be ‘A’ and ‘Not A’ at the same time. Either it’s true that God is an objective reality or it’s not true. If, in fact, God is an objective reality, then rightly understanding the nature of that reality should matter to us greatly.

(3) Adoption of the virtue of godliness. Godliness will certainly show up outwardly, but it’s primarily an inward matter, an attribute of the heart. Godliness means seeing all worldly things from a godly perspective. It means that God is our basic frame of reference.

Among the people I know, the person who demonstrates the trait of godliness with the greatest integrity is a sister in Christ whose “renewed mind” is nothing short of a marvel. Independently and against daunting odds, she has chosen to open herself honestly to the idea of God. She is not only passionate in learning what’s true about God, but she also follows whatever facts she discovers with a you-can-count-on-it dependability almost unheard of in this day of convenience and compromise. Because of the godliness of her inward character, I trust her . . . I learn from her . . . I love her.

Thy soul was like a star, and dwelt apart;
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
So didst thou travel on life’s common way,
In cheerful godliness.
(William Wordsworth)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/fairness-april-7/

"Fair play is primarily not blaming others for anything that is wrong with us" (Eric Hoffer).

FAIRNESS CAN’T BE SEPARATED FROM PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. It would be unfair of me, for example, to blame you for something that was my responsibility. In fairness, I can’t ask you to accept any more responsibility than is actually yours. And the opposite is also true: I can’t expect you to take any less responsibility than your own. Fairness and personal responsibility go hand in hand.

We all prefer to live in nations, communities, and neighborhoods where justice prevails, but large-scale justice will never prevail in those areas if ordinary, small-scale fairness doesn’t prevail in our everyday dealings with the particular people we come in contact with. “A man who deals in fairness with his own, he can make manifest justice in the state” (Sophocles). So it’s a helpful exercise to ask ourselves from time to time: if everyone in the world treated people exactly as I do, what would the world be like?

Out of all the things we might want to be known for, fairness would be one of the most admirable. Whatever else might come to people’s minds when they think of us, if they think of fairness, that’s a reputation we should be glad to have. In fact, if we ever had to choose between being loved and being respected (for things like fairness), being respected would be the better choice. If those who know us can take it for granted that, come what may, we can be counted on to do what’s fair, that ought to give us a very good feeling.

In the long run, it’s foolish to deal unfairly with anyone. Doing so is morally wrong, certainly, and that should be reason enough to stay away from it, but the fact remains, unfairness is also foolish. It doesn’t work. Sooner or later, it proves to be ineffective. We may take advantage of somebody today and think we’ve gotten away with it, but sooner or later that person will realize that we’ve been unfair, and the repercussions at that time will outweigh any short-term benefit we may have gotten from acting unjustly. In the matter of fairness, as in all else, the law of the farm rules: we reap what we sow.

"Since nothing is settled until it is settled right, no matter how unlimited power a man may have, unless he exercises it fairly and justly his actions will return to plague him" (Frank A. Vanderlip).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com

"[Our nature] is constituted for the practice of what is good" (Mencius).

IF MOST NATIONS HAVE A CONSTITUTION, SO DO EACH OF US PERSONALLY. In its most literal sense, the word “constitution” means the composition of a thing, and when it’s used in reference to a human being, it usually means that person’s physical makeup, as in the phrase “a man with a strong constitution.” I’d like to use the word in a broader sense, however, and suggest that all of us have some sort of general constitution. Thinking not just of our bodies but also of our characters, all of us have come to have a particular constitution. If we said, for example, “She’s made out of pretty strong stuff,” we wouldn’t just mean the physical components of that person’s body. We’d mean that she had a strong character. So at this point in life, what kind of constitutions do you and I have? What qualities have we allowed to become the basic ingredients of our makeup — courage or timidity, discipline or indulgence, honesty or compromise?

We start out in life with a number of good things going for us. Potentially, we all have the makings of a strong constitution, and I agree with Mencius’s statement that our nature “is constituted for the practice of what is good.” Along the way, however, most of us have let some less-than-desirable “stuff” get into our constitutions, and not only that, we have failed to develop the good potential that was there all along. So we should be careful about our constitutions. To be strong, they need to be cared for, protected, and enhanced.

Even physically, we need to adopt lifestyles that contribute to a stronger, rather than a weaker, constitution. Socrates, for example, said, “A man should inure himself to voluntary labor, and not give up to indulgence and pleasure, as they beget no good constitution of body nor knowledge of mind.” There is an intimate relationship between character and physical condition, and we need to nurture both of these aspects of our being so that they interact in a healthy way.

When you compare yourself to others, you may think you don’t have a very strong constitution. But if you were suddenly thrown into the midst of certain circumstances, you might surprise yourself. All of us are made of stronger stuff than we realize. It pays to be grateful.

"By my physical constitution I am but an ordinary man . . . Yet some great events, some cutting expressions, some mean hypocrisies, have at times thrown this assemblage of sloth, sleep, and littleness into rage like a lion" (John Adams).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/conscience-april-5/

"Conscience is the impulse to do right because it is right, regardless of personal ends" (Margaret C. Graham).

NOT A DAY GOES BY THAT OUR CONSCIENCE DOESN’T TEST US. Some of the tests are big while others are little, but the question is always the same: “Will we do what our conscience tells us is right, or will we do something else, perhaps something less difficult or more pleasant?” These tests, however insignificant they may seem, are important for two reasons: they demonstrate what kind of character we presently have, and they move our character further down one path or the other: either the path of goodness or that of evil. Every time we say yes or no to our conscience, we add a little more evidence to the record that will someday be our legacy.

Joy. If you’ve never experienced the joy that comes from saying yes to your conscience, you really ought to try it. “A good conscience is a continual Christmas” (Benjamin Franklin). I’ve lived in the world long enough to have enjoyed many of its pleasures, but I’ve yet to find one that compares to the good feeling of going to bed at night knowing you’ve done what your conscience said was right.

Stability. There is no way to tell what any of us will have to deal with before our lives are over. If we haven’t already done so, some of us may experience significant and unexpected hardship, and we may think we can’t find anything steady to hang on to. But a clear conscience is an amazingly stable thing, despite the twists and turns of life in this vale of tears. “There is one thing alone that stands the brunt of life throughout its course, a quiet conscience” (Euripides).

We admire those who, in the great hours of historical crisis, have taken a heroic stand on the basis of conscience. Most of us, however, will never stand in the spotlight of history, and even if we did, our moment there might not be the most accurate measure of our character. A truer indication of that would be whether we listen to our conscience in the quiet, personal moments — those times when God alone knows what we’ve chosen. Faced with such private decisions (which, in the real world, can be extremely complex), we should never do anything less than what is right — just because it’s right.

"I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I can do no other, so help me God. Amen" (Martin Luther).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/expediency-april-4/

"No man is justified in doing evil on the ground of expediency" (Theodore Roosevelt).

The word “expediency” is unusual in that it’s often used in two different senses, one negative and the other positive. In addition to their denotation or explicit meaning, many words also have a connotation, a more indirect meaning consisting of a positive or negative aura or atmosphere that surrounds them. “Expediency” has two basic meanings, but these two meanings have two different connotations. One is negative while the other is positive.

The first meaning of “expedient” is “serving to promote one’s interests,” and this meaning does not give us a good feeling. This kind of expediency is the kind that we associate (whether rightly or wrongly) with politicians. Pontius Pilate, for example, apparently decided to go ahead and have Jesus of Nazareth executed because it was politically expedient. But as Theodore Roosevelt argued, “No man is justified in doing evil on the ground of expediency.” With regard to this kind of expediency, William Morley Punshon summed it up like this: “Cowardice asks, Is it safe? Expediency asks, Is it politic? Vanity asks, Is it popular? Conscience asks, Is it right?”

But the second meaning is “appropriate to a particular end or purpose,” and this meaning not only has a positive connotation, but it also contains an idea that’s quite valuable for us to think about. Used this way, the word “expedient” means that which is “fitting, proper, beneficial, or helpful.” And in this sense, we ought to consider the expediency of every action that we consider engaging in. With any decision, the crucial question for an honorable person is not simply “Is this permissible from a legal standpoint?” but more importantly, “Will this help others? Will the outcome be profitable?”

Laws are important, and we can’t do without them. But laws are no more than a minimum standard for us to go by — within the law, we must also be concerned with what is expedient. The fellow who is willing to do “anything the law allows” is not the person you want for a next-door neighbor. But our neighbor shouldn’t have that kind of neighbor either. So we’ve always got to ask, “Is what I’m about to do beneficial? Will it be a blessing to those around me?”

"'All things are lawful,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful,' but not all things build up" (First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/peacefulness-april-3/

"In our rough-and-rugged individualism, we think of gentleness as weakness, being soft, and virtually spineless. Not so! . . . Gentleness includes such enviable qualities as having strength under control, being calm and peaceful when surrounded by a heated atmosphere, emitting a soothing effect on those who may be angry or otherwise beside themselves" (Charles R. Swindoll).

PEACE IS ALMOST UNIVERSALLY PRAISED, BUT THE PEACEFULNESS THAT LEADS TO PEACE IS NOT ALWAYS ADMIRED. People who have adopted the character trait of peacefulness are sometimes perceived as being weak rather than strong. But genuine peacefulness is anything but weak. In fact, conflict is easy compared to constructiveness. Bridges are much easier to blow up than to build.

To be sure, if a person were to pursue peace at any price, that would not only be weak but weak in the worst possible way. There is no honor in sacrificing our principles merely to appease an angry enemy, and Dag Hammarskjöld, who served an illustrious career as Secretary-General of the United Nations, was correct when he gave this advice: “Never ‘for the sake of peace and quiet’ deny your own experience or convictions.” But whether we’re honest enough to admit it, it’s often not our principles that have to be sacrificed to establish peace — it’s merely our personal preferences and privileges.

The real test of whether we have a peaceful character is not how well we deal with adversaries who are cooperative in spirit, but how effectively we work with those who aren’t (as Jesus taught in Matthew 5:46,47). Peacefulness requires more than the ability to reconcile with a dear friend after a minor disagreement. As Yitzhak Rabin once said, “Peace is not made with friends. Peace is made with enemies.” And so, as Thomas à Kempis said, “To be able to live peaceably with hard and perverse persons, or with the disorderly, or with such as go contrary to us, is a great grace.”

It should be obvious that if peacefulness is to characterize us, we’ll have to learn patience. Establishing constructive, if not friendly, relations with those with whom we have serious disagreements calls for the highest and best within us. And we can’t let ourselves be discouraged when our efforts don’t yield immediate results. Peacefulness is costly, and the cost spreads out over many years.

"Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures" (John F. Kennedy).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/anticipation-april-2/

"There is something new every day if you look for it" (Hannah Hurnard).

ONE OF OUR MOST REMARKABLE ENDOWMENTS IS THE ABILITY TO FORETASTE PLEASURE. The literal meaning of “anticipate” is to “take before,” and we have it within us to look ahead (at least a little) and take enjoyment from our experiences before they arrive. To make this choice and welcome the future with joy is an act of courage. It’s also an act of considerable wisdom.

Not everything about the future will be pleasant, of course. But even so, anticipation is a wise choice. As a positive character quality, anticipation gives us a more constructive outlook. By believing the best and acting on our hopes, we find a better future than if we expected the worst. For this reason, Albert Schweitzer, who spent his adult life dealing with life’s rough edges, once remarked, “My knowledge is pessimistic, but my willing and hoping are optimistic.”

So, how can we heighten our anticipation and relish the future? Ironically, the primary thing we can do is pay attention to what’s happening in the present moment. As I write these lines, for example, it is early spring, and the trees outside my window are beginning to bud and blossom. It would be difficult to look at these things thoughtfully and not anticipate (or “take before”) the greater, more fully developed beauty they’ll have tomorrow morning. So whatever death and decay there may be in this old world, let’s also see the evidence that many good things are moving, growing, and reaching forward. If we taste deeply the present truth about these things, our minds will tingle with anticipation for what lies ahead. As Brenda Gantt always says, “It’s gonna be good, y’all.”

Even when we have no idea what will happen tomorrow, there are still reasons to anticipate it. The intriguing mystery of it all — the possibility that tomorrow’s path may take a surprising turn — can energize us. If life could be completely planned and programmed, we might be “safe” in certain ways, but in our hearts we know we want more than mere safety. Like the inquisitive, once-upon-a-time children we used to be, we want to learn more than we know and do more than we’ve done. There’s a bit of the adventurer in all of us.

Still round the corner there may wait,
A new road, or a secret gate.
(J. R. R. Tolkien)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/amusement-april-1/

"Anyone without a sense of humor is at the mercy of everyone else" (William Rotsler).

ON THIS DAY EVERY YEAR, PRACTICAL JOKES ARE TRADITIONALLY ACCEPTED AND EVEN ENCOURAGED. Today of all days, “anyone without a sense of humor is at the mercy of everyone else.”

Some of us need more than one such day a year. We take ourselves too seriously, like Queen Victoria of England, who would cut off individuals guilty of being humorous in her presence with the stiff reply, “The Queen is not amused.” Thus, the Victorian Age, which is named for her, is remembered for some good things, but amusement is not one of them. The Queen was not a comedian.

Not many of us would like to discover that we’re perceived as a stuffed shirt or a killjoy. We like people who can be easily amused, and we’d prefer to be viewed that way ourselves. Too often, however, we let the weighty issues of life drag us down into a place where there’s very little amusement. Our faces freeze into a frown. So we could profit from a day once in a while, like today, when a bit of humor is forced upon us. “Humor,” as Jan McKeithen said, “is a hole that lets the sawdust out of a stuffed shirt.”

The ability to amuse and be amused is a quality worth cultivating if it’s not already a part of our character. It may seem inconsistent to talk about “working on” our amusement, but that may, in fact, be what we need to do. Making some conscious decisions to loosen up and learn how to be both the amuser and the amusee is wise. Doing so pays worthwhile dividends (for example, contributing to health and longer life). The breaking-in period may be uncomfortable, as when we’re learning to like a new pair of shoes, but eventually the capacity for genuine, healthy amusement will be worth acquiring.

Amusement is a part of what makes for rich relationships with other human beings. If we want our relationships to be multi-layered and many-dimensioned, we should aspire to having more than one kind of influence. We certainly need to work on being able to teach, inspire, and encourage. But, personally, I also want to be able to amuse. And those whom I count as my dearest friends are those whom I know I can amuse now and then. How about you?

"We cherish our friends not for their ability to amuse us, but for our ability to amuse them" (Evelyn Waugh).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/justice-march-31/

"The just hand is a precious ointment" (Latin Proverb).

ONLY THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN TREATED WITH SERIOUS INJUSTICE CAN FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT A “PRECIOUS OINTMENT” JUSTICE IS. Frankly, there aren’t many things in life more valuable than the simple treasure of fairness. And no matter who we are, we would do well to examine ourselves honestly from time to time and make a new commitment to this virtue, which is one of the greatest.

But when we are meditating on justice, which is the more profitable question: whether we’ve received adequate justice from others or whether we’ve done adequate justice to others? In a culture where we almost compete for the status of “greatest victim,” we seem always to be concerned that others haven’t given us what we deserve. But if our lives as a whole were to be taken into consideration, would we really want what we deserve? Before we say yes, we should probably reconsider. “Use every man after his desert, and who should scape whipping?” (Shakespeare).

If we ever really got what we should get, most of us would want to return to the “unfairness” we thought was so unbearable. H. L. Mencken was right when he said, “Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what stings is justice.” What most of us want is mercy — and to the greatest extent possible, that is what we should want for others also.

Perhaps we should spend more of our time questioning the justice we extend to others. Here, most of us ordinary folks will find lots of room for improvement, especially when we consider that we may do injustice as much by what we leave undone as by what we do. A few days’ trial of Benjamin Franklin’s rule (“Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty”) will show us how challenging it is to make a real-life commitment to justice.

Above all, however, we must take care not to limit our defense of justice to those who make a favorable impression on us or those we think “ought” to be treated justly. If we have a most common failing in the matter of justice, it is probably that we show favoritism in dispensing it. But to be authentic, justice must be “blind,” in the honorable sense. Everybody deserves to be treated fairly.

"Do justice to your brother (you can do that, whether you love him or not), and you will come to love him. But do injustice to him because you don't love him, and you will come to hate him" (John Ruskin).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/eagerness-march-30/

"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about" (Charles Kingsley).

RUNNING OUT TO MEET LIFE EAGERLY IS A WISE AND BENEFICIAL CHOICE. Whatever we do, we do it better when we do it eagerly rather than reluctantly. When we approach life with eagerness, we overcome obstacles more easily, gain cooperation from others more readily, and experience satisfaction more deeply.

If we take an honest look at our lives, however, many of us have to admit we’ve let the forces of daily existence grind down our eagerness, perhaps to the point where there’s little left of it. Maybe we’re not at the point of despair or outright rebellion, but we find ourselves merely tolerating life rather than living it. We’re only “going through the motions.” As G. K. Chesterton remarked, “There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and the tired man who wants a book to read.” Just so, there is a big difference between the person who has a life to live and the one who merely has to live life — between “living” and “being lived.”

But we can do better, can’t we? We can rebuild our reserves of enthusiasm and eagerness. It may take time to get back in touch with the principles that spark excitement, but it’s worth working on, starting today. And one of the best reasons is that we honor others by being eager. Our general attitude toward life comes through in our dealings with those around us, and when we’re living our lives eagerly, others experience that eagerness as a welcoming, enthusiastic approach to them personally. It’s like giving them a hug!

Deep down, eagerness is a product of gratitude. Instead of taking life for granted, enthusiasts appreciate it as a gift and a privilege. Without denying their difficulties, eager individuals emphasize their opportunities — and they show their gratitude for them by actively embracing them. With each new day, we get a chance to recharge our attitude and take another run at life’s requirements. While some folks greet the rising sun with a groan, others are rarin’ to go. When we decide which it will be, we make a choice that will affect not only our lives but those of our loved ones, too.

"Wake up with a smile and go after life . . . Live it, enjoy it, taste it, smell it, feel it" (Joe Knapp).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/morale-march-29/

"Morale is faith in the person at the top" (Familiar Saying).

IN MOST OF THE GROUPS THAT WE’RE MEMBERS OF, GREAT THINGS DEPEND ON THE MORALE OF THE GROUP. If those who make up a group are collectively discouraged, depressed, negligent, and unwilling to work, it’s not likely that good things are going to result. But if they’re confident, cheerful, disciplined, and eager to contribute, there aren’t many goals the group can’t accomplish. And the more important the goal, the more morale is a crucial factor.

Morale does not come from the mere assertion of a leader’s authority. Leaders need to understand that morale among the “troops” depends, to a large extent, on whether the troops believe the leaders know what they’re doing. Great morale is inspired by those who have the confidence of their peers to help them reach their goals.

But if “morale is faith in the person at the top,” many people would say, “Well then, morale is not my responsibility; I’m not the person at the top.” If we think that way, we’re probably taking a limited view of our lives. We’re probably thinking of only one or two of our relationships, such as work or school. But in the larger reality, all of us are members of many different relationships, and each of us has the responsibility for leadership in at least a few of them.

Think of a relationship, however small, in which others look to you for leadership. How is the morale? Are those who comprise the relationship encouraged or discouraged about the group’s mission? Could you make a difference by leading differently?

Sometimes, we may unknowingly share our fears with others rather than our courage. However, most people already have enough fears to cope with on their own; what they need is hope — along with the motivation to actively pursue it. So Robert Louis Stevenson’s advice was wise: “Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage.”

We need to care about positive morale enough to promote it and protect it. Doing that doesn’t always require big steps; sometimes small steps in the right direction are extremely helpful. The people who follow us just need to know that we’re making progress.

"When enthusiasm is inspired by reason; controlled by caution; sound in theory; practical in application; reflects confidence; spreads good cheer; raises morale; inspires associates; arouses loyalty, and laughs at adversity, it is beyond price" (Coleman Cox).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/appreciation-march-28/

It takes a heap o’ livin’ in a house t’ make it a home,
A heap o’ sun an’ shadder, an’ ye sometimes have t’ roam
Afore ye really ’preciate the things ye lef’ behind,
An’ hunger fer ’em somehow, with ’em allus on yer mind.
(Edgar Albert Guest)

IT’S SAD HOW LITTLE WE APPRECIATE SOME THINGS UNTIL WE’VE EITHER LOST THEM OR LEFT THEM BEHIND. By deferring our appreciation until we’ve been deprived, we miss out on much of the day-to-day enjoyment of appreciation. It would be so much better if we paid the price to gain a sense of gratitude right now.

Appreciation is the last link in a chain that starts with the deliberate effort to count our blessings. It has never been said better than in the words of the old hymn: “Count your many blessings, name them one by one.” This means consciously and intentionally focusing our minds on the things we hold valuable. And though this sounds like a simple practice, it is no minor challenge in these busy days. We rarely have the time to leisurely and luxuriously reflect on each of the good things in our lives — but we need to take the time (and “name them one by one”). When we do, we’ll be struck by how impoverished our lives would be if we didn’t have these things, and that awareness then leads to the last link in the chain: appreciation. So remember the sequence: (1) meditation on our blessings, (2) awareness of their importance, and (3) appreciation of their value.

Of all the things we ought to appreciate, of course, the greatest are the people around us. Psychologist William James famously wrote, “The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” In our heart of hearts, we all know this saying contains a great insight. And if we know how much we appreciate being appreciated, that’s all the more reason for us to go out of our way to appreciate others. They need it as much as we do.

Disliking things is easy, isn’t it? It requires little effort and little character. But finding worthy things to like and then fully appreciating them requires more of us. That being true, let’s set ourselves a goal: let’s aspire to be people defined by both the goodness of the things we love and the depth of our appreciation for each of them.

"The question is not what a man can scorn, or disparage, or find fault with, but what can he love and value and appreciate" (John Ruskin).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/expectation-march-27/

"Expect people to be better than they are; it helps them to become better. But don’t be disappointed when they are not; it helps them to keep trying" (Merry Browne).

OUR EXPECTATIONS ARE POWERFUL FORCES THAT ACT ON OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES. High expectations pull people upward; low expectations drag them downward. It behooves us to be careful about what we expect of others. What we expect is often what we get.

The suggestion that we should expect the best in those around us is often met with cynicism, if not outright mockery. “It’s naive to expect the best,” some would say. I well remember a college teacher who told me, “Gary, nobody ever went broke underestimating the ignorance of the human race.” He said it humorously, tongue-in-cheek, but I’m afraid there are a number of people who would say that and not be joking at all. In fact, most people seem to think cynicism is the safest path to follow: “Expect the worst, and then if anything better than that takes place, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

But whatever safety there may be in cynicism, I know of no world-class performers in any field who take that approach. Vince Lombardi would never have told his football players, “Now, guys, I don’t really expect that you’re going to play up to your potential, but if you do, that will be okay. I’ll take it as a pleasant surprise.” No, high achievers from around the world have always expected the best — both of themselves and everybody they collaborated with.

The truth is, it’s not naive to expect the best of others, especially our friends and family. The best that others can offer may not be perfect, but whatever their best is, they are capable of offering that to the world, and it’s not unrealistic to expect them to do so.

We are motivated by “great expectations” (to borrow Charles Dickens’s phrase). They give us energy to “go for the good stuff.” And so it makes sense to do three things: (1) nourish high expectations of ourselves, (2) surround ourselves with friends who’ll keep our expectations high, and (3) influence others to expect higher things for themselves. In every way, it’s wise to encourage hope in the hearts of our fellow travelers. It’s among the greatest of all gifts, and it’s responsible for many of the best things in life.

"A master can tell you what he expects of you. A teacher, though, awakens your own expectations" (Patricia Neal).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com

"Youth, large, lusty, loving — youth, full of grace, force, fascination, do you know that old age may come after you with equal grace, force, fascination?" (Walt Whitman).

NO MATTER WHO WE ARE OR HOW FAR ALONG WE MAY BE ON LIFE’S PATHWAY, FASCINATION SHOULD CHARACTERIZE US. We should, on the one hand, be people who enjoy being fascinated by the assortment of wonders around us, but on the other hand, we should take an approach to life that gives our lives a little fascination of their own. “Being fascinating” doesn’t qualify as one of the major goals in life, obviously, but the fact remains: if a human life is well lived, fascination will be one of its natural by-products.

If something “fascinates” us, what does that mean? It means that it holds our interest with intense attraction. We are more than slightly curious about it; we are spellbound. Think of the snake charmer using music and movement to hold the unbroken attention of a cobra. Think of the hypnotist mesmerizing his subject or the orator enthralling his audience. The thing that fascinates us intrigues us. Doing more than pique our interest, it rivets our attention.

But what is it that really fascinates us? I like Calvin Miller’s suggestion: “Joy intrigues.” Isn’t that it? Aren’t we most powerfully intrigued by those who, despite the ups and downs and the occasional unhappiness of life, drink deeply of a joy that seems to be theirs no matter what? I think we are, and I think our fascination with joy is a significant clue to many of the mysteries of the human spirit.

We don’t become fascinating by imitating the ways in which other people are fascinating; we do it by entering deeply and enthusiastically into our own unique experience. One of the most fascinating people I’ve ever met was a lady who lived in the same retirement center as my father for a while. She was 104 years old, had never been married, and had been retired for over forty years from her job as a schoolteacher. Her fascination came not from having done anything offbeat, but from having wholeheartedly lived the life that was hers to live. And so the question is not what we’ve done; it’s how joyously we’ve let our years be used up, whether many or few.

There’s a fascination frantic
In a ruin that’s romantic;
Do you think you are sufficiently decayed?
(Sir William Schwenck Gilbert)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/efficiency-march-25/

"There can be no economy where there is no efficiency" (Benjamin Disraeli).

BY DEFINITION, EFFICIENCY REDUCES WASTE, AND FOR THAT REASON, IT’S AN ESSENTIAL HABIT TO ACQUIRE. When our resources are scarce, it’s obviously important to minimize waste, but when they’re abundant, as they are for many of us in the modern world, it’s no less important to use those resources efficiently. When we’re plentifully supplied with raw materials for our work, it’s harder to see the need for carefulness, but abundance is never an excuse for waste, and we should always get the most good that we can out of every moment, every dollar, and every ounce of our strength.

One place where efficiency and good stewardship are especially important is the realm of personal talents and abilities. Since these are intangible qualities, it may be harder to see them as “resources,” but that’s what they are. Think, for example, about something like intelligence. The more intelligent a person is, the more they should use their intelligence efficiently, wasting as little of it as possible on unworthy pursuits. Susanna Wesley wrote this prayer: “Be pleased, O God, to grant unto me that great freedom of mind that will enable me to . . . manage the common affairs of life in such wise as not to misemploy or neglect the improvement of my talents.”

It has often been pointed out by teachers like Stephen R. Covey that “efficiency” must always be governed by “effectiveness.” We may climb life’s ladder with all the efficiency in the world (good technique), but if, when we get to the top, we find that we’ve had our ladder leaning against the wrong wall (wrong vision), we’re in trouble.

Working efficiently and effectively requires the old-fashioned quality of wisdom. There’s no shortcut to it — except our willingness to listen and learn from the wisdom of those who’ve gone before.

The thing to remember about efficiency is that we’re only in this world for a short time. Whatever contribution we want to make to the lives of those around us, we only have a limited number of days in which to make it. It’s common sense, then, to work as efficiently as we can. If by working efficiently, we can reach the end of our lives having done more good than by working any other way, that’s a powerful argument for learning how to be efficient.

"The possession of efficiency — the power to do" (Nicholas Murray Butler).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/choice-march-24/

"You choose, you live the consequences. Every yes, no, maybe, creates the school you call your personal experience" (Richard Bach).

EACH TIME WE MAKE A CHOICE, TAKING ONE FORK IN THE ROAD AND NOT THE OTHER, AN INTERESTING THING HAPPENS. On the one hand, our lives expand. As we move forward along the path we’ve chosen, new elements are added to our experience. But on the other hand, our lives contract. The path we didn’t take is no longer a possibility. Whatever might have been if we’d chosen that option is something we’ve now let go of. Similar choices might open up in the future, but they won’t be identical. They will be made in different circumstances and will have different pluses and minuses. Once any choice has been made, it is a historical fact. If it was a bad choice, we may be forgiven, but we’ll still need to admit that we were the person who made that choice. For most of us, history is a humbling thing!

None of us is happy with every choice we’ve ever made. Now and then, we all make decisions that yield regrettable consequences. But there are two points to keep in mind. One is the point made by Richard Bach above: “Every yes, no, maybe, creates the school you call your personal experience.” The wonderful variety in life — the exquisite particularity of each individual — comes largely from the combination of a person’s choices, both the painful and the pleasant. Not many of us have flawless complexions, and we don’t have perfect track records in our lives either. In both cases, we must learn to be comfortable in our own “skin” — a skin we started making the first time we used our free will to make a decision on our own.

But the second point is that we should have the maturity and discipline to act honorably concerning our choices. The man who says, “I’ll honor this contract as long as it doesn’t stand between me and something else I might want in the future,” is probably not a fellow we’d want to go into business with. We all want to deal with people who honor their choices, so we need to honor ours as well. In the end, it helps to know that life is made better, not worse, by things like trust and honor. We can’t always hedge our bets, run away from risk, and try to wiggle out of inconvenient commitments after we’ve made them. Choices made and promises kept are the stuff of life.

"Life does not give itself to one who tries to keep all its advantages at once" (Léon Blum).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/politeness-march-23/

"Manners are the happy way of doing things" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

IF SOMETHING MAY BE DONE IN MORE THAN ONE WAY, POLITENESS MEANS CHOOSING THE MORE GRACIOUS WAY. Nearly everything we do has an impact on those who have dealings with us, and being polite is a way to make that impact as pleasant as possible. For instance, you can chew your food with your mouth open or closed. But the inside of the human mouth, especially when there’s food in it, is not an attractive sight, and so to make our tablemates’ experience more pleasant, we spare them the sight of our open mouth. George Washington, who learned early about how human influence works, wrote this in his copybook when he was sixteen years old: “Put not another bite into your Mouth till the former be Swallowed, and let not your Morsels be too big for your Mouth.” It may seem insignificant, but that’s a “happy way” of doing things at the table!

The rules of etiquette are not random, and before we discard them, we should consider that they are time-tested ways proven by many people to have some value. That some people carry them too far doesn’t mean they are completely useless.

Some people who flout the conventions of politeness do so because they think their rudeness projects a certain strength or bravado. But the truly strong don’t need to be impolite. As Eric Hoffer observed, “Rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength.”

Nor is politeness insincere or pretentious. Madame de Staël said, “Politeness is the art of selecting among one’s real thoughts.” Not everything we think needs to be spoken out loud, and even when tough truths need to be communicated, politeness urges us to balance our courage with a healthy measure of consideration. “Speak the truth in love,” the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:15.

Here’s the point: politeness means considering other people’s feelings. It wants others to have as pleasant an experience as possible. So good manners are just a way of showing kindness to those around us. And while the difference between the polite and the impolite may sometimes seem too small to pay attention to, that’s not an argument for discarding the idea of politeness. In fact, it may be the “little” acts of politeness that matter the most.

"Never come between anyone and the fire" (Wabasha).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/examination-march-22/

"Before we set our hearts too much upon anything, let us examine how happy those are who already possess it" (François de La Rochefoucauld).

MANY OF LIFE’S REGRETS COME FROM NOT LOOKING AT THINGS CAREFULLY ENOUGH. It frequently happens that we acquire possessions or become involved in activities that bring us more grief than happiness, and it would have been relatively easy to see where they would lead if we’d examined them beforehand. That boat you thought you had to have, for example. Did you even ask anyone how much time it would take to maintain it? As La Rochefoucauld points out, before letting ourselves be disturbed by desire for something, we ought to “examine how happy those are who already possess it.” We ought, in other words, to audit our appetites.

“Fine print” is boring to read, but it’s often helpful to read it anyway. And the more important the contract, the wiser we are to read the fine print. But we don’t often do that, do we? We assume too much. We jump to too many conclusions without examining them, and then later, when we realize what we’ve gotten ourselves into, we wish we had surveyed the situation a bit more carefully.

As little as we examine some things, however, we examine others too much. For instance, most of us spend too much time inspecting and analyzing other people’s business. However, “he who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a dog by the ears” (Proverbs 26:17). A “busybody” is a person who meddles or pries into the affairs of other people, and that’s exactly what we catch ourselves being and doing sometimes. In fact, I have a friend who, based on his observation of human nature, has formulated the following rule: our interest in any topic is inversely proportional to that topic’s bearing on our own conduct.

A more productive use of our time would be self-examination. When Socrates said that “the unexamined life is not worth living,” he wasn’t talking about examining someone else’s life to make it more worthy! The growth of our own character depends on being willing to scrutinize ourselves. The flaws are there waiting to be seen, and they are correctable — but only if we submit to self-scrutiny.

"When we see men of worth, we should think of becoming like them; when we see men of contrary character, we should turn inward and examine ourselves" (Confucius).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/seasons-march-21/

Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all!
(Robert Louis Stevenson)

JUST AS THE YEAR FALLS INTO FOUR NATURAL DIVISIONS — SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN, AND WINTER — IT’S GOOD FOR US TO LEAD LIVES THAT ARE “SEASONAL.” Nowadays many of us are cut off from any significant contact with nature and its recurring periods, and if we’re not careful, we will fall into the habit of doing the same thing all the time, twelve months every year. But just as nature does a different kind of work in the spring than in the fall, we need to vary the pattern of our living. Our human years need to be characterized by seasons, so that we enjoy some rhythm and variety.

To begin with, it would help us to recover our appreciation of the natural seasons themselves. The qualities that distinguish the four seasons are truly refreshing. However, if we even notice these qualities, it is often only to complain: if it is hot or cold, dry or rainy, we speak as if these variations were undesirable. But they’re not to be regretted or complained about; they are the changes that can give structure, pattern, and texture to our lives. We need to taste the seasons — each of them — more consciously and appreciatively.

Taken as a whole, our lives fall into seasons. There is the spring of youth, the summer of early adulthood, the fall of late adulthood, and the winter of old age. All of these present special opportunities and challenges. Each is to be enjoyed and used wisely.

But young or old, it’s good to follow the natural seasons each year, enjoy them, and gratefully adapt to their differences. If we’ll lead a summer-like life in the summer, a winter-like life in the winter, and so forth, we’ll find ourselves not only relishing life but being more productive in our worthwhile activities. Respecting the seasons is a good way to get more out of life in all its dimensions.

Today, it’s good to be reminded that spring is the “first” season, a time of new beginnings and growth. As greenery starts to emerge from the gray of winter, who can help but be reminded of the opportunity this gives us to renew our commitment to life itself? So whatever good thing you can begin — or renew — today, let it live in you!

"In our hearts those of us who know anything worth knowing know that in March a new year begins, and if we plan any new leaves, it will be when the rest of Nature is planning them too" (Joseph Wood Krutch).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/potential-march-20/

"There are admirable potentialities in every human being" (André Gide).

POTENTIAL HAS TO DO WITH POSSIBILITIES. It means we can grow, develop, and learn to use powers that are only latent within us right now. And the fact is, every human being has some potential. Improvement is always possible in the way we live and serve others. That’s true because no human being is using all the powers he or she is capable of using. We all have room to grow, and we need to be encouraged by the fact that our potential for growth is greater than we’ve imagined in the past. Our possibilities should energize us.

There is a sense, of course, in which it’s better to have as little potential as possible. If we define potential as unused ability, then it would be a compliment if someone said we had very little of that!

But most of us have at least a few powers we’ve not learned to use fully, and so one of the most important items on our agenda in this world is reaching forward to realize more of our potential. In fact, the quality of our lives depends more on this than it does on the enjoyment of things we’ve already accomplished. There is always an impulse in the human mind that wants to make progress. Apathy, indifference, complacency, and the like are deadly enemies, and we’re not happy, really, unless we’re striving toward our full potential.

And yet, there’s a consideration even more important than our own growth, and that would be the growth of those whom we love. We never use ourselves more worthily than when we do things that help our loved ones reach their potential. When we even help them see their potential more clearly, we do them a favor. And there aren’t many joys in life greater than watching someone reach a potential we’ve encouraged them to see and develop.

The fulfillment of potential, whether our own or somebody else’s, almost always requires sacrifice. The weightlifter’s motto, “No pain, no gain,” is pertinent to far more than physical training. There is nothing worth having in life that doesn’t have a price tag, and the cost of realizing our potential often consists of letting go of the comforts of our current condition. We can’t have tomorrow and today too — either we pay the price and grow, or we stay stuck where we are.

"The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become" (Charles DuBois).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/enhancement-march-19/

"Good is all that serves life, evil is all that serves death. Good is reverence for life . . .  and all that enhances life. Evil is all that stifles life, narrows it down, cuts it to pieces" (Erich Fromm).

ALMOST NOTHING GETS BETTER BY ITSELF. To the contrary, most things deteriorate unless someone does something to enhance them from time to time. To “enhance” means to augment something for the better, to make its value or its beauty greater. And that, really, is what our work in this world is all about. It’s not just maintenance; it’s enhancement. Through our work, we have the privilege of improving the things we deal with. And it’s a fine thing to be known as individuals who enhance whatever we touch.

Appreciation for improvement. One of our major goals for personal growth should be valuing improvement and establishing it as a priority. We must learn to see the benefit of working toward betterment rather than settling for mediocrity. We need a clearer vision of what can happen when we engage in value-added living: adding value to whatever projects we participate in, little by little.

Enhancement of everything. With an appreciation for improvement, we then must be enhancers of everything we interact with. It’s more than an attitude; it’s a type of behavior. We might even say it’s a way of life. In this way of life, we don’t walk past that piece of litter on the sidewalk; we pick it up and place it in the nearest trash can.

Gratitude for grace. The most active enhancers of their surroundings are usually those who are grateful for the grace shown to them by God and other human beings. And that’s no coincidence. In the end, gratitude is the great motive for helping others: the realization that we ourselves have been helped beyond our merits. Conscious of our blessings, we are eager to “pay forward” the gifts we’ve received.

Sometimes, it’s surprising what enhances life. Just as certain herbs and spices only release their full zest when they’re crushed or rubbed together, we may find that the flavor of life is enhanced by events that may, at first, seem to be only irritants. When we view life with a basically appreciative attitude and respond to those around us with grace and respect, even our differences can make life more zestful. But then, it’s not life that’s being enhanced — it’s we who are.

"[My wife and I] sometimes had those little rubs which Providence sends to enhance the value of its flavors" (Oliver Goldsmith).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/quietness-march-18/

"True silence is the rest of the mind and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment" (William Penn).

OUR NEED FOR QUIETNESS SEEMS TO INCREASE WITH EACH PASSING DAY. It’s a loud world we live in, in more ways than one, and we can’t endure loudness without some moments of relief. Torturers have always known that it’s possible to drive a human being insane by subjecting him to incessant noise, even if it’s no more than the dripping of water. We have an irrevocable need for quiet: our minds and hearts need stillness and silence to rest. And not only that, they need these things to grow. “I cannot be the man I should be without times of quietness. Stillness is an essential part of growing deeper as we grow older” (Charles R. Swindoll).

Our need for quietness, however, shouldn’t send us into the woods or up to the mountaintop to live apart from any other human beings. Quietness, like physical sleep, is a necessity now and then, but it’s not the ultimate goal of life, and we can’t allow our enjoyment of things like meditation to detract from our responsibilities to other people. As Morton Kelsey suggests, “What we do with our lives outwardly, how well we care for others, is as much a part of meditation as what we do in quietness and turning inward.”

Yet there’s no denying that we need more quietness than we usually attain in these days of urgent activity. The busier our lives become, the more discipline it takes to eke out times of solitude and serenity. Merely confessing that quietness is a virtue would be a step in the right direction, putting us on the path to greater joy. We’re too quick to dismiss ideals like quietness and simplicity as being obsolete, and we need to start appreciating their goodness once more. “Happiness is the harvest of a quiet eye” (Austin O’Malley).

Quietness is an aspect of maturity — physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. Both the perception of its value and the discipline of its practice require personal growth. And like most forms of positive growth, quietness calls for commitment.

If only I may grow
firmer,
simpler,
quieter,
warmer.
(Dag Hammarskjöld)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/advice-march-17/

"Four eyes see better than two" (Old Saying).

IT’S A FOOLISH PERSON INDEED WHO DOESN’T APPRECIATE THE VALUE OF ADVICE. When we’re faced with a decision-making situation, none of us can see everything that would be profitable to see. We need the supplementary vision that comes from other eyes, and to the extent that we let our viewpoint be enlarged and improved by other people’s perspectives, our decisions will turn out better.

There are some, no doubt, who go to the opposite extreme, taking the advice of everyone they meet, regardless of whether the advice is good, bad, or mediocre. But the person who takes everyone’s advice is just as foolish as the person who doesn’t take anybody’s. At some point, we have to take responsibility for our own choices. We should heed good advice and disregard that which is not so good — and then we must make our decisions independently.

But therein lies the trick! If we could always tell the difference between good and bad advice, we probably wouldn’t need any advice. As Wilson Mizner said, “To profit from good advice requires more wisdom than to give it.” So, we need to grow in wisdom — the wisdom required to recognize and act on good advice.

Our most common mistake is disregarding advice that conflicts with our preferences and preconceived ideas. Whoever agrees with our preferred course of action is “wise,” and his advice is “good,” while the fellow who warns us we’re on the wrong track is usually written off as someone who “just doesn’t understand.”

But sometimes the best advice is the most uncomfortable. And not only that, but the best advice may come from unwelcome sources, perhaps even our enemies. Yet if we know what’s good for us, we’ll learn to profit from helpful advice, regardless of where it comes from or how little we may want to hear it.

In my experience, the best advice usually has to be sought. We must actively look for it; it doesn’t usually look for us. Because they desire to be courteous, many of our friends won’t speak frankly about our circumstances unless we ask them to. And as we all know, asking for advice can be embarrassing. But if we stay silent when we need help, we only hurt ourselves in the long run.

"I not only use all the brains I have but all I can borrow" (Woodrow Wilson).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/pondering-march-16/

"First ponder, then dare" (Helmuth von Moltke).

IT’S TRUE THAT MOST OF US NEED TO BE MORE ADVENTURESOME, BUT IT’S ALSO TRUE THAT WE NEED TO PONDER OUR DEEDS BEFORE WE DO THEM. As von Moltke says, the correct order of action is “First ponder, then dare.” And the more consequential the dare, the more profound should be the pondering that precedes it.

“Ponder” comes from the Latin pondus (“weight”). It means to consider something carefully. When we ponder, we “weigh” an idea in our minds, thinking how significant it is or, if the thought is one of action, what its outcome might be. Pondering is more than casual thinking — it is thinking with care and thoroughness.

There is no better way to build credibility than to be a person who ponders things. Living impulsively is not the way to become trustworthy. In fact, we shouldn’t have much credibility if we don’t consider things carefully. If we’re known to act rashly, we’ll not be the people our friends turn to in times of need or difficulty. Our carelessness will keep us from being as trusted as we’d like to be.

The notion that ideas can be “weighed” in our minds ought to be of more than passing interest. Contrary to what many seem to think nowadays, not all ideas are equal and interchangeable. Some have more weight than others; that is, some are more true, significant, beneficial, beautiful, and so forth. The challenge in thinking is to discern, by pondering them, which ideas are weighty and which are not. When we’re making decisions, we need to let the weighty ideas count for more and pay less attention to the lighter-weight trivia. And the same principle applies when we’re weighing our words: we should choose wisely between words that are good, better, and best.

Being a person who ponders things may sound pretty dull, as if that person never did anything but think. But the truth is, life is never dull when we’re in a receptive state of mind. Those who take the time to ponder the world and its happenings often find that surprises break into their reveries. When we meditate wisely, we’re not merely passing time; we’re preparing for a breakthrough. Pondering opens our hearts and minds to happy discoveries!

"I keep the subject constantly before me, and wait till the first dawnings open slowly, by little and little, into a full and clear light" (Isaac Newton).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/discussion-march-15/

"No discussion between two persons can be of any use, until each knows clearly what it is that the other asserts" (Lewis Carroll).

WHEN WE DISCUSS THINGS, WE OFTEN ERR BY TALKING WHEN WE SHOULD BE LISTENING. Taking it for granted that we understand what the other person is saying, we’re primarily concerned with whether they understand what we are saying to them. Understanding is not as important to us as being understood, and so our discussions often fizzle out ineffectively. What could have been a dialogue between two inquirers, and therefore an exercise in understanding, becomes a pair of monologues between two talkers, both of whom are in a defensive crouch rather than a learning posture.

Our English word “discuss” comes from a compound Latin verb: dis- (“apart”) + quatere (“to shake”). So, the literal meaning to “shake apart.” But the thing “shaken apart” is not one’s counterpart in the discussion — it’s the subject being discussed. To discuss something means to inspect it closely by exchanging ideas and viewpoints. When two people discuss a matter, they speak to one another about it in an effort to ascertain truth or reach agreement. To discuss is to “talk over” something — in other words, to consider a topic by means of conversation. The colloquial expression “put our heads together” is a colorful way of describing the cooperation that occurs in a discussion.

Discussion helps to clarify our thinking. “Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man” (Benjamin Franklin). We learn not just by thinking but by conversing, and most of us need to go through the give-and-take of a few discussions before we can see a subject clearly. “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Book of Proverbs).

But there is another, more important, reason discussions are valuable: they help us along the path to common understanding. It is through discussion that groups of people meld their visions into a shared vision and their commitments into mutual commitments.

Discussions can sometimes turn contentious, as we all know, but they don’t have to. And when they’re conducted respectfully, as among friends, they are one of life’s biggest joys. Debates and defenses have their place occasionally, but discussions have theirs too.

"The more the pleasures of the body fade away, the greater to me is the pleasure and charm of conversation" (Plato).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/life-march-14/

"Life is a hard fight, a struggle, a wrestling with the principle of evil, hand to hand, foot to foot. Every inch of the way is disputed. The night is given us to take breath and to pray, to drink deep at the fountain of power. The day, to use the strength that has been given us, to go forth to work with it till the evening" (Florence Nightingale).

TO LIVE — THAT IS, TO BE FULLY ALIVE — IS A TEST OF THE HIGHEST POWERS WITHIN US. The thing that can truly be called “life” can’t be reached by taking the course of least resistance. It can only be enjoyed by those prepared to grasp it decisively and with determination. With anything less than that, we find that we’re not really living; we’re just passive puppets who are “being lived.”

Most of us can probably sympathize with Jules Laforgue’s sentiment: “Oh, how daily life is!” It keeps coming at us quickly, one day after another, one moment after another. Continually, continually, continually these appear, as if marching to an inexorable drumbeat. One is no sooner done with a day than another presents itself to be dealt with. Each of these days and moments challenges our sense of stewardship: will we use the time to a good end or let it go by unimproved? If we default and do nothing (at least nothing worth doing), the unused increments of our lives eventually pile up behind us, creating a sad monument to negligence and lost opportunity.

So the gift of life — and it truly is a gift — must be received properly. We must appreciate it, certainly, but beyond that, we must use it. It is to be employed as well as enjoyed. And the best employment is to use it defending and enhancing the lives of those around us, helping them have a greater measure of life in all its dimensions.

When we live responsibly, we recognize our connection to other people (and even to the plants and animals that share our habitat). Except in rare circumstances, human life is a communal experience rather than a solo affair. We’re living at our best when we relate ourselves rightly to the “unimaginable whole” of which we are each a part. And what a delightful “whole” it happens to be!

"Life is a roar of bargain and battle, but in the very heart of it there rises a mystic spiritual tone that gives meaning to the whole. It transmutes the dull details into romance. It reminds us that our only but wholly adequate significance is as parts of the unimaginable whole. It suggests that even while we think we are egotists we are living to ends outside ourselves" (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/truth-march-13/

"The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been kindness, beauty, and truth" (Albert Einstein).

TRUTH IS NOT THE CREATION OF WEAK PEOPLE’S IMAGINATIONS; IT’S A STRONG AND NOBLE REALITY. Many of those who think it’s intellectually unsophisticated to talk about truth wouldn’t be qualified to carry the briefcase of a man like Einstein, who not only talked about it but also honored it, sought it, and used it to noble ends.

We may as well admit it: we fight hopelessly anytime we fight against something as robust as truth. Reality is sturdy; ultimately, it is unassailable. In the short term, we might get away with conduct that’s based on falsehood, but eventually the truth will assert itself. As Edgar J. Mohn colorfully said, “A lie has speed, but truth has endurance.” So philosophically, we ought to stay away from untruth. But not only philosophically, we ought to avoid it personally. It simply does no good to deal in deceit. “Every time you try to smother a truth, two others get their breath” (Bill Copeland). So wouldn’t it be smart just to go ahead and commit ourselves to the truth?

Doing that, however, requires more strength and diligence than we might suppose. Truth is not always easy to find, and the reason is one we may not like to confront. “We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable” (Alexander Solzhenitsyn). For every instance when we haven’t looked hard enough for the truth, there are hundreds of other times when we’ve run away from truth that was in plain view. Our difficulty is not so much ignorance as it is cowardice. To put it bluntly, a commitment to truth is a severe test of our bravery.

A fearless commitment to truth is one of the major components of moral human character. As far as I can see, it might even be the greatest of all. No matter what other virtues we may possess, without a commitment to truth, everything else fades away.

But we don’t honor truth by paying lip service to it; we do it by submitting to it. That means we must follow it rather than try to lead it. There’s just no calculating the good that can happen when we expend our energies in the service of truth — or the damage that’s done when we use our powers to subvert it.

"I have one request: may I never use my reason against truth" (Elie Wiesel).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/satisfaction-march-12/

"He is well paid that is well satisfied" (William Shakespeare).

MANY THINGS WE MAY NOT HAVE, BUT IF WE HAVE WHAT GIVES US SATISFACTION, WE CAN GIVE THANKS. No two of us are exactly the same, so we’re not going to be satisfied by the same things. Yet the world we live in is so wonderfully varied that there is something to satisfy everybody. What we must do is decide to find satisfaction in our own pursuits. Rather than being seduced by the advertisers and entertainers to want things that wouldn’t be satisfying even if we had them, we’d do better to bow our heads and give humble thanks for our own real satisfactions.

It’s a common misconception that satisfaction is the same thing as apathy or indifference, but it’s not. Genuine satisfaction doesn’t mean complacency; it means contentment. Satisfaction still leaves room for growth, and it knows how to aspire to greater things. But it also knows how to enjoy and be honestly grateful for present benefits. What it comes down to is this: things don’t have to be perfectly satisfying for them to be pleasantly satisfying.

It’s an old suggestion, but it still contains a lot of good sense: simple things are often the most satisfying, although they don’t make the news headlines. As I am writing this, for example, the morning sun has just climbed above the horizon and warmed the waiting world with a golden glow. As I look up from my writing desk and take in the view outside my window, I see something that is satisfying in a simple way. Whatever else I may not have on this day in my life, I’ve enjoyed something that should content my soul.

But life isn’t just about being satisfied; it’s about giving satisfaction to others. It’s not always possible to do that, of course, but when it is, we should be eager to do it, even if it means going the extra mile. Sacrificing to see that others are satisfied is one of life’s privileges.

You may never have thought about it, but your satisfaction is a contributor to the satisfaction of those around you. Knowing and working with people who are at peace within themselves is one of life’s most refreshing joys, and we do our friends a favor when we choose to be satisfied. Not apathetic, mind you. But satisfied.

"Let a man’s talents or virtues be what they may, we only feel satisfaction in his society as he is satisfied in himself" (William Hazlitt).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/development-march-11/

"Those who won our independence believed that the final end of the State was to make men free to develop their faculties" (Justice Louis Brandeis).

FREEDOM IS NOT GIVEN TO US FOR SELFISH INDULGENCE; IT’S MEANT TO BE USED IN REACHING OUR POTENTIAL. This is as true of our civil liberties as it is of those that are more personal in nature. Even the laws and regulations under which we live are for the purpose of creating conditions in which we can flourish and “develop [our] faculties,” as Brandeis put it. Not many people realize that’s what freedom is for, and many who know it don’t take full advantage of it, but freedom is meant to help us grow. It’s not about doing whatever we want; it’s about becoming all we’re capable of.

There is a sense in which human lives have to be “unfolded” or “unpacked.” They don’t come already put together, and to say (as the label always tells you when you’re in a hurry) that “some assembly is required” is a considerable understatement. So “development” is the word we often use to describe what has to happen if a person’s character is going to become all it’s capable of being. It’s as if many things are wrapped up in us that have to be unpacked.

Like many worthwhile things, the development of character takes time. It’s not work that can be done in a day. In fact, when we look at it properly, we recognize that it’s a lifelong process. No matter how long we live, our character still needs some development.

But haven’t we all seen a tendency in our lives to stop developing? Indeed, avoiding stagnation is one of the primary challenges we face as we grow older. It takes extraordinary commitment and discipline to keep on developing as long as we’re in this world.

Serious issues are at stake, however. The choice that confronts us is, as someone has said, “Develop or die.” Our endowments are wonderful. Our resources are abundant. Our potential is so vast that it seems unlimited. But none of these things can be neglected without frightful consequences later on. If there’s a law that’s clearly written on every page of nature’s book, it is this: use it or lose it.

"In every animal . . . a more frequent and continuous use of any organ gradually strengthens, develops, and enlarges that organ . . . while the permanent disuse of any organ imperceptibly weakens and deteriorates it, and progressively diminishes its functional capacity, until it finally disappears" (Jean-Baptiste Lamarck).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/restraint-march-10/

"Liberty exists in proportion to wholesome restraint" (Daniel Webster).

IF WE THINK FREEDOM WOULD MEAN THE ABSENCE OF ANY RESTRAINTS ON OUR BEHAVIOR, WE’RE HEADED STRAIGHT TOWARD ONE OF LIFE’S GREATEST DISAPPOINTMENTS. It’s nothing but naive to think we can indulge every whim and desire in any way we please, express ourselves with reckless abandon, disregard the rules of every game we play in, and still be remembered for having made a worthy contribution to the world. Listen to me: life doesn’t work that way, and if we think it does, we are bound to have our hearts broken sooner or later — and in the process, break the hearts of many others.

It doesn’t matter what kind of power is under consideration, whether in nature or in human relationships, power has to be restrained. Out-of-control power is never anything but destructive, and the greater the power, the more damage it will do if it’s not regulated, balanced by other forces, and made to stay in bounds.

If raw, unrestrained power did as much good as any other kind, a strong boxer could win every bout by rushing into the ring and throwing as many wild punches as possible. But as anybody knows who’s ever been in a boxing match (or any difficult human situation), merely flailing away doesn’t get the job done. To keep from getting your head knocked off, you’ve got to husband your strength, restrain your impulses, and keep your punches under control.

In the living of a human life, there is no way around our need for helpful restraints. We need both kinds: external restraints (laws, rules, requirements) and internal restraints (training, discipline, self-control). We even need to have some friends who’ll restrain us. We need these things because without them, we’d often go too far.

Rarely is it wise or beneficial to do, say, or think all that might be done, said, or thought. More is not always better, and there’s an undeniable beauty in things like reserve and understatement. So we need not only strength but also wisdom. We need not only freedom but also government. For those times when we can’t see for ourselves that “enough is enough,” we need the help of limits, those signposts of various kinds that simply say, “Here, but no further.”

Ah, men do not know how much strength is in poise,
That he goes the farthest who goes far enough.
(James Russell Lowell)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/work-march-9/

"Every man is a consumer, and ought to be a producer. He fails to make his place good in the world unless he not only pays his debt but also adds something to the common wealth" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

TECHNICALLY, “WORK” IS SIMPLY TOIL OR LABOR — IT’S PHYSICAL OR MENTAL EFFORT OR ACTIVITY. But I’d like to suggest that we’d profit from thinking of work in a higher sense. The best concept of work is that which sees it as more than mere labor — it is labor that adds value to the world. When we’re working, we’re adding “something to the common wealth,” as Emerson put it. We’re repaying our debt to the world, first, by replenishing the resources that we’ve taken out of it and, second, by adding some value that wasn’t there before. The result of our work is that something in the world has been improved in some way. Some worth has been created.

It’s unfortunate that we so often limit the word “work” to labor we’re paid to perform for an employer. When we speak of the “workplace,” we usually mean the realm of money-paying jobs and careers. But the work that a human being does over the course of his or her lifetime involves a great deal more than that person’s paid occupation. In fact, much, if not most, of the value that gets added to the world is added by the things people do when they’re not “at work,” and we need to quit thinking that the only folks who are working are those who have salaried jobs. (And we certainly need to stop asking stay-at-home mothers why they don’t “work.”)

Regarding our work, one of the best things we can do is dedicate it to one or more persons whom we love. It’s no coincidence that writers usually dedicate their work to someone; great power comes from having a special someone “for” whom we’re doing our work. But we don’t have to be a writer to benefit from this power. Whatever work we’re doing, we can see ourselves as “dedicating” it to someone else.

Good work is a blessing to be appreciated, not a burden to be resented. It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to add value back to a world that has given us so much. And if we think of our work rightly, there’s a good chance we’ll want to enter into it appreciatively, enthusiastically, and energetically. Adding value by giving honest effort is a thing we’ll find satisfying and, yes, even enjoyable.

Work! Thank God for the swing of it,
for the clamoring, hammering ring of it.
(Edwin Markham)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/creativity-march-8/

"Man unites himself with the world in the process of creation" (Erich Fromm).

WE’RE BORN INTO A PRE-MADE WORLD, BUT WITHIN THE WORLD AS IT WAS WHEN WE GOT HERE, WE’VE GOT THE ABILITY TO MAKE MANY NEW THINGS. Some might say we can’t make anything truly new; we can only do new things with the raw materials already here. But what wonderful reorderings of the raw materials we’re capable of! Our human creativity is a fascinating force.

Because it’s so powerful, our creative urge needs to be carefully managed. Among people seriously involved in creative work, we often hear it said (by artists, musicians, writers, etc.) that the only reason for their work is to allow the creators to “express themselves.” But in a world where we’re all connected, that should never be the case. Not everything a person might “express” needs to see the light of day. Before I create anything, I need to ask myself honestly: will this expression of myself make a positive contribution to those around me, or will it pollute them? Will it help or will it hurt?

Our ability to create carries a serious stewardship, and in our present culture there may be some doubt whether we’re handling that stewardship responsibly. “We live at a time when man believes himself fabulously capable of creation, but he does not know what to create” (José Ortega y Gasset). As with all of God’s gifts, creativity is meant to be used beneficially. We have it within us to give others hope, to bring refreshment, and to strengthen.

When we take a wise approach to the creative act, however, magnificent things can be accomplished. Our creativity can bring much-needed freshness to our own lives and those of others. Not only that, but we have it within our power to create things that will do good long after we’re gone from this world. Few of us are going to be remembered by succeeding generations, but the question of what we’re going to leave behind is still significant. We’re at our best when we’re using our creative powers to do lasting good. It doesn’t matter whether any historian gives us credit; it only matters that we’ve created something that will help others — now and perhaps even later!

"Creativity is not merely the innocent spontaneity of our youth and childhood; it must also be married to the passion of the adult human being, which is a passion to live beyond one’s death" (Rollo May).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/inventiveness-march-7/

"The most gifted members of the human species are at their creative best when they cannot have their way" (Eric Hoffer).

ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING THINGS ABOUT HUMAN BEINGS IS OUR ABILITY TO FIND SOLUTIONS WHEN WE’RE FACED WITH PROBLEMS. Nearly every day, we see evidence, either in our own lives or those of others, that the adage is true: “necessity is the mother of invention.” When our path is blocked, we find an alternate route. When we’re frustrated, we find a way to make progress. When no tool exists that will serve our purpose, we invent a new one. We’re a creative species, and it seems there is no end to our inventiveness.

Unfortunately, human beings have not always used their inventiveness to good ends. Many of the most harmful contrivances in the world have been conceived by geniuses whose creativity was allowed to run loose, unfettered by true principles or worthy values. So, we need not think that inventiveness is a good thing in itself. If true goodness is to result from our ingenuity, our creative powers must be harnessed and disciplined. When we answer the call to be inventive, it must be in the pursuit of goodness and not evil.

The world would be a better place, for example, if we used less of our inventiveness to get what we want for ourselves and more of it to meet the needs of those around us. If we could manage to be half as ingenious in helping others as we are in helping ourselves, the world would be a much better place.

And speaking of our relationship to others, the most inventive force in the world is love. Whatever needs to be figured out or accomplished, love will find a way. It doesn’t really matter what the hurdle is; if a person is in love, the hurdle is likely to be cleared.

Since the things and people we love make us so inventive, we need to be wise in deciding which things and people those are. Almost inevitably, we move in the direction of our aspirations, creatively finding ways around every problem that stands between us and what we aspire to. So, as the old-timers used to say, we need to be careful what we want, because we are apt to get it. Our inventiveness can be counted on to get us to our goals; the only question is whether our goals are worthy.

"Our inventions mirror our secret wishes" (Lawrence Durrell).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/innovation-march-6/

"We are more ready to try the untried when what we do is inconsequential. Hence the remarkable fact that many inventions had their birth as toys" (Eric Hoffer).

DELIGHTFUL THINGS OFTEN OCCUR WHEN WE’RE WILLING TO TRY SOMETHING NEW. Perhaps that’s why children’s lives are so full of joy: their natural sense of playfulness encourages them to turn things upside-down and inside-out. The lives of young people fairly bristle with innovation, and the discoveries they make are often of benefit to those much older than themselves.

As grown-ups, we often find it hard to get the right balance when it comes to innovation. Sometimes we go to the extreme of worshiping whatever is new, and we foolishly throw overboard anything that has any age or tradition to it. When we’re in this mode, we need to be reminded that there’s nothing inherently valuable about something new; its value depends upon its context, and we need to think twice before we smash a tradition that can’t be recovered once it’s destroyed. Innovation and change are not synonymous.

Yet we often go to the other extreme as well. In our conservatism, we become so tied to the status quo that we reject innovations that would be truly helpful. The apple cart becomes so sacred that we dare not risk upsetting it. Yet, as Frank A. Clark suggested, “Why not upset the apple cart? If you don’t, the apples will rot anyway.” Obviously, it would be foolish to mindlessly apply that thinking to every situation, but there’s no denying the creative value of the question itself: why not upset the apple cart?

Even in our personal relationships, there is a sense in which we should be wholesomely innovative. No matter what the problem or project, if others can count on us to bring a fresh and helpful perspective to the effort, that’s a fine reputation to have.

Whatever may be our individual talents and abilities, these were meant to be used — energetically and even innovatively. If we’re actively engaged with life, we’ll make some delightful discoveries while trying out new approaches to old problems. We’ll be willing, at least once in a while, to experiment — just like the curious child who says, “I wonder what would happen if you did it this way?”

I will work out the divinity that is busy within my mind
And tend the means that are mine.
(Pindar)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/clarity-march-5/

"Hold every moment sacred. Give each clarity and meaning, each the weight of thine awareness, each its true and due fulfillment" (Thomas Mann).

THERE IS TOO MUCH FUZZINESS IN OUR IDEAS. What should be sharp and clear is often indistinct and cloudy. We need to bring some clarity to the business of living — and also of loving.

Clarity in our thinking. Since our actions are the consequence of our thinking, it’s essential that what we think be as clear as possible. Sometimes, however, we don’t work very hard on this goal, even concerning vital topics. Alfred North Whitehead once spoke of a particular philosophy as “an adventure in the clarification of thought.” If you know the philosophy of which he spoke, you may doubt whether it made anything clearer, but still, his expression, “an adventure in the clarification of thought,” is interesting. How long has it been since you embarked on an adventure like that? How recently has your thinking on a significant subject been clarified?

Clarity in our relationships. Sometimes our relationships lack quality because they’re ill-defined. We haven’t made the effort to know the other person clearly, nor have we given them the chance to know us clearly — so the relationship is foggy. Our interactions would improve if we clarified them with openness, humility, and courage.

Perhaps we find it difficult to relate to others clearly because we don’t experience things clearly ourselves. And maybe that’s because so much of our experience now is “synthetic.” Cut off from the clarity of the natural world, our minds are fed primarily by the flickering images on our digital devices, big and little screens alike. As wonderful as these media are, they can never present more than a vague representation of original reality. Out of touch with sharply defined reality itself, it’s no surprise that our thinking falls out of focus. We would do well to “clear up” our intellect and our imaginations more often by directly experiencing the creations that call to us “out there” — beyond the doors of our dwellings. Things that are clear in themselves can help to make our minds more clear.

There is a poignancy in all things clear,
In the stare of the deer, in the ring of a hammer in the morning.
Seeing a bucket of perfectly lucid water
We fall to imagining prodigious honesties.
(Richard Wilbur)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/selflessness-march-4/

"A man cannot enter into the deepest center of himself . . . unless he is able to pass entirely out of himself and give himself to other people in the purity of a selfless love" (Thomas Merton).

ONE OF THE GREAT IRONIES OF LIFE IS THAT WE FIND OURSELVES BY LOSING OURSELVES. If we’re so obsessed with what we’ve accumulated for our own enjoyment that we won’t relinquish any of it for the sake of others, the result is not a richer life but a poorer one. (Think of Scrooge on Christmas Eve.) On the other hand, if we put less emphasis on what is ours and embrace the idea of sacrifice, what we find is that we’ve gained more than we’ve given away. (Think of Scrooge on Christmas morning.) We find what we’re looking for only after we start looking for something else. A “self” comes to us not by self-centered-ness but by — believe it or not — self-less-ness.

If we haven’t come to terms with it already, it’s high time we recognized that we’re happiest when we’re giving ourselves away. That’s just the nature of the reality we happen to be a part of, and we can no more change it than we can amend the law of gravity. To try, as many do, to gain happiness by selfishness rather than selflessness is an effort doomed to failure. C. S. Lewis said it this way: “What is outside the system of self-giving is not earth, nor nature, nor ordinary life, but simply and solely Hell. Yet even Hell derives from this law such reality as it has. That fierce imprisonment in the self is but the obverse of the self-giving which is absolute reality.” Selfishness is an assault on reality, an assault that is bound to fail eventually.

This doesn’t mean we have no self-interest at all. It would be an unhealthy person indeed who had no concern for his own wants and needs. But selflessness means that we’re willing to sacrifice for the good of others, when sacrifice is needed, and that our own desires are filled up only when we’re willing to pour them out. There aren’t going to be any good things in the world if somebody doesn’t do some giving, and if we want a share of the goodness, we’re going to have to participate in the giving. As long as the world is the kind of place it is, there will be no serious gain without significant loss.

"Every man brings an egg and every one wants an omelette — but without breaking his own egg. That poses a most difficult situation" (Frank Mar).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/reinforcement-march-3/

"What reinforcement we may gain from hope" (John Milton).

NONE OF US IS SO STRONG THAT WE DON’T NEED SOME OCCASIONAL REINFORCEMENT. In particular, we need the kind of reinforcement that comes, as Milton suggests, from hope. As the days come and go, our energies wane, our commitments weaken, and our courage fails. Fairly frequently, we need to receive a reinforcement of hope. We need to be buttressed with fresh strength.

But here is what I want you to think about: the best kinds of reinforcement are those that add a different type of strength than what was already there. As in the physical world, the things that do the best job of bracing our spirits are those that supplement our strength from a different — and perhaps surprising — angle.

Older and younger. Do you want some serious reinforcement in your life in a hurry? Just find somebody whose chronological age is significantly different from yours. Interact with them. Listen to them. You may be astonished at how much stronger this makes you.

Men and women. A major part of the beauty and mystery of life is the difference between the strengths of men and women. To be truly strong, masculine strength needs to be reinforced by what men can learn about strength from women, and vice versa.

Rich and poor. One reason for our weakness nowadays is that we cut ourselves off from any real contact with anyone outside our own social and economic niche. But “inter-niche” contact is reinforcing.

Each of us is a unique being, made up of strengths not found in any other person in exactly the same combination. What that means is that all of us have the ability to add reinforcing strength to other people’s lives. Because we’re different, the strengths we impart to one another will always come from a different “angle” than what was already in that person’s life. And ultimately, that’s why our gifts have been given to us, whatever they may be. Our endowments are not for our private enjoyment alone; they are meant to be used in the work of reinforcement. And we use our various gifts best when we use them “to charm, to strengthen, and to teach.”

But the great Master said, “I see
No best in kind, but in degree;
I gave a various gift to each,
To charm, to strengthen, and to teach.”
(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/amazement-march-2/

"The true scientist never loses the faculty of amazement" (Hans Selye).

WE USE THE WORD “AMAZEMENT” IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAN IT WAS ORIGINALLY USED. In its older sense, amazement meant bewilderment or perplexity (the feeling you’d have if you were lost in a cornfield “maze” or labyrinth). Shakespeare used the word this way in Act IV of King John: “I am amaz’d, methinks, and lose my way / Among the thorns and dangers of the world.” Today, however, to be amazed means to be in a state of extreme surprise or wonder. Most of us already know that, but is there anything about this word that would make it a good word to meditate on? I think there is.

There is some value and virtue in keeping our hearts open enough that we can be amazed. If we’ve seen so much, or perhaps grown so tired, that nothing amazes us anymore, then I believe we’ve suffered a sad loss. As far as the objective reality around us is concerned, there is very much in the world to be amazed at. (Remember And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss?) Several times a day, most of us encounter something that should fill us with surprise and wonder. If our antennas are not up, however, the astonishing qualities of these things will be lost on us.

I would even go so far as to say that being amazed in the older sense is beneficial, at least once in a while. Many of us have gotten so confident in our modernity that it would do us good to suffer some occasional bewilderment or perplexity. It’s healthy to get lost in a “maze” now and then — and thus be reminded of our fallibility.

Amazement is undoubtedly one of the keys to learning. As Hans Selye said, “The true scientist never loses the faculty of amazement.” We should keep our childhood curiosity and sense of wonder as long as we can. When we lose it, we quit learning new and useful things.

Beyond the learning value of amazement, however, we are simply healthier, more interesting people when there is some amazement in our lives. If I could choose only one life to live, I’d rather be a country bumpkin any day, easily and enjoyably amazed at the simplest of things, than to be a sophisticated man-about-town who’s outlived his enthusiasm for the wonders of the everyday world.

As Tammie glow’red, amazed and curious,
The mirth and fun grew fast and furious.
(Robert Burns)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/sportsmanship-march-1/

"Everyone admires a good loser — except his wife" (Anonymous).

FAILURE COMES IN MANY DIFFERENT FORMS. In any situation, there is more than one test we might fail, more than one way in which our conduct might fall below the level of acceptability. Today, let’s think about the test of “sportsmanship.” At first glance, you may not think “unsportsmanlike conduct” is one of the more serious crimes that a person might commit, but don’t be so quick to dismiss it. If you’ll just observe what happens around you for a few days, you’ll see that a good bit of what causes friction among people comes down to a simple failure on somebody’s part to play fair and to be a good loser or a good winner. Sportsmanship involves some fairly significant issues — such as justice, honor, and respect for others.

Playing fair. There would be a lot less stress in the world if we all remembered what we learned on the playground about old-fashioned fairness. Despite our sometimes tortured legal arguments, it usually isn’t all that hard to figure out what’s fair. We may, for one reason or another, find it difficult to do what is fair, but knowing what a good sport would do isn’t as complicated as we make it out to be. As a guiding principle, fairness is as simple as it is powerful.

Being a good loser. I once heard someone (probably a coach) say, “Don’t criticize a poor loser — a poor loser’s still a better opponent than any kind of winner.” Maybe so, but all joking aside, the problem of people acting dishonorably when they lose something they desperately tried to gain is a serious problem. And we’re all guilty of it occasionally. If we wanted to make a positive contribution to the world, each of us could do that by resolving never again to act spitefully or vindictively when we’ve lost something we wanted to win.

Being a good winner. In a sense, being a good winner is harder than being a good loser. When we’ve lost, we have to be good sports to keep from being further shamed. But when we’ve won, it’s hardly considered a sin if we indulge in a little well-earned gloating. So, as winners, the incentive to good sportsmanship is simply our respect for those on the other side. But what an incentive that should be! Without respect for others, our winnings aren’t worth a dime.

"Win as if you were used to it; lose as if you enjoyed it for a change" (Anonymous).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/hands-february-29/

"I have met people so empty of joy that when I clasped their frosty fingertips it seemed as if I were shaking hands with a northeast storm. Others there are whose hands have sunbeams in them, so that their grasp warms my heart. It may be only the clinging touch of a child’s hand, but there is as much potential sunshine in it for me as there is in the loving glance for others" (Helen Keller).

OUR HANDS ARE MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER PART OF OUR BODIES. If our bodies are the instruments through which we do our work in the world, it’s our hands, especially, that do that work. The Book of Ecclesiastes, for example, says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” Something an individual has accomplished is that person’s “handiwork.” A disadvantage in our work is called a “handicap.” And, of course, something that helps us do our work is described as “handy.” No part of the body is more closely linked to the doings of human beings than the hands.

Have you ever noticed how much hands say about a person’s character? The hands reveal hardly any less than the face. I once met an artist, in fact, who did nothing but hands. She sculpted hands, drew them, painted them, photographed them, and even wrote poems about them, as I recall. Children’s hands and older people’s hands. Rugged hands and delicate hands. Friendly hands and hostile hands. The whole gamut of human feeling and experience was powerfully and beautifully portrayed by these hands, artistically rendered. What a creative gift by this artist!

Most of us have memories of hands we’ve known in the past. Can’t you remember your grandmother’s hands? The hands of your piano teacher? Your baseball coach? These images should remind us: we’re remembered not just for what we are but for what we do.

Having healthy, functional hands is not a thing to be taken for granted; it’s a sober stewardship. With these physical extensions of our will, we can do good or evil, and we’re responsible for our choice in the matter. What we “hand” down to our descendants needs to be something that will invite gratitude rather than regret. And there is not a one of us who can’t do this. No matter who we are, we can do worthy work. With our hands, we can work what is good and honorable and valuable to those who are coming along behind.

Enough, if something from our hands have power
To live, and act, and serve the future hour.
(William Wordsworth)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/keys-february-28/

"Open sesame!" (The Arabian Nights).

LOCKED DOORS ARE MYSTERIOUS, AND THE KEYS THAT OPEN THEM HAVE A ROMANTIC AURA ABOUT THEM. I once came across a collection of keys on a brass ring in an antique store, and it was all I could do to keep from buying them. Even without knowing what doors they would have opened, I still found the keys fascinating. Keys are like that. They are powerful, and they are interesting.

The most important keys, of course, are not those that are physical; they are the intangible ones that unlock invisible doors: the “doors” we have to go through to get from one “room” in our lives to another. When we have trouble getting these doors open, it’s nice to have a friend who can provide the key. And these keys come in many different forms, don’t they? Sometimes it’s a word of encouragement that opens the door, or perhaps an insight from our friend’s thinking. It may involve a recommendation given by our friend to a third party. Often, it’s simply an act of kindness or service by our friend that provides the key to progress. Each key is important in its own way.

Friendship also involves the mutual keeping of another kind of key. Close friends confide in one another in valuable ways, and in a faithful friendship, these special, private truths cannot be divulged without the permission of the other friend, who, in effect, holds the “key.” In the words of Christopher Smart’s poem: “‘Tis in my memory lock’d / And you yourself shall keep the key of it.”

Perhaps the most amazing kind of key, however, is the one that opens the door through which someone else discovers their real life! It’s a startling thought, really, but we can sometimes assist other people in discovering who they are and where they should be headed in life. Looking back, most of us can identify friends or mentors who helped us in that way, and we should be eager to pass along the favor whenever we can. In fact, there aren’t many higher things we can aspire to in this life “under the sun.” It’s a joy to be people who have the effect of unlocking others, awakening their sense of purpose. To cultivate that kind of influence — being known for opening hearts and minds — is a reputation worth working to preserve.

He opened us —
who was a key,
who was a man.
(Gwendolyn Brooks)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/sufficiency-february-27/

"No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door; but 'tis enough, 'twill serve" (William Shakespeare).

SUFFICIENCY IS NO SMALL THING. If what has been provided is “enough” or it’s “adequate,” then we shouldn’t look down on it or fail to be thankful. If we’ve gotten to the point where we feel that what is “sufficient” is somehow less than we deserve, then our affluence is probably hurting us more than it’s helping us. And if, in our work, we feel insulted when someone describes our output as “sufficient,” then we may have gotten too high-minded for our own good.

To be sure, excellence is a worthy ideal, and if you know me, you know I’m not recommending mediocrity. The person who is content to do less than his best needs to get off his derriere and start doing better. But if I’ve done my best and my best is sufficient, then I shouldn’t see my effort as anything less than honorable. For all the talk done by those who promise excellence, the world could do with a few more folks who actually deliver sufficiency!

In my estimation, some of the greatest people who contribute to the world are those who quietly go about the business of supplying “sufficiency” in all their relationships. They don’t have press agents. They don’t get standing ovations. And they don’t receive awards. But they do what their more prominent peers often don’t do: they deliver the goods. Adequately and dependably. Day in and day out.

Our talk of “excellence” is often a substitute for “sufficient” work. If you hear someone saying they’re too talented to work for the minimum wage, you’d expect they might be making much more than that. All too often, though, that person has made less net income, over the long term, than the minimum-wage worker. “Sufficient” income is a blessing. As Aesop told us long ago, the tortoise often reaches the goal (and a comfortable retirement) faster than the hare.

So how is it with us in our own lives? All of us have people — friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, etc. — whose lives are affected by what we do. Our relationship with these people is such that they depend on us to supply certain necessities. If we wish to provide more than what’s “sufficient,” that’s fine — but our loved ones shouldn’t have to worry about receiving any less than that.

"Enough is as good as a feast" (John Heywood).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/usefulness-february-26/

"A useless life is an early death" (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe).

WANTING TO BE USEFUL IS A CRUCIAL PART OF OUR NATURE. We may be easily distracted from that desire — and some folks seem to have suppressed the urge altogether — but still it’s true, we want to feel that we’re of significant use to somebody. Times of enforced idleness, such as periods of illness or disability, are rarely the seasons we remember as the happiest in our lives. “It is a great misfortune to be of use to nobody” (Baltasar Gracián).

Regarding this “misfortune,” however, there is something we need to be aware of: it is never actually the case that we’re “of use to nobody.” We may feel useless sometimes, but that feeling is never entirely consistent with reality. My father, for example, who just celebrated his ninetieth birthday, struggles with occasional feelings of uselessness. Physically, he’s limited in what he can do, and it’s often hard for him to see any real purpose for his continued presence in the world. Yet in truth, he continues to be helpful to others in ways he’s not aware of. If nothing else, his example of steadfastness and good cheer is of great value to all who know him.

It’s an obvious fact, of course, that our usefulness can be diminished by circumstances beyond our control, like old age or physical impairment. But usually, what is reduced is only our preferred and customary ways of being useful. What we need to do is let go of the past and have the humility to switch gears in our service to others. We need to adjust ourselves to new ways of being useful — ways that may be less congenial to us but are no less valuable to others.

There will be few days in this world when we can’t do something that someone needs to have done. We can be helpful if that’s what we want to be, and it’s a marvelous thing to set that as our goal. An even greater goal, however, is to combine usefulness with grace. We can diminish the drabness in our world not only by doing what needs to be done but also by carrying it out in a way that delights and encourages those we serve. Pragmatism and practicality are commendable qualities in their own right, but they’re nothing short of astonishing when they’re clothed with the added quality of grace.

"The difference between utility and utility plus beauty is the difference between telephone wires and the spider’s web" (Edwin Way Teale).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/favor-february-25/

"A favour well bestowed is almost as great an honor to him who confers it as to him who receives it" (Richard Steele).

FAVOR IS ONE OF THE MOST GRATIFYING THINGS IN LIFE. Whether we think of it as an attitude or an act, it’s always a delightful gift. As an attitude, it’s a gracious, kind, and friendly way of thinking about somebody else. And as an act, it’s a deed that reflects such an attitude. When we “do a favor” for someone, we do something that shows our “favor” for them personally. And as Richard Steele suggests, a favor “well bestowed” (with honesty and courtesy, for example) is “as great an honor to him who confers it as to him who receives it.” Favors, whether big or little, are a part of the grace of life. Without them, this world would be far more dreary.

It would be a fine thing to develop “favor” as a basic outlook or disposition. That is, it would help us to look on life itself more “favorably.” Yes, some things have to be dealt with that cannot — and should not — be looked upon with favor. In fact, there are many such things, and it’s foolish to pretend they don’t exist. But there is also much good in this world, and we have an important choice to make: which one are we going to spend most of our time thinking about? When we’re determining our inner inclination or orientation, I believe it’s wise to be as favorable as possible. Our choice can be to think and act as favorably toward others as wisdom will allow. And when the evidence is ambiguous, we can give people the benefit of the doubt. In other words, we can “favor” the more positive scenario.

We have it within our power, every day of the week, to show kindness to other human beings, and by doing so, to show them favor. We can live in such a way that doing a favor is more than a random act we engage in — favor can be integral to who we are. It can be one of our principles, a part of the fabric of our character. When that’s the case, we’ll find ourselves bringing a welcome happiness into the lives of all who deal with us. And not only that, by having gratitude as a settled part of our character, we’ll begin to appreciate how much favor others show to us, and even the ordinary affairs of daily living will be warmed with some colors that are quite wonderful. Both the giving and receiving of favor are among life’s richest treasures.

"How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it" (George Elliston).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/admonition-february-24/

"A friend is one who warns you" (Arabian Proverb).

TO “ADMONISH” IS TO REPROVE SOMEONE MILDLY OR KINDLY BUT SERIOUSLY. If a friend admonishes you, that means they caution you about your behavior or counsel you against a dangerous course of action. Because it has a distinctly “disciplinary” ring, admonition may not seem like a positive practice — I doubt many would call it an “enthusiastic idea.” However, it’s a better thing than most people suppose. Since success in this life often comes down to whether we’re willing to be warned, being open to admonition is a part of the good life. And as far as our friends are concerned, a faithful friend will admonish us when we need it — in serious cases, even risking the relationship in order to say what we need to hear.

Receiving admonition is certainly not pleasant, and if we judge things solely by whether they make us feel good emotionally, admonition won’t be something we tolerate. But the momentary pain of having it pointed out that we’re headed down the wrong road is worth accepting, simply because it helps us avoid a much greater, and perhaps disastrous, pain later on. As Shakespeare put it, “Better a little chiding than a great deal of heartbreak.”

We need to work on two things: receiving admonition in the proper spirit and giving admonition in the right way. When we’re being warned, we need to hear the admonition with openness, humility, courage, and an eagerness to act on whatever truth we’re hearing. And when we’re the one issuing the warning, we need to do so wisely. It takes good judgment, honest love, and considerable skill to find the balance between courage and kindness, but without that balance, admonitions often do more harm than good.

Whether or not we have friends who’ll admonish us, we all have a conscience, and that’s precisely what our conscience is supposed to do. We need to ensure that our conscience is well-educated and that its warnings are based on truth and reality. But more than that, we need to listen to our conscience. If we don’t, the time will come when it will give up. It will stop trying to get our attention and eventually abandon us. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.

"If conscience smite thee once, it is an admonition; if twice, it is a condemnation" (Nathaniel Hawthorne).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/diversity-february-23/

"The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity" (Gene Roddenberry).

IT’S HARD TO LOOK AT THE WORLD WE LIVE IN AND NOT BE INTRIGUED BY ITS INTRICACY. Rather than being one homogeneous substance throughout, it’s made up of billions and billions of separate entities. This world is not a vanilla pudding; it’s a tossed salad. And what a diverse salad it is! You could spend twenty-seven lifetimes studying the earth and not even list everything that’s here, much less describe how every “thing” is different from every “other thing.” If variety’s the spice of life, we’re surrounded by spice, aren’t we? And shouldn’t we be grateful? The diversity of our world is part of its strength and beauty, and meditating on that is a helpful exercise.

As individuals, most of us would be stronger if there was more diversity in our character. There is a sense, of course, in which simplicity is beautiful, and we’re not recommending that any of us try to become complicated, difficult, or hard to figure out. The point is just that variety can be a valuable thing, in ourselves just as in the world at large. Our characters will be better if they include various elements that reinforce one another and round us out.

One thing that can add diversity to our character is becoming interested in and respectful of people who differ from us in significant ways. As Charles Dickens has one of his characters say in Martin Chuzzlewit, “Them which is of other natures thinks different.” Conflicting opinions may make us uncomfortable, but we need not fear them. Our own thinking is strengthened, rather than weakened, when we view things from the perspective of people who stand at a different spot and see things from a different angle. This doesn’t mean that every viewpoint is equally helpful or accurate; it just means that our reasoning needs to be enriched and deepened by input from outside our present patterns of thought.

How many kinds of people can you enjoy working with? How varied are the situations in which you can function effectively? How diverse are your tastes? Your habits? Your ideas? If your answer is, “Not very,” you’re missing out on much of the world’s amazement. So, jump into the tingling waters of diversity and go for a swim!

The heavens rejoice in motion, why should I
Abjure my so much lov’d variety?
(John Donne)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/leadership-february-22/

"He that would be a leader must be a bridge" (Welsh Proverb).

IT WOULD BE HARD TO THINK OF GEORGE WASHINGTON, BORN ON THIS DAY, WITHOUT THINKING OF LEADERSHIP. If it hadn’t been for his ability to blaze a trail, both literally and figuratively, our nation might easily have been lost trying to find its freedom. We wouldn’t have to stretch our imaginations much to believe that the availability of his leadership at that time was providential.

When history judges a person to have been a leader, that person is almost always someone who helped his contemporaries get through a time of change. And the more gut-wrenching the change, the more valuable were the services of the individual who led others through the transition. Great leaders don’t waste time wishing for more favorable circumstances in which to demonstrate their skills or display their wisdom; they recognize that if circumstances were entirely favorable, their services would scarcely be required. Hard work during hard times is what leadership is primarily about.

Unfortunately for our nation, we are quickly losing touch with the real-life facts of the Revolutionary War. Far removed from the bloody traumas of that period, comfortable in freedoms that have been the norm all our lives, and uninterested in reading history books or honoring heroes, we live as if things have always been the way they are now. We forget the horrifying chasm over which George Washington led us — from what once was to what now is.

However valuable his service to us was, George Washington was not primarily interested in being remembered as a famous individual. He would not have wanted our freedoms to depend on any continuing influence by him down through the years. Like all great leaders, he wanted those whom he led to be enabled and empowered. He might have wanted to be remembered kindly, but more than that, he would have wanted us to move ahead, no longer needing his active assistance. And so, on his birthday, let’s honor Washington wisely, acknowledging with gratitude the bridge he led us over. Then let’s see if we can’t find some chasms that our own friends and neighbors need help crossing.

"The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on" (Walter Lippmann).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/glory-february-21/

"When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything" (Harriet Tubman).

WE’VE ALL HAD THEM NOW AND THEN: THOSE EXPERIENCES IN WHICH EVERYTHING AROUND US CAME ALIVE AND SEEMED TO SHINE WITH A STRANGE AND WONDERFUL GLORY. Harriet Tubman, one of the great abolitionists of the Civil War period, described such an experience to her biographer, Sarah Bradford. When, in 1845, she first escaped from slavery and found herself in free territory, Tubman said she had to check to make sure she was the same person: “There was such a glory over everything.” She saw the world differently!

In its literal sense, the word “glory” has to do with “brightness” or “brilliance.” That which is glorious shines brightly. But we use the word figuratively to describe things that “shine” in that they possess “majestic beauty and splendor” (American Heritage Dictionary). Harriet Tubman experienced a joy that made everything around her seem more beautiful than she’d ever known it to be before. That kind of glory is more important than any amount of physical brightness.

It’s no coincidence that the sun, which shines with visible glory, figures prominently in many of the situations that we later describe as glorious. In particular, the rising of the sun at dawn is a thing that moves us. “Full many a glorious morning I have seen” (Shakespeare). “Oft when the white, still dawn / Lifted the skies and pushed the hills apart / I have felt it like a glory in my heart” (Edwin Markham). And, to be fair, the moon has its own glory. In the words of Tennyson, “Lo! the level lake / And the long glories of the winter moon.”

But whether it’s some shining, shimmering thing in nature that touches us with glory, or, as in Harriet Tubman’s case, it’s some unusual event or circumstance, glory is a good thing to get a deep taste of. And like it or not, how often we’re conscious of glory has more to do with us than with what happens to us. We’re surrounded by glory almost all the time, but some people are more receptive to it than others. Because of the openness of their heart and the eagerness of their outlook, glory is their frequent companion — and their receptiveness to glory is a virtue any of us can cultivate.

O, what their joy and their glory must be,
Those endless sabbaths the blessed ones see!
(Peter Abelard)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/presence-february-20/

"Take care and say this with presence of mind" (Terence).

PRESENCE OF MIND IS A HARD THING FOR BUSY PEOPLE TO ACHIEVE. The more we do, the less we think about what we do. Most days find us rushing through such a crowded agenda, we have little opportunity to concentrate. When our minds are so urgently pulled forward by the next thing to be done, they don’t get a chance to dwell fully on the words and deeds of the current moment.

Consider Terence’s statement quoted above: “Take care and say this with presence of mind.” How much of what any of us has said in the last twenty-four hours has been said “with presence of mind”? Probably no more than a small fraction. Frankly, most of our words are said while our minds are on “automatic,” and the majority of our deeds could be described as “going with the flow.” If you don’t have that problem, you are living on a level most of us haven’t reached.

But what is “presence of mind”? It’s the state in which we not only think consciously about what we do, but we savor and relish these things as they are happening. Assuming that what we’re doing is aligned with our conscience, we miss a great opportunity if, as we act, we don’t consider our actions and enjoy them, gratefully aware of ourselves, our deeds, and those with whom we may be interacting. Life is made up of moments, and if we’re not “present” in these as they pass by, there is simply no other happiness we can enjoy. So, being mindful of our moments is a habit as wise as it is joyful.

When we fail in the matter of presence, one of the sad aspects of the problem is that we fail to impart to others the acknowledgment they deserve. In these days of multichannel communications, it’s rare to communicate with anyone, even face to face, and feel that you have that person’s undivided attention. Our minds are so overloaded, we’re not as present for one another as we should be.

But try it — once or twice a day — and see what a difference it makes. As you interact with someone, honor that person by being completely present for them. Say, by the attention you devote to them, “I am aware of you. I am conscious of you. I am thinking of you, and in this moment, I am at your service.”

"The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention" (Richard Moss).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/safety-february-19/

"Not a gift of a cow, nor a gift of land, nor yet a gift of food, is so important as the gift of safety, which is declared to be the great gift among all gifts in this world" (Panchatantra).

IF WE HAVE FRIENDS WITH WHOM WE ARE SAFE, WE HAVE ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE TREASURES IN THE WORLD. In relationships where we find safety, we’re not only free to be the persons we are right now, but we’re free to grow and to become more than the persons we are now. Nothing is more liberating — or motivating — than to have friendships that provide a safe harbor for our souls.

In safe relationships, there is no fear of betrayal. We don’t have to worry whether promises and commitments will be kept. And neither is there any fear that our private selves will be exposed to those outside the safe confines of the relationship. We’re free to be intimate, to peel back even the deepest layers of our hearts, and to share the most sacred parts of our inner world. We can do these things because the other person has made us feel secure. We’re not haunted by the relationship-killing possibility of dismissal.

This kind of relational safety is a wonderful thing indeed, but we shouldn’t misunderstand what it means. Those with whom we’re safe won’t hurt us, but that doesn’t mean they won’t hurt our feelings. The more faithful a friend is, the more that person will be willing to say what we need to hear, the bitter as well as the sweet. In a safe relationship, painful tidings will be delivered gently, but they’ll be delivered. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Book of Proverbs).

What it boils down to is this: those with whom we’re safe are those who will deal wisely with us, with our faults as well as our finer qualities. The safety in which we rejoice doesn’t mean that our shortcomings will be condoned; it means that we’ll be consoled, encouraged, and enlightened. When we fall, there’ll be strong arms to catch us and keep us from doing further harm. The very best will be believed about us — and when we’ve done less than our best, safety means that loving allowance will be made for our growth.

"Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away" (Dinah Maria Mulock Craik).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/impartiality-february-18/

"I am a great foe to favoritism in public life, in private life, and even in the delicate relationship of an author to his works" (Joseph Conrad).

WHEN THE TIME COMES TO ACT FAIRLY AND JUSTLY, WE SHOULD BE GUIDED BY IMPARTIALITY RATHER THAN FAVORITISM. If a crime has been committed in the neighborhood, for example, I may be eager to see the criminal brought to justice. But what if the criminal turns out to be my son? I should be no less willing for the law to be applied in that case than if the culprit were anybody else’s son. What’s fair is fair, regardless of who is involved.

Yet we sometimes veer off into misconceptions about impartiality that are prevalent in our culture. In these days of “tolerance,” we sometimes think that everybody should be treated the same, regardless of whether they’ve done right or wrong, and that, most assuredly, is not what impartiality is about. Thomas Fuller said it well: “He is not good himself who speaks well of everybody alike.” Impartiality doesn’t mean the innocent and the guilty should be treated alike. It just means that if two people have done equally well, they should be equally praised — and by the same token, if they’ve done equally poorly, they should be equally blamed. When right and wrong are opposed, justice not only allows us to take sides, but it requires us to do so. Impartiality is not even close to the same thing as indifference!

To be truly impartial, we must apply the same set of standards to everybody. It takes courage to do that, but it must be done. When called upon to make distinctions and render judgments, we’re tempted to apply a more lenient list of rules to our friends than to our enemies. And what’s worse, we’re tempted to apply an easier standard to ourselves than to anybody else, even our friends. Nevertheless, the temptation to play favorites has to be resisted.

As tough as it may be to look at things impartially, that’s what justice requires, and without justice, no society or community can last very long. Yes, justice is willing to take extenuating circumstances into account, and justice is also willing to extend mercy when that will produce a greater good. However, special cases like these notwithstanding, fairness still demands that the same rulebook be allowed to govern the game, regardless of who happens to be playing.

"Justice is impartiality" (George Bernard Shaw).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/adventure-february-17/

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable" (Helen Keller).

WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE’RE PRESENTED WITH SITUATIONS THAT ARE STRANGE AND UNEXPECTEDLY DIFFICULT? Do we back away from them? Like a lazy river meandering down the course of least resistance, do we do that which is easiest?

There is a sense in which courage is the main quality that life requires of us. The word "courage" comes from the Latin cor (“heart”). To have courage, then, is to have “heart,” and that’s assuredly what we need. We need to be brave-hearted rather than faint-hearted, willing to take life as it comes and deal with it honorably. Life holds little good for us if we’re always retreating.

Courage, however, is a different thing than some people imagine. The truly courageous aren’t foolhardy — that is, they don’t throw themselves unnecessarily into difficult spots. And when it comes to true adventure (as opposed to recreation or entertainment), the wise don’t go looking for it. As Louis L’Amour wrote, “What people speak of as adventure is something nobody in his right mind would seek out, and it becomes romantic only when one is safely at home.” Real cowboys don’t make a big deal about being “adventuresome.”

Yet when adventure comes calling, we should be ready to enter into it openly and actively. Too often, we turn away from adventure for no better reason than that it would be too much trouble to deal with. We’re comfortable in our familiar habits, and so we wish to stay put. (Readers of J. R. R. Tolkien will immediately think of Bilbo Baggins at the beginning of The Hobbit!) Yet we miss much of the tang of life by our reluctance to be bothered. As G. K. Chesterton wrote, “An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.”

There is nothing life can do to hurt us as much as we hurt ourselves by our unwillingness to embrace life and live it fully. There are certainly times to be passive, but when the time to be active arrives, we don’t help ourselves or anyone else by defaulting and doing nothing. Lives that make a difference are lives that go forward!

"Live venturously, plucking the wild goat by the beard, and trembling over precipices" (Virginia Woolf).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/eloquence-february-16/

"The eloquent man is he who is no beautiful speaker, but who is inwardly and desperately drunk with a certain belief" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

NOT MANY ORDINARY PEOPLE WOULD SAY THAT ELOQUENCE IS A CHARACTERISTIC THEY DESIRE TO POSSESS. It sounds like something of interest only to public speakers, but let’s take a closer look at the word and the idea it conveys. The American Heritage Dictionary says that the “eloquent” person is “persuasive, fluent, and graceful in discourse.” It seems to me that all three elements of this definition suggest some things we’d all do well to be interested in.

Persuasiveness. When you stop to think about it, a large part of the talk that any of us do on a given day consists of persuasion in one way or another. From the big issues down to the little details of daily life, we spend a lot of time trying to influence others. So if eloquence helps us be more persuasive, then it’s something we can all use. But the eloquence that is most persuasive is not the flowery kind we suppose great public speakers use. As Emerson said, the eloquent person is the one who is “inwardly and desperately drunk with a certain belief.” We will all become more eloquent, and therefore more persuasive, when we start believing more deeply in the things we want others to believe. Eloquence comes from conviction!

Fluency. Fluency is facility in the use of language. And isn’t that something that we all should value? Language is a wonderful and powerful gift. We show appreciation for this gift when we take the time to learn to use one or more languages easily and effectively — always in the service of ideas that are honorable and beneficial.

Gracefulness. There is enough crudeness in the world already. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a little more gracefulness in the way we speak to one another? Pindar, the Greek poet, said, “A thing said walks in immortality if it has been said well.” We do those who must listen to us a favor when we season our speech with a bit of grace.

“Eloquence,” according to Richard Cecil, “is vehement simplicity.” I like that definition. It suggests that we’re eloquent when we know what we want to say, we believe it passionately, and we say it straightforwardly. Eloquence, seen in this way, is not just for the orators among us. It’s for everybody else too.

"True eloquence consists in saying all that should be said, and that only" (François de La Rochefoucauld).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/predictability-february-15/

"Our peculiar dangers are those that surprise us and work treachery in the fort" (Henry Ward Beecher).

PREDICTABILITY IS ONE OF THE LEAST APPRECIATED OF ALL CHARACTER TRAITS. It’s one of those virtues that operate below the surface, and as long as it’s there, we tend to take it for granted. When someone conducts their relationship with us in such a dependable way that we never have to worry whether they’ll do as we’ve come to expect, we may think that’s just the way life is supposed to be and fail to appreciate that we’re actually being given a gift. It’s not until we have to deal with someone who’s erratic and unpredictable that we remember to give thanks for our more dependable friends. Their predictability adds emotional safety to the relationship.

Some of life’s most difficult tests come as the result of unpleasant surprises sprung on us by other people. It’s hard enough to exercise wisdom and strength when problems march up and challenge us in broad daylight. But, as Beecher said, it’s even harder to deal with dangers “that surprise us and work treachery in the fort.” And it’s not only difficulty that is worsened by unexpectedness. Grief is that way too. “Unfamiliarity lends weight to misfortune, and there never was a man whose grief was not heightened by surprise” (Seneca).

So aren’t you grateful for the “count-on-able” friends you have? Mine are valuable to me, and I try to thank them for their gift of predictability. Knowing what to expect takes a great deal of the stress out of life, and never having to worry that you’re going to be hurt by the fluctuations in someone else’s behavior is a blessing.

In short, then, predictability is a simple but important part of friendship. Spontaneity is wonderful, to be sure, but the things we want people to do spontaneously are good things. What we don’t want are unfulfilled promises, broken commitments, frustrated expectations, and uncertain performance of duty. Life has enough ups and downs as it is; it will test us with enough surprises on its own. In the midst of these uncertainties, we need friends who are steady, those who are comfortably and confidently predictable. And since our friends also need that kind of friendship, it wouldn’t be a waste of time for us to move our own predictability up a notch or two.

"The shifts of Fortune test the reliability of friends" (Cicero).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/romanticism-february-14/

"Life is a romantic business. It is painting a picture, not doing a sum, but you have to make the romance, and it will come to the question of how much fire you have in your belly" (Oliver Wendell Holmes).

ROMANTICISM IS A SPIRIT THE WORLD NEEDS MORE OF, AND TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO THINK ABOUT THAT. “Life is a romantic business,” as Holmes said, but too few of us approach it that way. Too few of us see romance as anything more than the doing of special things by sweethearts and spouses. In our daily lives, we often fail to appreciate the power of romanticism in its older, more general sense.

“Romance encompasses so much more than the spark of love between sweethearts,” wrote Thomas Kinkade. “[To be romantic] is quite simply to allow yourself to fall in love with life — all of life — and experience it fully, openly, passionately, and purposefully.” I agree with that assessment. Romanticism loves the adventure of life. And to sweethearts, I would add this: if you find no evidence of romanticism in your lover’s life outside of his or her interaction with you personally, watch out. You’ve probably got an unromantic lover trying to splash on a little romance just to win you over. It will pass!

But I digress. Let’s get back to something more fitting for Valentine’s Day. It’s a fact, isn’t it, that we could do with a little more romantic love. While there’s more to the romantic spirit than the way it expresses itself in love, we should try to keep love from being anything less than romantic. It would be helpful to our marriages if the thoughtful things we do on this day on the calendar were spread out a little more evenly throughout the year. It takes work to keep the romantic fires burning, but it’s well worth it.

However, to be honest, something else needs to be said. When a man and a woman pledge their love in marriage, something deeper than romantic love must guarantee the relationship. Romanticism may be the icing on the cake, but the cake must be cooked with ingredients that are delicious and healthful in their own right.

"Love as distinct from 'being in love' is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit . . . [Spouses] can retain this love even when each would easily, if they allowed themselves, be 'in love' with someone else. 'Being in love' first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it" (C. S. Lewis).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/breakthroughs-february-13/

"In life it is more necessary to lose than to gain. A seed will only germinate if it dies" (Boris Pasternak).

A “BREAKTHROUGH” IS A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT, ONE THAT OPENS THE DOOR TO MUCH FURTHER PROGRESS. It’s important in life to take whatever steps we can take, however small, and we ought not to underestimate the value of ordinary progress. But isn’t it exciting when a big step can be taken? On those occasions when some significant barrier or obstacle is overcome and we find ourselves in the presence of a whole new range of possibilities, that’s when we’re glad we kept going when it would have been easy to give up.

As can be seen from the word itself, “breakthroughs” involve “breaking through” limits. The limit might be what we think is possible. It might be what we’ve been able to do in the past. It might be what we presently know or understand. Or (and this is perhaps the most common limit of all) it might be what we feel in the mood to do. Limits come in many shapes and sizes, but they all have this in common: they keep us from going anywhere but where we are right now. In one way or another, limits bind us to the status quo.

When we have a breakthrough, we burst out of our limits and move ahead into new territory. The barriers are broken, and we learn that what we were previously limited from doing, we can now do.

We’d all like to enjoy breakthroughs more often, but we don’t because we’re not willing to pay the price. Although they hinder us, limits do provide a certain amount of comfort and familiarity. And people who aren’t willing to experience the discomfort of “breaking through” are doomed to stay where they are. We have to lose certain things in order to gain others, and the loss can sometimes be so dramatic that it feels like death. But we can’t have it both ways at once. As Pasternak observed, “A seed will only germinate if it dies.”

Perhaps that’s why people with the pioneering spirit aren’t very common. For all our talk about wanting progress, most of us are content to stick with what we’ve already got. But thank goodness for those who’ve got the courage to break through their limitations! Let’s appreciate them for the sacrifices they’ve been willing to make, especially when those changes were scary and unsettling.

"One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time" (André Gide).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/courage-february-12/

"I am tired of hearing about men with the “courage of their convictions. Nero and Caligula and Attila and Hitler had the courage of their convictions . . . But not one of them had the courage to examine their convictions or to change them, which is the true test of character" (Sydney J. Harris).

TODAY, AS WE CELEBRATE ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S BIRTHDAY, LET’S MEDITATE ON THE VALUE OF COURAGE. There can be little question that Lincoln’s place in history was secured by the courageous coupling of his character and his well-informed conscience.

Courage is a quality of such fundamental importance that from ancient times it has been counted as one of the four “cardinal” virtues: justice, wisdom, courage, and moderation. The word “cardinal” comes from the Latin cardo (“hinge” or “axis”), and these virtues are cardinal in the sense that all the other virtues hinge, or depend, on them. They’re the necessary foundation on which the other virtues must be built, and there is even a sense in which courage is the prerequisite for the other cardinal virtues. In the practice of any good human trait, there are challenges and hardships that must be dealt with. Since courage is what overcomes these difficulties, nothing much can be accomplished without it. As James Matthew Barrie put it, “Courage is the thing. All goes if courage goes.”

And yet it should be equally obvious that courage must be balanced by other virtues or it becomes an evil thing. As Sydney J. Harris pointed out, many of the most sinister figures in world history have been persons of courage, but their courage was not informed by justice and equity. It is no great thing to act courageously if our actions are not governed by a conscience grounded in valid principles.

And so, as Harris suggests, what we need are folks with “the courage to examine their convictions,” and also the courage “to change them, which is the true test of character.” Abraham Lincoln was old-fashioned enough to believe that there are objective standards of right and wrong, and for all his courage, he also had humility. On more than one occasion, he took a position that varied from his previous policies, based on his growing understanding of the requirements of rightness for himself and for his nation. We’re indebted to his example, and we need to be more Lincolnesque in the living of our lives. May we always be courageous in what is right!

"Without justice, courage is weak" (Benjamin Franklin).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/standards-february-11/

"Pray to God we may have the courage and the wisdom and the vision to raise a definite standard that will appeal to the best that is in man, and then strive mightily toward that goal" (Harold E. Stassen).

LITERALLY, THE WORD "STANDARD" MEANS “RALLYING PLACE.” On the battlefield, a standard is a flag or banner that rallies the troops to their cause. In ancient times, to be the standard-bearer was an important responsibility: the flag could not be allowed to fall.

Then the word came to be used figuratively to mean an acknowledged measure of comparison, a criterion. Today, we often think of a standard as an expected level of conduct or performance. We speak of moral standards, ethical standards, business standards, and so forth. Without these reference points, life would be a chaos.

A nation needs a worthy set of standards, and so do individual people. If we have no rallying point in our lives, and if there’s no minimum level of honor to which we hold ourselves, then we’re simply adrift, and nothing very good will come from our activity. Living with no standards produces mediocrity rather than excellence.

We ought to be careful in selecting our standards. In the marketplace of ideas, there are all sorts of standards to choose from, many with a flashy appearance but little long-term value. It pays to be careful.

There ought to be some standards that we refuse to compromise. There comes a time in life when we’re tempted to barter with the devil and “sell out” our standards. But there ought to be some things that are simply not negotiable. We may back up and back up and back up, but eventually honor must assert itself and say, “No further!”

We need to be improving our standards constantly. Some of the best work we ever do is upgrading our standards. None of us has a perfect set of standards at present, and so we need to work on their quality continually, aligning them with principles of time-tested value.

In many homes, there are two sets of dishes: one for everyday use and another for special occasions. Most of us also have more than one set of standards, one “idealistic” and the other more “realistic.” While meeting our highest standards may not be possible every instant, those standards can certainly be met more than once or twice a year. We should use our “good dishes” more often!

"You must regulate your life by the standards you admire when you are at your best" (John M. Thomas).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/participation-february-10/

"To say yes, you have to sweat and roll up your sleeves and plunge both hands into life up to the elbows. It is easy to say no, even if saying no means death" (Jean Anouilh).

LIFE CALLS US TO MAKE A DECISION: WILL WE PARTICIPATE OR MERELY OBSERVE? Will we take part in the great drama or be content to sit among the spectators? Quite a lot depends on our decision. If we choose to be active in the living of life, good things are more than likely to happen. If, on the other hand, we decide to remain passive and uninvolved, it’s less likely that we’ll enjoy life’s goodness.

Whether we’ve studied philosophy or not, most of us understand the practical difference between “subjective” and “objective.” Subjective things have to do with ourselves and the life that’s “inside” our minds, while objective things are those that exist “outside” of us. Regarding the objective world, Paul Goodman has said this: “It is by losing himself in the objective, in inquiry, creation, and craft, that a man becomes something.” Outside of our own minds and experience, there lies a vast, marvelous world to engage in, inquire after, and be involved with. And we aren’t really living a human life if we’re not immersing ourselves in this external world.

Going back to the analogy of life as a drama or play, isn’t it true that each of us has some part, some role to play in the story? Surely we do, and the world loses some degree of goodness every time we back away from playing the part we’re uniquely equipped to play.

Does participating require more effort than being an observer? Yes, indeed. Does it involve more risk? Without a doubt. That’s why, as Jean Anouilh said, “It is easy to say no, even if saying no means death.” But who wants death? It’s worth whatever it takes to overcome our inertia, break the bonds of gravity, and say yes to life!

The word “life” can be used in different ways, and there is a sense in which the laziest, most passive person you’ve ever met is still “living.” But in a greater sense, that person is not really living; they are just “being lived,” as the saying goes. In the end, that kind of life has in it more to regret than to rejoice about.

"The notion of looking on at life has always been hateful to me. What am I if I am not a participant? In order to be, I must participate" (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/caution-february-9/

"Be cautious. Opportunity does the knocking for temptation too" (Al Batt).

WHEN WE’RE CONFRONTED WITH DIFFICULT OR DANGEROUS CIRCUMSTANCES, WE NEED TO BE CAUTIOUS. There are forces at work in the world that will destroy us and our loved ones if we don’t watch out. In the living of a human life, it pays to be careful.

It is possible to be overly cautious, and if that’s your problem, today’s reading may not be helpful. But in my experience, those with that problem are in the minority. The swindlers of the world haven’t reported any downturn in their business lately; you don’t hear them complaining that people in general have become too cautious. No, I think P. T. Barnum (who said, “There’s a sucker born every minute”) would be tickled to death if he were alive today.

We need to exercise caution in our beliefs. When we’re forming our basic beliefs, convictions, and opinions, we need to double-check for accuracy. “Opinions should be formed with great caution — and changed with greater” (Josh Billings). It’s easier to verify the truthfulness of our ideas and principles than it is to rebuild what we’ve destroyed by acting on false information that we carelessly accepted.

We need to exercise caution in our relationships. Of all the damage that carelessness can do, none is more heartbreaking than the damage we do to other people. To a greater or lesser extent, everything we do impinges on someone else, and it’s not sufficient, when we’ve hurt someone, to brush the incident aside with a simple, “I just wasn’t thinking.” That’s the whole point, isn’t it? We should have been thinking. We owe it to those around us to use caution in our conduct.

When we’ve been careless, we can’t expect the laws of the universe to rescue us. Those laws operate with great predictability: the crop we reap will always be the one we sowed. If we sow incautiously, it’s foolish (and also a bit arrogant) to expect the “law of the farm” to be set aside just for our convenience, as if we could make poor choices and still get the results that would have come from better choices. And in the real world, poor choices can be disastrous, not only for us but also for the friends and family members who are affected by our actions. It pays to be careful.

"The sower may mistake and sow his peas crookedly: the peas make no mistake, but come up and show his line" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/tranquility-february-8/

"Calm's not life’s crown, though calm is well" (Matthew Arnold).

IF OUR INWARD CHARACTER IS ONE THAT CAN BE CALLED “TRANQUIL,” THEN WE HAVE SOMETHING TO ENJOY. Our individual characters are the result of our choices, of course, and unfortunately, we may not have made choices that lead toward tranquility. If we haven’t, perhaps we should consider doing so. As Matthew Arnold suggests, a calm, peaceful state of mind is not the highest goal that should claim our attention, but rightly considered, it’s an honorable thing, worthy of our pursuit.

It’s not the highest goal in life simply because many things would be worth sacrificing our tranquility for. For example, suppose a house is burning down and there are young children inside who need to be rescued. No one in their right mind would say, “Well, I’d like to get involved, but I prefer not to disturb my peace of mind.” No, we would courageously sacrifice our tranquility in a moment like that. So, peace of mind is like any other kind of peace: it is right for us to want peace, but we shouldn’t want peace at any price. Emotional feelings are fine, but life involves considerations more important than how we feel at any given moment.

Come to think of it, one of the things that’s more important than our own tranquility is being an agent who influences others to enjoy that quality. We live in times that are agitated and stressful, and most of the people we meet need more calmness in their lives. The most practical reason, then,  for pursuing tranquility is so that we can have a peaceful influence on those we love.

There is no possibility of being tranquil, however, if we look for it in the wrong places. It doesn’t come from diets, exercises, self-help seminars, faddish lifestyles, or hip philosophies: it comes from having characters that are aligned with true-north principles. As La Rochefoucauld said, “When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.” In a world of disturbing ups and downs, tranquility must come from living on the basis of truths that don’t change.

"To live in the presence of great truths and eternal laws, to be led by permanent ideals — that is what keeps a man patient when the world ignores him, and calm and unspoiled when the world praises him" (Honoré de Balzac).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/beauty-february-7/

"God has given us the Morning Star already: you can go and enjoy the gift on many fine mornings if you get up early enough. What more, you may ask, do we want? Ah, but we want so much more — something the books on aesthetics take little notice of. But the poets and the mythologies know all about it" (C. S. Lewis).

SOMEWHERE WITHIN EACH OF US, THERE IS A DESIRE FOR BEAUTY. In fact, that is one of our deepest desires, whether we recognize it as such or not. And it’s not just that we want to see or hear or touch particular things that are beautiful within our world. As C. S. Lewis wrote, “We want something else which can hardly be put into words — we want to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.”

Isn’t this why we’re drawn so powerfully toward personal beauty? However much we may be moved by the beauty of things like sunrises and songs and stories, the beauty of certain persons attracts our hearts even more strongly. And it’s not just physical beauty that pulls us toward them; it’s almost always a combination of inward and outward traits that make us want to know them — and to be known by them — at a level that is profoundly deep.

The beauty of these individuals is not a desirable goal all by itself; it is merely a marker, a pointer. It points us toward something we have a built-in need for. We may not be able to define it or describe it, but we know for a fact that we meet people who stir within us a desperate longing for something we’ve never experienced in its fullness or perfection. Let’s call this thing Beauty.

But as we all know, beauty is not the only thing in the world; there is also much ugliness. And so, we have a choice to make: will we give in to the ugliness that taints our lives, or will we resist it? I’d like to encourage you to resist it. When faced with a choice, choose beauty. Learn to appreciate it, and educate your taste for it. Make it one of your core values, and exhibit it in your character. Love it, and share its sharp, piercing wonder with others who love it as you do.

Spend all you have for loveliness,
Buy it and never count the cost;
For one white singing hour of peace
Count many a year of strife well lost,
And for a breath of ecstasy
Give all you have been, or could be.
(Sara Teasdale)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/companionship-february-6/

"True happiness is of a retired nature, and an enemy to pomp and noise; it arises, in the first place, from the enjoyment of one’s self; and, in the next, from the friendship of a few select companions" (Joseph Addison).

OUR HAPPINESS NEEDS A LITTLE PRIVACY, BUT IT ALSO NEEDS “THE FRIENDSHIP OF A FEW SELECT COMPANIONS,” AS ADDISON SAID. The qualities of character that we nurture in private are not meant for our benefit alone; they’re meant to be used and enjoyed within the context of relationships with others. Whatever we are within the privacy of our own hearts, our “self” should touch and influence other human beings in widening circles of contact. And those who occupy the innermost of these circles are our “companions.”

Our word "companion" is a colorful word. We get it from the Latin companio, which was a compound of two words: com (“together”) + panis (“bread”). So, a companion is someone with whom we “break bread,” that is, a close associate or comrade. Looking at it from a slightly different angle, our companions are those who “accompany” us on the road we’re traveling. They’re our “company,” as in the delightful question, “Would you like some company?”

Companionableness. What are the qualities of a good companion? Well, as we suggested in yesterday’s reading, one of them is a respect for our privacy. Good companions enjoy our company, but they also honor our solitude. But there are other traits as well, and almost all of them are virtues of character: sympathy, understanding, a sense of humor, kindness, enjoyment of life, curiosity, and many more.

Companionship. Companionable qualities may be delightful, but they’re not much good if we don’t activate them. What we need more of in the world is not merely companionableness as a personality trait; we need more actual companionship in the living of our daily lives. We need — all of us do — to engage actively in the conduct of companionship. It takes work and it’s not always convenient, but its value is worth more than diamonds and rubies.

Whoever you are, there are those who need you to “accompany” them in some way. They need your companionship. And, in truth, you need theirs. It’s a fact: human beings are social creatures, and we need a few good folks with whom we can “break bread.”

"Good company and good discourse are the very sinews of virtue" (Izaak Walton).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/privacy-february-5/

"The human animal needs a freedom seldom mentioned, freedom from intrusion. He needs a little privacy quite as much as he wants understanding or vitamins or exercise or praise" (Phyllis McGinley).

THE PERSON WHO IS NEVER ALONE IS A PERSON WHO WILL FIND IT HARD TO GROW IN CHARACTER. We certainly do need contact with other human beings, and we even need what might be called companionship (more about that tomorrow), but it’s a fact that we also need privacy. We need times of solitude to reflect, meditate, and grow. We need some quiet, private spaces in our lives. And if it’s true that we need such spaces, it’s also true that it’s hard to find them. More and more, our lives are lived in such a way that solitude — at least significant solitude — is a rare commodity.

Robert Lindner wrote, “It is in solitude that the works of hand, heart, and mind are always conceived, and in solitude that individuality must be affirmed.” By now, the record of the human race is clear: positive contributions to the world are not made except by those who have spent time alone, growing strong in the seasons of life.

Privacy is not the end goal of life, however, and nothing that we’ve said here is meant to diminish the importance of interaction with others. But as Emerson said, “Isolation must precede true society.” If we intend our connections with others to be beneficial, we must first learn the benefit of solitude. Little good will come from our circle of relationships if we haven’t grounded ourselves in the virtue of valid principles — and that is almost always done in private. In our “public” lives, much depends on what we’ve done with our privacy.

There are no friends we should appreciate any more than those who are secure enough in their relationship with us that they’ll honor our need for privacy. And more than that, those friends are especially valuable who, when we’ve taken them into our privacy and confided to them some part of our deepest thoughts and motives, can be trusted to keep those private matters private. A friend who will guard the gate to the innermost chambers of our heart is a friend indeed. But the crucial question is not whether we have friends like that; it’s whether we can be friends like that to others. Those who need us, need us to keep their secrets safe.

"Count him not among your friends who will retail your privacies to the world" (Publilius Syrus).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/trustworthiness-february-4/

"Put more trust in nobility of character than in an oath" (Solon).

ULTIMATELY, THE ONLY THING THAT WILL MAKE PEOPLE FEEL SAFE IN THEIR INTERACTION WITH US IS THE TRUSTWORTHINESS OF OUR CHARACTER. There are times when our commitments will have to be backed up with oaths, vows, contracts, and collateral, but the bottom line is that if our inward character can’t be trusted, these external things aren’t enough to make people rest easy in their dealings with us. They’ll know that if our commitment to them ever becomes inconvenient, we’ll manage to find something in the fine print that will let us set aside our obligation to them.

But speaking of contracts and so forth, people who are truly trustworthy don’t mind signing such guarantees. Honorable people don’t object to having their word bound by social and legal safeguards, and you should be leery of the fellow who acts offended when you ask him to back up his word with a contract. Indeed, even with promises we make to ourselves, it’s often wise to strengthen private promises by placing them on record in some kind of public manner. It’s not bad to have friends who can come and say, “But didn’t you make a promise?”

But the question of commitments that we make to ourselves raises an important point. One of the things we need most in life is confidence in our own integrity and reliability. We need to be able to trust ourselves, knowing deep inside that we will do whatever we commit ourselves to do. If our past record is such that we ourselves don’t have any confidence that we’ll follow through, it’s not realistic to expect that others will find us trustworthy. So the best thing we can do to be seen as trustworthy by our peers is to practice the daily discipline of making and keeping commitments to ourselves. It’s a daily habit that pays huge dividends in the long run.

Whatever discipline it takes to build trustworthiness, that’s a discipline we need to adopt. There are few gifts we can give to others that will be any more appreciated. And trustworthiness is not just a gift; it’s an obligation. We owe it to others to do as we say we’ll do.

I would be true, for there are those who trust me;
I would be pure, for there are those who care;
I would be strong, for there is much to suffer;
I would be brave, for there is much to dare.
(Howard A. Wheeler)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/trust-february-3/

"The best proof of love is trust" (Joyce Brothers).

IN A SENSE, TRUST IS THE MOST GENEROUS GIFT ONE PERSON CAN GIVE TO ANOTHER. All of us know that we’ve fallen short of being completely trustworthy; even if we’re generally faithful to our commitments, there have been at least a few times when we’ve let others down. And so, when someone extends trust to us, we know they’re accepting some risk. In order to benefit us, they’re allowing themselves to be made vulnerable. And that’s a remarkably generous thing to do. Not only is trust the “best proof of love,” as Joyce Brothers puts it, but it’s also the costliest gift that love can bestow.

Trust is never more beautiful than when it’s given as a matter of conscious choice. There are some individuals who are so naturally easy to trust that we find ourselves comfortably drawn in the direction of trusting them. At some point in our relationship, we simply wake up and realize that we’ve come to trust them. But there are others who, for whatever reason, are not so easy to trust, and when we make the conscious choice to trust them anyway, that’s a beautiful gesture indeed, a gift of great value to the recipient.

We may as well admit it: it takes strength of character to give the gift of trust. In many cases, the question of whether we will trust another person is not so much a question of their character as it is a question of our own. If you look at your list of relationships and you see that there aren’t many people you trust, you may think you’ve just had the bad luck to be surrounded by an unusual number of traitors. The more likely explanation, however, is that you just haven’t developed the internal character to engage in the act of trust.

It’s true that we pay a price for trusting other people, but the price of weakness and lack of trust is even higher. To be mistrustful is to be miserable. “You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you do not trust enough” (Frank Crane).

And not only does mistrust make us miserable; it also erodes our integrity. Doubters and cynics (those who make a big deal about how few people there are in the world who can be trusted) are very rarely people you’d want to go into business with. So how about you and me? Do we trust others? If not, they probably can’t trust us either!

"He who mistrusts most should be trusted least" (Theognis).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/stature-february-2/

Be free, all worthy spirits,
And stretch yourselves, for greatness and for height.
(George Chapman)

IN THE LITERAL SENSE, A PERSON’S STATURE IS THAT PERSON’S PHYSICAL HEIGHT. The word comes from the Latin stare (“to stand”), and so stature is how tall a person stands. But we often speak of someone’s “standing” in a metaphorical sense. If, for example, a physician enjoys a high “standing” in the medical community, that would mean he’s highly regarded for integrity, professionalism, expertise, and so forth. Aspiring to significant stature, then, is more than a matter of wanting to be seven feet tall physically. It’s wanting to have a character that has some greatness to it, rather than one that is petty and small. And surely that is something we should aspire to.

The average human being is capable of a greater character than most people realize. When it comes to personal growth, most of us settle for less than we should. We need to reach for much greater stature, in our character if not in our physical tallness. In the words of George Chapman’s encouragement: “Be free, all worthy spirits / And stretch yourselves, for greatness and for height.”

But why should we do this? Certainly not for reasons that grow out of selfish ambition. No, we need to grow toward our greatest stature because that’s what life asks of us. It’s a privilege to be the persons we are, and it’s a privilege to live in the world we inhabit. We have a poor concept of stewardship if we’re so complacent and indifferent that we don’t care whether we realize our potential or not. If nothing else, a failure to grow is a failure to be grateful.

But make no mistake: achieving “stature” or “standing” does require growth. There are no quick fixes, no miraculous three-day plans that will get the job done. Learning to stand tall is a process that not only takes time; it takes a prodigious amount of work.

People of stature are often applauded by their peers. But if we’re serious about standing as tall as we can, we need to be careful in the matter of applause. Applause is usually given to those who’ve done things outwardly that are impressive. But real stature is an inward quality — it’s a matter of character. All the “standing” in the world doesn’t mean a thing if we don’t have the character to go with it.

"Stature comes not from height but with depth" (Benjamin Lichtenberg).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/conviction-february-1/

"The enemies a person makes by taking a stand will have more respect for him than the friends he makes by being on the fence" (Anonymous).

CONVICTION IS “THE STATE OF BEING CONVINCED.” If we’re convicted (i.e., convinced) that a certain belief is accurate and that the belief is important, then we hold it in our hearts deeply and steadfastly. A conviction is more than a whim, a guess, or an opinion. It’s an element in a person’s deep-down belief system, a part of that person’s principles. And people of strong conviction would rather die than compromise the principles they are convicted of.

It should be obvious that we could do with a lot more conviction in the world. Too often, we find that people don’t really believe anything strongly enough that their ideas would qualify as convictions. And not only that, what convictions we do have are often those we’ve picked up from social media and entertainment outlets. So most of us would profit from periodically going back and reexamining our principles. Do we really believe what we say we believe? Are we willing to make these things a matter of conviction? And would we go so far as to lay down our lives for our convictions?

Conviction doesn’t guarantee the truthfulness of a belief, of course. Even if we would die for what we believe, that doesn’t mean we’re not mistaken. “Martyrdom has always been a proof of the intensity, never of the correctness of a belief” (Arthur Schnitzler).

All else being equal, however, it is better to be people of conviction than not to be. The only alternative is to spend our lives sitting on the fence on every question — never sure, never taking a stand, and never having the respect of any thoughtful person.

Perhaps we’d do better if we quit paying so much attention to how our convictions are paying off at the present moment. Having convictions requires certain qualities of character, and one of them is trust. Two others are patience and longsuffering. Just because a principle seems to be headed for defeat right now, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth standing up for. It’s natural that we want to be on the winning side, but conviction is content if it’s just on the side of wisdom.

Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out" (Václav Havel).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/redemption-january-31/

"Evil can never be undone, but only purged and redeemed" (Dorothy L. Sayers).

THE ANONYMOUS LATIN-SPEAKING PROVERBIST WHO ORIGINALLY SAID ERRARE HUMANUM EST (“TO ERR IS HUMAN”) PACKED A GOOD DEAL OF SAD MEANING INTO A FEW WORDS. We do err, don’t we? All of us do. And when we’ve done so, our hearts are later broken when we look at our failures honestly. If our failure is one of great or tragic proportions, our sense of sorrow can be deadly.

In its most literal sense, the word “redeem” means “to buy back.” More generally, its meaning is “to set free or rescue.” When we speak of redemption, what we have in mind is really the coupling of two basic ideas: deliverance and restoration. To have failed and then to experience redemption is to be given back one’s life. It is to be released from the sentence of death by someone else who acted on our behalf.

It is a deeply held belief of mine that we live in a world where there is (or can be) such a thing as redemption. If I didn’t believe that, I’m not sure that I would judge human life to be worth continuing.

The fact that redemption comes to us as a gift or an act of grace does not necessarily mean it is unconditional. Indeed, one of the main objects of our existence ought to be discovering what the terms of our redemption are. And not only discovering them, the joyful embracing of them ought to be the mainspring of our happiness, even if we must suffer greatly in the process of being redeemed.

If you’ve ever known serious defeat and been pulled back from your deadly, downward spiral by someone else’s grace, you know what it’s like to have life breathed back into your lungs redemptively. Shouldn’t we all be wanting to be the agents of such grace for others?

One of my favorite scenes in Peter Jackson’s magnificent screenplay of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings is the one where Lady Arwen, cradling an apparently dying Frodo in her arms, prays that he might be spared: “What grace is given me, let it pass to him.”

Whatever grace has been given to us (and it is much), can we not be willing, if not eager, for it to be passed to those around us? Would we not die, if by our death someone else could live? And if you think others don’t deserve the grace by which they could be redeemed, let yourself be reminded of this: neither do you, nor do I.

"No creature that deserved redemption would need to be redeemed" (C. S. Lewis).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/steps-january-30/

"A glimpse is not a vision. But to a man on a mountain road by night, a glimpse of the next three feet of road may matter more than a vision of the horizon" (C. S. Lewis).

TO BE WILLING TO TAKE STEPS MAY SEEM LIKE A SMALL THING, BUT IT’S ACTUALLY A VERY COURAGEOUS THING AND ALSO ONE THAT’S WISE. Often we don’t know what lies on the distant reaches of our path ahead, but if, as C. S. Lewis suggested, we have “a glimpse of the next three feet of road,” then we have the information we need to take the only step that can actually be taken: the one immediately in front of us. In the real world, the determination to take that step is what makes progress possible.

Greatness of human character lies not so much in the skill to do hard things as in the discipline to do easy things at hard times — in other words, at the time when doing them will be most helpful. If we miss the good life, it won’t be for lack of intelligence or inborn ability; it will simply be that we failed to take the steps we could have taken.

Looking back at our past, each of us can see that we are where we are today as a result of the steps that we have taken or not taken previously, not many of which seemed significant at the time. Taking small steps has a cumulative effect. One thing leads to another, and almost in the blink of an eye, an entire human life has been brought into being. It’s important, therefore, to take our steps decisively, rather than to live by denial and default.

When we consistently take the steps we know we should take, the example we set in taking those steps is extremely valuable. Whatever we do, others are watching, whether we know it at the time or not. We confer a benefit on those around us when we give ourselves to them as persons who have the courage to take steps.

We’re all trying to move forward in life, aren’t we? As we try to do that, it’s not uncommon to encounter obstacles. In fact, it’s bound to happen. But the hindrance represented by these obstacles is often out of all proportion to the small size of the obstacles themselves. Not infrequently, the greatness of the difficulty lies in our unwillingness to take some simple step we’re quite capable of taking. And that, my friend, is a difficulty we can do away with.

"Many of our fears are tissue-paper thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them" (Brendan Francis).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/anchorage-january-29/

"Few delights can equal the mere presence of one whom we trust utterly" (George MacDonald).

AN “ANCHOR” IS A HEAVY OBJECT ATTACHED TO A VESSEL BY A CABLE AND CAST OVERBOARD TO KEEP THE VESSEL FROM MOVING — AND “ANCHORAGE” IS THE CONDITION OF BEING AT ANCHOR IN A SAFE PLACE. If it’s important for ships to find anchorage when they need it, it’s even more important, in a figurative sense, for people to find places where they can be anchored. And the kind of anchorage we need more often than any other is the security of a relationship in which there is trust. When the weather is stormy, we need a relationship of mutual trust that will keep us from drifting.

It’s a rare person who hasn’t been seriously betrayed somewhere along the way. That being true, the tendency is for us to retreat from trust and the dangers that usually go along with it. Having been hurt, we’re tempted never again to cast anchor in someone else’s harbor. But that’s a temptation we must resist with all our strength. We never do ourselves any greater damage than when we turn away from trust. There is simply no avoiding the need for anchorage.

Rather than fretting about the scarcity of trustworthy people in the world around us, we’d do better to work on our own trustworthiness. It’s as true with trust as with many other things: it is more blessed to give than to receive. A reputation for being trustful is not a weak reputation to have; it’s one of great strength. There’s no greater honor than being known as people who are both trustworthy ourselves and also eager to trust others. If others think of “anchorage” when they think of us, that’s a treasure we should protect.

Anchorage is, in fact, a gift that can be given. It’s a thing we can deliberately choose to extend to those around us. And we ought not only to give it freely but also to appreciate those who have given it to us. If it’s been a while since you thanked someone who has encouraged you by trusting you, today would be a fine day to do that.

When people offer us the gift of trust — especially when it involves risk on their part — we are changed forever. Having had someone who gave us anchorage during a storm that could’ve destroyed us, we’re never the same afterward. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.

"The comfort of having a friend may be taken away, but not that of having had one" (Seneca).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/laughter-january-28/

"Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh, and the greatness which does not bow before children" (Kahlil Gibran).

WE NEED TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS IN LIFE TO WHICH LAUGHTER IS THE RIGHT RESPONSE. Sometimes we act as if laughter were nothing more than a concession to weakness, and that anytime we’ve indulged in a bit of laughter, we need to return to a serious state of mind as soon as possible. But that’s simply not true. While it is certainly wrong to laugh when laughter is not appropriate, there are some things that call for laughter as surely as a gift calls for gratitude. Not to laugh at things that should produce laughter is as unhealthy as it is foolish.

When we encounter something that should cause laughter to bubble up inwardly and that doesn’t happen, what’s the cause? There might be many reasons, some of which would be perfectly understandable, but now and then the culprit is simply our pride: we take ourselves too seriously. Our notion of “dignity” or “maturity” is such that it won’t let us laugh. But that’s unfortunate. As Kahlil Gibran observed, “the philosophy which does not laugh” is not a good philosophy to build our lives upon. It’s one to be avoided.

It’s a curious fact that sometimes we may be feeling quite mirthful on the inside but no one can tell it by looking at our faces. Shouldn’t we let laughter break out of our brains and onto our faces more often? Although it’s a delight to feel joy in our hearts, it’s even better to express that feeling with good, physical laughter!

But what about our relationships with others? Wouldn’t it be a good thing if laughter were allowed to enliven our relationships more often? If it would, then here’s a good gift we can give to those whom we love. In our relationships with them, we can do our part to create an environment where it’s as safe to laugh as it is to cry. Good relationships can’t be made from laughter alone, obviously; they also require some genuine sorrow. But on the other hand, if others aren’t sure what our reaction would be if they laughed out loud in our presence, that’s not good either. Let’s unbutton our collars and loosen up!

"Where is home? Home is where the heart can laugh without shyness. Home is where the heart’s tears can dry at their own pace" (Vernon G. Baker).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/gladness-january-27/

"Life is short and we never have enough time for gladdening the hearts of those who travel the way with us. Oh, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind" (Henri-Frédéric Amiel).

IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT IS BOTH IMPORTANT AND URGENT, “GLADDENING THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO TRAVEL THE WAY WITH US” WOULD CERTAINLY QUALIFY. Given the amount of gloom that hangs around the lives of so many people, we never have a greater privilege than when we get a chance to impart a little gladness. Today, let’s think about the value of exercising that privilege.

In discussing the synonyms glad, happy, cheerful, lighthearted, joyful, and joyous, the American Heritage Dictionary makes this comment on gladness: “Glad often has reference to the strong feeling that results from gratification of a wish or from satisfaction with immediate circumstances.” So, we make others glad when the things we do for them fulfill a significant longing or desire that they have, especially the longing to be treated with love, respect, and kindness.

Being glad doesn’t require much in the way of raw materials and neither does giving gladness to others. For gladness to occur, it isn’t necessary for some great event to transpire or for some magnificent gesture to be made. Small things can provide great gladness, often better than large ones, and there aren’t many days when we don’t have numerous chances to give and to enjoy commonplace gladness.

Perhaps one of the deepest sources of gladness should be the knowledge of our own personal identities. Simply put, we ought to be glad to be who we are. Despite our disadvantages, each of us enjoys a set of circumstances for which we can rightfully be thankful. Our individually unique families, our distinct physical and mental characteristics, our geographical places to live and work — all of these things, and many more, are “pastures” that we should be reluctant to trade for any of the “greener” ones that we think someone else has.

Not everything in life gives gladness, of course. But the things that don’t are often those that deepen our gratitude when the darkness finally disappears. What we want are hearts that can feel the whole range of things that need to be felt, each in its rightful time.

In heaven above,
And earth below, they best can serve true gladness
Who meet most feelingly the calls of sadness.
(William Wordsworth)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/urgency-january-26/

"We cannot put off living until we are ready. The most salient characteristic of life is its coerciveness; it is always urgent, 'here and now' without any possible postponement. Life is fired at us point blank" (José Ortega y Gasset).

IN MANY CASES, WHATEVER IS WORTH DOING IS NOT ONLY WORTH DOING WELL; IT’S WORTH DOING RIGHT NOW. When we know there is some good thing to be done and it would be best to tend to it immediately, procrastination is a dangerous, opportunity-wasting maneuver. In matters of conscience, certainly, we would be better off if we were people whose inward character had more urgency. “Life is fired at us point blank,” as the quotation above reminds us — and it’s usually a mistake to duck or run away from the daily duties that make up our lives. “Now!” is a beneficial frame of mind.

Much has been written about the bad habit of letting our lives be consumed by the trivial things that demand our attention, while more important matters go undone. To whatever extent we can distinguish between “urgent” and “important,” we do need to resist the tyranny of things that are urgent but not important. I don’t deny that. But when I recommend urgency as a positive character trait, I’m saying that we ought to grant a greater urgency to the things that are important — our definition of what’s urgent needs to change.

Almost everybody has had the experience of being given a gift by somebody who couldn’t wait for us to open it. When we said, “Thanks, I look forward to finding out what it is,” they said, “Go ahead! Open it! Open it!” Do we mind that kind of urgency? Are we put off by it? Certainly not. And the point is that we should be giving our very selves to our loved ones with that kind of eagerness. Love has a beautiful urgency about it — and so does friendship.

Whether or not we show a healthy measure of urgency in our hearts probably depends on how we see life in general. The most delightfully urgent people I know happen to be people whose basic response to life is “Yes!” Whatever difficulties they may have to endure, their overarching attitude toward their place in the world is one of gratitude. I’m as realistic about the problems in our world as you are, but I maintain that there is still a good bit of grace to be found and acted upon. The right response to today’s grace is a hearty “Yes!”

"The day is short, the labor long, the workers are idle, the reward is great, and the Master is urgent" (Mishnah).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/winsomeness-january-25/

"A person or action which can be described by the [Greek] word kalos is not only good; he or it is also beautiful. It therefore has in it the idea of goodness which is winsome and attractive. Very often the best translation of it is 'lovely'" (William Barclay).

WINSOMENESS IS ONE KIND OF GOODNESS — IT’S THE KIND THAT IS “ATTRACTIVE.” When someone is charming or delightful, we’re attracted to them; that is, we’re pulled toward them. The pull is not a physical force like gravitation or magnetism, yet it sometimes feels that compelling. (Antonyms like “repulsive” or “repellent” share the same metaphor, of course, only in reverse. These attributes push us away from those who have them.) “Winsomeness,” then, is attractive goodness, goodness that pulls with the power of likability.

In ancient times, the Greeks had a special word for this kind of goodness: kalos. In contrast to agathos, the ordinary word for “good,” kalos meant that which was fine, admirable, or praiseworthy. If something was kalos, it was not only the right thing to do and proper from a technical or legal viewpoint; it was also delightful. And these are two very different kinds of goodness, aren’t they? We all know people who are scrupulously correct, but their rightness feels formalistic; it doesn’t have much warmth or beauty to it. Other people, however, are no less concerned to do the right thing, but their goodness is also lovely and inviting. They are “winsome.”

It’s interesting that our English word “winsome” comes from the Old English wynn, which simply meant “joy.” When we say that a friend has a “winning” smile, we don’t just mean that their facial expressions can win us over but that their goodness gives us great joy.

Are you working on your winsomeness? I hope so. And I hope you’ll see it as something more than just a personality trait. In reality, it’s a character trait. Real winsomeness has a much higher goal than “how to win friends and influence people.” It’s not a friend-making strategy to use or a manipulative technique to employ; it’s a gift to give. It’s the imparting of daily grace to those around us.

A sweet attractive kind of grace,
A full assurance given by looks,
Continual comfort in a face,
The lineaments of Gospel books;
I trow that countenance cannot lie
Where thoughts are legible in the eye.
(Matthew Roydon)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/craftsmanship-january-24/

"Criticism comes easier than craftsmanship" (Zeuxis).

IF WE HAVE TO ADMIT THAT WE SPEND MORE TIME CRITIQUING THE WORK OF OTHERS THAN WE DO IMPROVING OUR OWN CRAFTSMANSHIP, THAT’S NOT A GOOD THING. Most of the worthwhile things that human beings are called upon to do require some skill and ability. It’s a fact that other people often fail to do their work as skillfully as might be expected, but even so, pointing out that fact is rarely the most productive thing we could be doing with our time. Sharpening our own skills is usually the better choice.

If the word "pride" can ever be used in a good sense, it’s probably in the phrase “pride of workmanship.” Pride of workmanship is the pleasure the craftsman has when he finishes a piece of work and knows that it’s the very best he can do. It’s one of life’s best feelings, actually. And it’s sad that so few people ever experience it.

The quality of our craftsmanship could certainly be improved in the many specific things we do — our work, our hobbies, our community involvement, and so forth — but there is an even more important sense in which we are practicing a craft. A human life as a whole is a thing that has to be made or created. In an overall sense, we are each “building” something that will eventually be finished. Whether the finished product will be one that anybody can feel good about depends, to a large extent, on how active we are in improving our craftsmanship — and today is always the best day to improve it!

As we give ourselves to our family, friends, and coworkers, it’s a gratifying thing to know that we’re giving them the very best handiwork we’re capable of producing. Surely, some of our peers are people who mean so much to us that we wouldn’t ever want to give them anything but our best. But in truth, there is no one we’ll ever meet who doesn’t deserve the best that we can offer them.

So, let’s aspire to being people who know how to craft a human life that’s worthy of appreciation and also have the self-discipline that such a result requires. It’s a daunting challenge, without a doubt, and it will consume vast reserves of both patience and diligence. But crafting an honorable life is not impossible. 

"If a great thing can be done at all, it can be done easily. But it is that kind of ease with which a tree blossoms after long years of gathering strength" (John Ruskin).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/camaraderie-january-23/

"It must be obvious to those who take the time to look at human life that its greatest values lie not in getting things, but in doing them, in doing them together, in all working toward a common aim, in the experience of comradeship, of warmhearted one hundred percent human life" (W. T. Grant).

WE OFTEN UNDERESTIMATE THE GOODNESS THAT IS GENERATED WHEN PEOPLE WORK TOGETHER ON SOMETHING THEY’RE ALL PASSIONATELY COMMITTED TO. Call it “synergy” or whatever you like, there is something very special that takes place when two or more people make a mutual assault on a challenge that would be too much for any of them individually. When the undertaking is dangerous or physically threatening, the spirit of “camaraderie” is especially deep and meaningful, but we don’t have to be soldiers sharing a foxhole under enemy fire to experience the benefits of this phenomenon. There are many other ways we can be comrades.

The main ingredient necessary for the spirit of camaraderie is a common vision or purpose. To be bound together beneficially, a group must have an objective that is not only held in common but is also felt to be extremely important by the group. When two or more people are committed to a goal that is greater than any differences that might separate them, powerful things are likely to take place. When a group has a goal greater than its differences, you’d be wise to stand back. It’s coming through, and if you’re an obstruction, you’re likely to get run over.

The wonderful thing about life is that there is no shortage of good goals that can weld us together. And not only that, we can be members of more than one group, committed to more than one goal.

These days, most of us live and work in locales where there are many other people. We find ourselves being in close proximity to other human beings whether we make any effort to do so or not. But the really good things in life don’t come to us unless we move beyond physical closeness to actual camaraderie.

It takes a conscious choice on our part to connect in a healthy way to those who jostle up against us from day to day. Good, mutually beneficial relationships are there for the making, and we ought not to be content just to occupy physically adjoining spaces. With at least a few of these people, we need to become comrades.

"A crowd is not company" (Old Saying).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/imagination-january-22/

"The necessity of loyalty between friends, the responsibility that the strong owe the infirm, the illusion of ill-gotten gain, the rewards of hard work, honesty, and trust — these are enduring truths glimpsed and judged first through the imagination, first through art" (Michael Dorris).

IMAGINATION WAS GIVEN TO US NOT ONLY FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT; IT WAS ALSO GIVEN FOR OUR INSTRUCTION. It’s a silly person indeed who, disliking fiction, says that he only enjoys books that are “true.” Not only can imaginative works convey truth, but they can often do so more powerfully than an argument or an exposition. It is no accident that the most influential teachers the world has ever known have engaged our imaginations with stories.

None of us has grasped any more than a minute fraction of all that is real. If we were good enough with words to describe in detail every single thing we know to be true, the books we might write would still contain only a tiny part of what there is to know. Deep down, we know this. We know that there is so much more. In our heart of hearts, we feel the tug of great things that lie just outside the boundaries of our present knowledge. We sense their existence, but we can’t quite pin them down or explain them.

Imagination is the tool that’s been given to us by which we can reach beyond what we know is true and touch things we only have an inkling are true. Joseph Roux said it this way: “That which we know is but little; that which we have a presentiment of is immense; it is in this direction that the poet outruns the learned man.” Imagination is what allows our intellect to dream and to aspire!

We need to take better care of our imaginations than we sometimes do. For one thing, we need to be more careful what we feed them. Many things that we might imagine are not worth imagining, and we ought to steer clear of all that is sordid or selfish. Beyond that, however, we need to nurture our imaginations, taking good care of them. If we allow them to have the exercise they need, they’ll grow and become strong. In time, they’ll take their place among our best friends. And, as we’ve said, they’ll not only entertain us; they’ll teach us. As folks who are both thoughtful and imaginative, we’ll learn a lot more than we could with either tool alone.

"You ride astride the imaginary in order to hunt down the real" (Breyten Breytenbach).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/feedback-january-21/

"Because of its value, some people have called feedback 'the breakfast of champions.' But it isn't the breakfast; it's the lunch. Vision is the breakfast. Self-correction is the dinner" (Stephen R. Covey).

FEEDBACK IS THE THING THAT LETS US KNOW HOW WE’RE DOING. The word has some other scientific and technical definitions, but in the realm of human relationships, feedback is simply the information that comes to us from outside our own minds, telling us what the results of our actions have been. If an employee receives a performance appraisal from his supervisor, that’s feedback. If a student gets an exam back with a grade on it, that’s feedback. If a friend tells you that she was offended by something you said, that’s feedback.

Without feedback, it’s almost impossible to know whether our actions have achieved the result we were hoping for. We may have our own ideas and impressions about what we’ve done, but those impressions can be seriously out of touch with the real facts. Even the most objective people among us need the benefit of external feedback, information from outside ourselves that can help us see if any adjustments need to be made in what we’re doing.

If we know what’s good for us, we will appreciate, rather than resent, those who give us feedback. There is even a sense in which we ought to make good use of the feedback we get from enemies. If a comment is made that contains some truth we need to hear, we’d be foolish to disregard the truth just because of where it came from. Indeed, our enemies will sometimes come closer to telling us the truth than will our friends, who tend to err on the side of courtesy because they don’t want to jeopardize the relationship.

Our lives often languish for lack of feedback. We hide from it, preferring the comfort and security of our own self-image. And consequently, we stay stuck. We don’t make the progress that could be made if we opened ourselves up to outside information about where we really are right now. Too embarrassed to be told, “You’re still a beginner,” we doom ourselves to being a beginner permanently.

"Building character and competency is a process, and one of the highest-leverage things we can do in this process is to regularly seek 360-degree feedback. It takes humility to ask for and receive it. You may have to take oxygen to get through it. But understanding it and acting wisely with regard to it can powerfully impact your time and quality of life" (Stephen R. Covey).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/realism-january-20/

"The very greatest mystery is in unsheathed reality itself" (Eudora Welty).

TRUTH, WE’RE OFTEN TOLD, IS STRANGER THAN FICTION. I would agree, as long as we use the word “strange” to mean “wonderful,” i.e., “producing a sense of wonder.” Compared to what we sometimes wish to be real or prefer to be real, what is real is almost always more full of wonder. As a writer of some of the twentieth century’s greatest fiction, Eudora Welty knew what she was talking about: “The very greatest mystery is in unsheathed reality itself.” Very often, nothing has to be done to reality to make it intriguing. It’s that way already.

A commitment to reality is a good thing. We’d be better off if we made such a commitment more earnestly. But doing that isn’t always easy. For one thing, it takes humility. Reality is a thing that we must bow before with a certain amount of reverence. In addition, a commitment to reality takes courage. “Realists do not fear the results of their study” (Fyodor Dostoevsky). Once we commit to following the truth, there’s no telling where it might lead us before we’re done.

But there is one other thing that should be said about realists. Contrary to the popular stereotype, realists are usually people of action. There is a certain type of individual who, under the guise of “realism,” is always saying, “That won’t work.” He never has a better plan, but he knows the one being proposed is going to fail. But that’s not realism — it’s laziness. As Sydney J. Harris said, “An idealist believes the short run doesn’t count. A cynic believes the long run doesn’t matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run.” The genuine realist is always willing, with both humility and courage, to act. He’s willing to do the best thing he knows to do at the present moment.

What we all want in life is to have people who will deal with us realistically. We want to be accepted for what we are, even with our blemishes and blunders. But if we want that, shouldn’t we deal with others in the same way? Real people, like real life, don’t always conform to our wishes. If they did, they wouldn’t be as “wonderful.”

"Nothing which is at all times and in every way agreeable to us can have objective reality. It is of the very nature of the real that it should have sharp corners and rough edges, that it should be resistant, should be itself. Dream-furniture is the only kind on which you never stub your toes or bang your knee" (C. S. Lewis).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/spontaneity-january-19/

"Some desire is necessary to keep life in motion, and he whose real wants are supplied must admit those of fancy" (Samuel Johnson).

OF ALL THE FUELS THAT CAN FIRE US UP, ONE OF THE MOST WONDERFUL IS SPONTANEITY. Of necessity, we spend the greater part of our time “taking care of business.” Things like food, clothing, and shelter have to be provided, along with an increasing number of other basic needs. But life can’t be about these things entirely, and the desire (often quite strong) to break out of our routines and do something unplanned and unpredictable is not a bad desire. It must be managed with wisdom, admittedly, but there’s no denying that spontaneity can be a potent force for good in our lives.

It’s an unfortunate person who is so busy being “productive” that he can’t be diverted from that once in a while. In the words of George Santayana, “To condemn spontaneous and delightful occupations because they are useless for self-preservation shows an uncritical prizing of life irrespective of its content.” And not only that, the truly productive people are almost always those who know how to blend a little humor and impulse into their recipe for living.

The benefit and the pleasure of spontaneity are two reasons to keep up with our regular work. If we procrastinate our regular duties, we may find that we stay in emergency mode most of the time, rushing to do things that can’t possibly be put off any longer. In that mode, it’s almost impossible to indulge the desire to do things spontaneously. But those who have kept up with their normal work have the luxury of being able to lay it aside when a spur-of-the-moment impulse strikes them. It’s a nice reward for having been diligent.

We need to appreciate the spontaneous people who enter our lives. These free spirits can be exasperating at times, but the truth of the matter is, we’re fortunate to have their influence upon us. They often furnish us with a much-needed invigorating force. It’s a privilege to be “inconvenienced” by the person who drops by in the middle of the morning to say, “Let’s go get a cup of coffee.”

As we said, spontaneity must be managed wisely. But true wisdom can laugh. It can giggle. It can appreciate a change of plans. And — believe it or not — wisdom sometimes has no plan at all!

"It is a bad plan that admits of no modification" (Publilius Syrus).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/servanthood-january-18/

"They who give have all things; they who withhold have nothing" (Hindu Proverb).

MUCH MORE THAN OCCASIONAL ACTS OF SERVICE, WHAT WE NEED IS A “SPIRIT” OF SERVANTHOOD. Although acts of service are good as far as they go (and we can’t say we have the spirit of servanthood if we don’t actually serve), it would help if we adopted the heart and disposition of a servant. In a positive sense, we need to see ourselves as servants, thinking more often of what we can give than of what we can get. We need to have the attitude and mindset of one who is in the world to serve, rather than to be served.

To “serve” means to “help.” It means to do something that somebody else needs to have done. The servant is first and foremost a giver, an individual whose primary role is to provide and to please. Their “mission” in life is defined in terms of helping others.

Learning to have this outlook as our primary way of thinking is a challenge. It’s a challenge because from childhood, we’ve been acquiring the habit of self-centeredness. We started out as babies thinking the world revolved around us, and many of us have never grown much beyond that orientation. To learn another way of thinking requires going against the grain of a lifelong disposition.

It’s easy, however, to tell whether we’ve learned the spirit of servanthood. The test is simply this: how do you react when someone treats you like a servant? If when treated like a servant you resent it, you probably don’t see yourself as one, whatever words you may have spoken about the “nobility” of serving others. True servants don’t object when others see them as being what they actually are!

Albert Schweitzer, who certainly knew the meaning of servanthood, once told a graduation audience, “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.” Schweitzer was right, of course. And yet, there is one point on which we need to be careful: the kind of serving that will make us “really happy” is not rendered for that reason. In our finer moments, we don’t serve because it enhances our self-image or our emotional state; we do it because there are other people who need our help.

"Be ashamed to die unless you have won some victory for humanity" (Horace Mann).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/admiration-january-17/

"To love is to admire with the heart; to admire is to love with the mind" (Théophile Gautier).

TO BE ABLE TO ADMIRE — AND TO ADMIRE THE THINGS THAT ARE TRULY ADMIRABLE — IS A CHARACTER TRAIT WORTH CULTIVATING. And mind you, being “able to admire” is a trait that has to be cultivated. If there are few things that we admire, or if the things we admire are not really very worthy, it’s probably because we’ve not worked on keeping our hearts open and we’ve not educated our minds to appreciate the better things that life has to offer.

Sometimes we are like the stupid tourist who came out of the Louvre in Paris, bragging that he “didn’t see what was so great about all that stuff.” To him, the doorman simply replied, “Don’t you wish you could see what was so great about it, sir?” By our failure to admire certain things, we often make more of a comment on ourselves than on the things about which we express our low opinion.

Have you ever given much thought to what the forces are that mold and shape your life the most? Are you, for example, shaped mainly by the love you have for the things you like or is your life more a reaction against the things you don’t like? In all honesty, which has been the principal force in molding your character: your aversions or your admirations, your turn-offs or your turn-ons? These are probing questions, ones that probably make most of us squirm a little uncomfortably in our seats. This uneasiness is evidence of a feeling deep inside us that we ought to give our admirations more priority than we do. The praiseworthy things we love should be given a chance to motivate our actions more powerfully.

The fact is, we inhabit a universe full of good things to admire. If we want to be powered by a great love for good things, there is no shortage of such things around us. And many of these come in the form of people. So, find some things to love and some people to admire. Years from now, you’ll be glad you did.

"To be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars — to be satisfied with your possessions but not contented with yourself until you have made the best of them — to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness, and to fear nothing except cowardice — to be governed by your admirations rather than by your disgusts . . . these are little guideposts on the footpath to peace" (Henry Van Dyke).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/humaneness-january-16/

"A jeweled pivot on which our lives must turn is the deep realization that every person we meet in the course of a day is a dignified, essential human soul and that we are being guilty of gross inhumanity when we snub or abuse him" (Joshua Loth Liebman).

ALL OF US ARE “HUMAN,” BUT HOW MANY OF US HAVE LEARNED TO BE “HUMANE”? We should not only conduct ourselves in an honorable way; we should treat others honorably, with the dignity and compassion they deserve, since they are creatures with the same nature as we. It is no small feat to deal with those around us, consistently and genuinely, as human beings — beings who are not simply mineral, vegetable, or animal . . . but personal.

True, there is a sense in which we speak of treating animals humanely. When we use the word in that way, we refer simply to the kind, merciful, and compassionate treatment of animals. This kind of humaneness is by no means unimportant. In fact, how a person treats animals is one measure of that person’s character. The Book of Proverbs contains this statement: “A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.”

Yet in its highest sense, humaneness refers to the treatment of other human beings in a “human” way. It means that we never lose sight of their value as persons. Usually, the choice to do this comes from having experienced enough failure and sorrow in our own lives that we’re able to empathize with others, treating them humanely despite their misjudgments and mistakes. “Through the portals of sorrow we can enter into the suffering of others. Our human compassion is kindled. Our sympathies are awakened” (Sidney Greenberg).

With the means of travel and communication that are available to us now, the world has become a smaller place. Not many days go by that we’re not reminded of the larger, interconnected world that we’re a part of. These reminders should not fill us with fear; they should make us more humane. “There is no feeling in a human heart that exists in that heart alone — which is not, in some form or degree, in every heart” (George MacDonald). Whatever may separate you and me, we still have much in common. I should treat you accordingly.

"There is but one law for all, namely, that law which governs all law, the law of our Creator, the law of humanity, justice, equity — the law of nature, and of nations" (Edmund Burke).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/discipline-january-15/

"He that would be superior to external influences must first become superior to his own passions" (Samuel Johnson).

LIFE PRESENTS US WITH NO GREATER CHALLENGE THAN WHEN IT ASKS US TO DISCIPLINE OURSELVES. There aren’t many good things that can be accomplished without self-mastery, but this kind of discipline is as difficult as it is important. To learn to discipline ourselves effectively, we must usually pass through a painful apprenticeship. Most of us will fail many times before we master the ability to channel our talents in a consistently good direction.

Too often, we spend our training energies learning nothing more than how to do what we want to do. Having learned that, we then insist on the right to do whatever we want. But as Aristotle pointed out, “What it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do.” The highest form of discipline is the ability to refrain from doing what we might do in order to achieve goals consistent with what we ought to do. Just because a thing can be done, that doesn’t mean it should be done. Knowing the difference, discipline can subordinate a lesser impulse to a higher principle.

Things like self-esteem and self-respect are high priorities with many people nowadays. It’s ironic, then, that self-discipline is not valued any more than it is. Folks who have been down the road far enough to know what works in life and what doesn’t report that we won’t like ourselves if we don’t discipline ourselves. As Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.”

So the ability to govern ourselves is critical. But as we’ve said, it is difficult. Since it comes from growth and training, it’s not a skill that can be learned overnight. We need to get in the game and start learning discipline, while also being patient with ourselves.

The main thing is to commit to whatever our highest priorities are. That sounds simple, but not many people have actually done it. The old saying may sound trite, but it’s true: “We can have anything we want, but not everything we want.” Some choices have to be made; some things have to be given up. So, my friend, don’t let your life be marred by lower priorities that you’re too weak to let go of.

"Discipline is remembering what you want" (David Campbell).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/exhilaration-january-14/

"Suddenly I feel myself transformed and changed; it is joy unspeakable. My mind is exhilarated; I lose the memory of past trials; my intelligence is clarified; my desires are satisfied. I grasp something inwardly as with the embracement of love" (Hugh of St. Victor).

NOW AND THEN, WE EXPERIENCE AN EXCITEMENT SO INTENSE THAT WE CALL IT “EXHILARATION.” It may not happen often (and it might not be good if it did), but occasionally we are so alive and engaged in a moment that the event remains stamped in our memory forever. These are the mountaintop experiences in our lives, those times when our senses and our sensibilities seem to have been electrified. It’s good that we’re able to experience such moments. The ability to be exhilarated is a thing to be thankful for.

Unfortunately, we tend to fall asleep as we get older, and in that state, we fail to be exhilarated by things that should touch us deeply. We let our minds and hearts be dulled by the duties of daily living. We lose our openness to the wonder of the world. And consequently, we forget what it’s like to tingle with childlike amazement.

This does not have to happen, however, and we do ourselves a favor when we make sure that it doesn’t. But not only that, we do others a favor as well. We all know how enjoyable it is to live and work around individuals whose senses are alive and whose minds are awake; we can be like that if we determine to do so.

Of course, there are some moments so exciting that they would stir anyone up, even the most jaded. Dangerous moments, for example, are thrilling. (Winston Churchill once commented that “nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.”) Life doesn’t deliver such extraordinary exhilaration very often, and there is more to life than the mere seeking of thrills. But when these rare moments come along, they do have the healthy effect of waking us up.

It’s a mistake, however, to think that exhilaration can only be experienced on the mountaintop. Our daily doings may not be unusual, but they need not be humdrum. In truth, much of what is commonplace can be intensely pleasurable — and the good life will elude us if we can’t taste the tang and the tartness of what is right before us.

"Crossing a bare common, in snow puddles, at twilight, under a clouded sky, without having in my thoughts any occurrence of special good fortune, I have enjoyed a perfect exhilaration" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/responsibility-january-13/

"Duty done is the soul’s fireside" (Robert Browning).

YOU’D BE HARD PUT TO NAME A BETTER FEELING THAN THAT OF KNOWING YOU’VE DONE WHAT WAS RIGHT. The simple knowledge that we’ve acted with integrity, doing to the best of our ability the thing that most needed to be done, is not only one of life’s greatest pleasures, but it’s also one that’s widely available. Anyone can enjoy this “fireside” at the end of the day.

It’s never entirely accurate to say we had no choice but to do a deed that was wrong. Responsibility means “response-ability,” the ability to respond. As free moral agents, we’re able to choose our response, no matter what the circumstances may be that confront us and call for a decision. And we’re never obligated to do anything that’s impossible; we’re only held accountable for doing what we can — nothing that’s truly within our duty is ever out of our reach. “I ought, therefore I can” is how Immanuel Kant put it.

Most of us want to be treated the way responsible people are treated. But the key to being treated that way is simply to be a responsible person! A reputation for responsibility has to be gotten the old-fashioned way: it has to be earned. And having been earned, it has to be carefully maintained. When we violate the principles of responsibility and accountability, it takes a long time to repair the damage we’ve done to the way people perceive us.

We lift a great burden from the shoulders of others when we embrace the idea of our own responsibility. When those we deal with every day know we can be counted on to do what’s right and be accountable for our own actions, they can rest easy in their relationship with us. It’s a magnificent gift when we can say to others (and mean it), “I will hold up my end of our duties. You can count on me.”

Responsibility is often viewed as a negative concept these days, along with obligation, duty, and similar ideas. But doing our duty need not be a dreary business. If we choose, we can listen to the voice of conscience appreciatively, instead of grudgingly or disdainfully. It’s mostly a matter of how we see life. Is it something to be refused or something to be received?

I slept and dreamed that life was joy,
I awoke and saw that life was duty,
I acted, and behold duty was joy.
(Rabindranath Tagore)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/perspective-january-12/

"The last thing one knows is what to put first" (Blaise Pascal).

PUTTING FIRST THINGS FIRST OBVIOUSLY REQUIRES DISCIPLINE, BUT IT ALSO REQUIRES WISDOM. We can’t give priority to the things of first importance if we don’t know what those things are, and it’s wisdom that provides that information. And where does wisdom come from? Usually, it comes from what we call “perspective” — the ability to see things from a wider angle and take in more of the reality that is confronting us. There may be times when our wisdom is blocked by a bold-faced lie or outright untruth that we’ve told ourselves, but more often the problem is simply that we’re not seeing enough of the truth. We need to gain a more comprehensive view.

It may seem strange, but some of the situations that we see the least adequately are those we’re closest to. It takes better vision than most of us are blessed with to see what’s immediately in front of us. We need to back up and look at our circumstances from a distance that allows more objectivity. Doing this is often the single best thing we can do to improve the quality of our decision-making.

I once knew a man who had served in the Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He said that there was a certain road in the area that had always intrigued him. It looked as if it might go to some interesting place, but he never knew where it went until one day when he was in the nearby mountains, looking down on the area. From this higher and more complete vantage point, he could see that the road he’d always wondered about actually went to the city dump!

And that’s the way it is in our view of what’s important in our day-to-day activities. Some courses of action which look intriguing from our present viewpoint may be seen, from a wider angle, to go nowhere but to the “dump.” So Norman Cousins was right when he said, “What was most significant about the lunar voyage was not that men set foot on the moon but that they set eye on the earth.” In this broken and difficult world, our perspective won’t ever be infinite or perfect, and neither will our wisdom, but when we back up as far as we can and see as many of the facts as we can, it’s amazing what truths suddenly become apparent.

"Climb up on some hill at sunrise. Everybody needs perspective once in a while, and you’ll find it there" (Robb Sagendorph).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/renewal-january-11/

"Inside myself is a place where I live all alone, and that’s where you renew your springs that never dry up" (Pearl Buck).

NONE OF US HAS ENOUGH INNER STRENGTH TO LAST A LIFETIME. We simply can’t make it. If we are to keep going and reach the end of life with our integrity intact, we must be “renewed” fairly often. And this process must take place deep inside of us — in that place where, as Pearl Buck said, we “live all alone.” Physical renewal is important, as is emotional renewal, but even more important is a thing that may be called character renewal. The choices we’ve made in the past concerning our principles, our values, and our conduct will “dry up” if they’re not refreshed, improved, and strengthened.

There is little excuse for not tending to our renewal. We are surrounded by resources to prompt us and help us. The world of nature is the most obvious one, of course. Even the casual observation of the land, the sea, and the heavens tends to have a refreshing effect on us. Indeed, natural things are so powerful that if we had regular contact with them, our renewal would almost take care of itself. But there are many other things that should have a similar effect: friends, books, music, and laughter are just a few. If we interact with these things attentively and mindfully, we’ll find ourselves being rejuvenated. Our outlook will be refurbished and our energy replenished — but we have to take time for these things, and that’s not always easy.

The people who have the greatest impact for good in our world are those who see themselves as being “new.” Like anyone else, they reach the point of exhaustion from time to time, but unlike others, they make a point of regularly starting over. They know how to turn a fresh page and begin writing something new. And as the years go by, they feel themselves getting “newer” rather than “older.”

If we’re not doing what these people do, we need to be reminded that the only alternative to renewal is decay. For human beings, there is no middle ground. Either we’re developing or we’re deteriorating. And those around us, especially our loved ones, would dearly love to see us developing! They would be delighted to know that our inner light is growing stronger and brighter as time goes by.

"We die on the day when our lives cease to be illumined by the steady radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder, the source of which is beyond all reason" (Dag Hammarskjöld).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/character-january-10/

"Unless the vessel is clean, what you pour into it turns sour" (Latin Proverb).

CONCERNING CHARACTER, IT’S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT GOOD CHARACTER COMES FROM OUR DECISIONS, NOT OUR CIRCUMSTANCES. Those who spend their lives waiting for their ship to come in, thinking that their true character can’t be developed until they get their big break, are turning one of life’s great priorities upside-down. Choices concerning our character should come first, not last. If and when we do get the circumstances we’re hoping for, those circumstances will turn out to be seriously disappointing if our character isn’t what it ought to be. Remember: “Unless the vessel is clean, what you pour into it turns sour.”

But if it’s important to think rightly about our character in relation to the future, it’s also important in relation to the past. There is a Jewish proverb which says, “A man is what he is — not what he used to be.” This is a double-edged truth. On the sobering side, we need to recognize that good character in the past is no substitute for good character in the present. What we are is what we are, not what we used to be. Having been a good person at some point in the past doesn’t give us a lifetime exemption from any further effort.

The other side of this truth, however, is encouraging. If our character has been bad in the past, that fact doesn’t doom us to having the same character forever afterward. We’re not inherently bad; we just need to change for the better. If we do, then our character is what it is, not what it used to be. I repeat: character comes from our decisions, not our circumstances. And freedom of the will means that better decisions are ours for the making every single day. Improving our character is a process that’s always available to us — even right now!

Compared to the things we typically spend our time working on, the building of solid character needs to get more attention. What we are (our character) is a good deal more important than what we have (our possessions). It’s even more important than what we do (our accomplishments). When the final tally is made, what we will want more than anything is to have had hearts that were true and just. So let’s devote more of our energy to this priority.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/straightforwardness-january-9/

"Nothing more completely baffles one who is full of tricks and duplicity than straightforward and simple integrity in another" (Gotthold Ephraim Lessing).

HOW REFRESHING IT IS TO DEAL WITH THOSE WHO ARE STRAIGHTFORWARD! In a world where we often have to wonder if we’re being told the whole truth, it’s like a breath of fresh air when we encounter those faithful folks who actually are what they want others to believe they are. At least this experience is refreshing if we ourselves are honest. If we are dishonest in our own dealings with other people, those who refuse to join us in leaving the path of truth are probably sources of great vexation to us.

Straightforwardness can best be understood by looking at its opposite: deviousness. “Devious” comes from a Latin word that meant “away from the road.” The devious person is willing to go “out of the way” to get what he wants, following a secret, crooked path if necessary. Skilled at winning people’s confidence superficially, the devious operator shows only as much of himself as is “expedient.”

By contrast, the straightforward person stays on the high road of openness and honesty. He has no hidden agenda and no desire to manipulate the course of events. There is a simple strength about this person: the strength of truth. There is also a certain peace and relaxation. Not having told the truth selectively (with some parts told to some people and other parts told to others), he has no need to keep track of which version of himself he has presented to which person. He is the “real deal,” known by all to be dependably open.

There are few things more valuable than a reputation for straight dealing, and such a reputation ought to be one of our highest priorities. Yet it can’t be gained by devious means. We can’t depend on the clever use of personality to conjure up the image of character. Smoke and mirrors won’t suffice, nor can we always “spin” the truth to our advantage: I must be content for others to view me as the kind of person I truly am on the inside. That’s straightforwardness.

"The most agreeable of all companions is a simple, frank person, without any high pretensions to an oppressive greatness — one who loves life and understands the use of it; obliging alike at all hours; above all, of a golden temper, and steadfast as an anchor. For such a one we gladly exchange the greatest genius, the most brilliant wit, the profoundest thinker" (Charles Caleb Colton).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/conscientiousness-january-8/

"Trust that man in nothing who has not a conscience in everything" (Laurence Sterne).

FEW OF LIFE’S PLEASURES RIVAL THE SATISFACTION THAT COMES FROM BEING CONSCIENTIOUS. The knowledge that we’ve both done what is right and given our best effort to it has to rank somewhere near the top of life’s most lasting contentments. The old adage contains a truth we need to reconnect with: “The softest pillow upon which to lay our heads at night is a good conscience.” Without that “pillow,” no other comfort matters very much.

Conscientiousness deserves a better reputation than it has. It tends to be confused with perfectionism, and the conscientious are often accused of having too many scruples and not enough spontaneity. But submitting our work to the standards of conscience is not a sign of psychological weakness. It’s a sign that we care enough about the world to contribute to it with our personal best.

(1) Those who are conscientious are governed by conscience in everything they do. Even when “it doesn’t matter” and even when “nobody will know,” they are careful to do what they believe is right. More concerned with enduring values than with shortcuts and quick fixes, the conscientious steer by true-north principles.

(2) Those who are conscientious are diligent in what they do. They value quality — in personal character and in workmanship. They are thorough, and yes, even scrupulous. Moved by conscience, they take wholesome pride in jobs that are well done, and most of them have gotten used to being called persnickety and old-fashioned.

The bottom line is this: if we wish to have the confidence of those who know us, we’re going to have to be conscientious. People may say that perfectionism is a hang-up, but when it comes time to put their trust in somebody, they still look for someone who does things the way they ought to be done. When we’re sitting back in 24-B, we want the pilot to be the most conscientious person on the plane. So, how confident are those who are riding on your conduct today? Can they count on your conscience?

Is your conscience clear, with nothing to fear
As you punch the clock each night;
When you leave the job, do your pulses throb
With the thought of a task done right?
(Frank A. Collins)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/wholeheartedness-january-7/

"Purity of heart is to will one thing" (Søren Kierkegaard).

THESE DAYS, WE’RE PULLED IN SO MANY DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, A TOTAL COMMITMENT TO ANYTHING SEEMS UNREALISTIC. Conflicting values and multiple priorities are so common that our minds are in danger of going numb. In such an environment, we must rediscover the meaning and value of “wholeheartedness.”

The popular concept of wholeheartedness is that of energy and enthusiasm. When we say that someone did something wholeheartedly, we usually mean that it was done exuberantly. But while wholeheartedness includes the idea of energy, there is more to it than that. In its highest sense, the word means singleness of purpose. The “whole” heart is the “single” heart — the heart that is supremely fixed on one thing rather than divided among competing loyalties. The wholehearted person has considered the options, made a decisive commitment to one of them, and is now willing to sacrifice other endeavors to the passionate pursuit of that one great objective. Few and fortunate are those among us who have learned the power of this kind of commitment. Those who pursue their priorities with all their hearts are living at a level the rest of us can only imagine.

But life is complicated, isn’t it? As G. K. Chesterton noted, “The perplexity of life arises from there being too many interesting things in it for us to be interested properly in any of them.” Although each of us should have “one thing” that is our ultimate passion, we don’t have the luxury of thinking about that thing every waking moment. Meals have to be provided, clothes have to be washed, and the roof has to be repaired. Still, we can be more wholehearted in our living. We can give our full attention to each thing in its turn, doing as the Zen maxim advises: “When walking, walk. When eating, eat.” Being fully “present” in each moment is a discipline that can save our sanity.

W. H. Auden said, “Choice of attention, to pay attention to this and ignore that, is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer.” Full, healthy human character will never be ours if we don’t exercise our God-given ability to choose our thoughts. And wholeheartedness means that, having chosen, we devote ourselves enthusiastically to the choice we’ve made.

"One man, two loves. No good ever comes of that" (Euripides).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/tenderheartedness-january-6/

"The prudence of the best heads is often defeated by the tenderness of the best hearts" (Henry Fielding).

AMONG THE VIRTUES VALUED TODAY, TENDERHEARTEDNESS IS ONE OF THE LEAST VALUED. In the minds of many, tough-mindedness is the key to success in the real world, and tenderness is seen more as a weakness than a strength. The truth, however, is that tenderness can solve a much wider range of problems than the decrees of authority or the dominion of brute force. In the history of our world, the people who have exerted the greatest real power — power to build rather than destroy — have always been people with tender hearts, full of grace and kindness.

The word “tenderheartedness” can mean two different things, both of which are valuable. In modern usage, tenderheartedness often means compassion. It means that one is easily moved by another’s distress. In this sense, the person with a tender heart is one who can be touched by someone else’s suffering and is willing to respond with mercy. Surely, this is a virtue worth including in our character.

But tenderheartedness can mean something else: it can mean that a person has a tender conscience. Unlike the individual who has allowed his conscience to become hard and insensitive, the tenderhearted person has a conscience that’s in good working order. When it is pointed out that he has erred, he is touched by that fact. His heart is still tender enough to feel genuine, healthy remorse for his failings. And like other kinds of tenderness, tenderness of conscience is a potent force, a strength with impressive capabilities. It allows the person who possesses it to do something the tough are rarely able to do: take honest steps of growth and personal improvement.

There are few gifts we can give to others that are more beneficial than our own tenderheartedness. Whether it’s tenderness of compassion or tenderness of conscience, this is a quality that can do powerful, life-changing good. It can move mountains — mountains at which the “strong” can only curse. And one of the most remarkable things about it is that, while life lasts, it is never completely out of our reach. Even the hardest heart can become more tender if it’s willing to make that choice and embrace the process of change.

"When death, the great reconciler, has come, it is never our tenderness that we regret, but our severity" (George Eliot).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/aspiration-january-5/

"It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are thoroughly alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger after them" (George Eliot).

ONE OF OUR MOST MARVELOUS ENDOWMENTS IS THE ABILITY TO ASPIRE TO GREATER THINGS THAN THOSE WE’VE KNOWN BEFORE. Unlike other creatures that are limited to what “is,” we are able to contemplate what “can be.” With wonderful creativity, we can envision ideals that go beyond the imperfection of today’s situation.

Being careful about our aspirations is important for the simple reason that they determine the quality of our lives and the worthiness of our achievements. Even if we’ve selected our ideals carelessly, they are still the endpoints toward which we move. James Allen said it well: “Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain, or rise with your thoughts, your vision, your ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire, or as great as your dominant vision.” Wherever we end up, that will be what we most truly desired — regardless of other ideals we may have paid lip service to.

It makes good sense, then, to upgrade our aspirations frequently. We need to exercise the freedom we’ve been given and aspire to ends more honorable than those we’ve pursued in the past. In our vision of the future, we need to use the concept of “continuous improvement.” Since it is our aspirations that produce our actions, we should always be improving them, heightening and purifying our ambitions.

Unfortunately, we are surrounded by forces that would rob us of our aspirations. We must resist those forces mightily. When cynicism and discouragement threaten to drag our dreams into the gutter, we must defend those dreams. It takes a tenacious character to hold on to ideals that are mocked by our enemies, and when our dreams are unappreciated by our friends, staying the course takes an even greater determination. If we ever let go of the things we long for, it should only be to exchange them for longings that are more sublime.

We need to recognize the importance of our aspirations: constantly improving them, holding on to them, and fervently desiring them. Our highest hopes should be pursued with a heart that is desperately hungry. We’re not really living if we don’t let ourselves dream of cherished values with all our hearts.

"To love the beautiful, to desire the good, to do the best" (Moses Mendelssohn).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/awakening-january-4/

"A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us. To live is to be born slowly" (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry).

LIFE IS ALWAYS FILLED WITH THE PROMISE OF AWAKENINGS. In the case of some of us, we have slumbered through life to such an extent that we’re desperately in need of being awakened. Others have lived their lives more fully and may seem already to have been awakened. In either case, however, we need to be stirred. Within each of us lie deep reservoirs of untapped potential. Our physical birth may have been many years ago, but we’ve hardly more than begun to be the persons we’re capable of being, and on even the most ordinary day, something extraordinary may happen that will wake us up and show us a wider realm of possibility. At any time, there is always the “danger” that this will happen to us.

Sometimes our awakening is the result of a great event. Births, marriages, and deaths come to mind, of course, but great awakenings are often produced by events much more unexpected and unusual. In fact, one of the most pleasurable aspects of life is the anticipation that around the very next corner may be a surprising situation that will stir us with such hope that we will never be the same.

At other times, we are awakened by a great person. Before our lives are over, most of us will cross paths with one or two individuals whose influence upon us is so profound that they can be said to have opened our eyes to the goals we most wanted to reach. When we look back, we can see that our encounter with these people resulted in nothing less than a transformation of our character.

Awakenings are almost always to our benefit, at least eventually, but it’s a fact that they often come to us in circumstances surrounded by sorrow. The boldest and brightest new days we’ll ever see will often follow dark nights of destructive storm. But storms, perhaps more than anything, force upon us new perspectives. Having passed through sorrow, we find ourselves awakened, opened up, and more completely alive. The sorrow passes, but the awakening remains.

These things are beautiful beyond belief:
The pleasant weakness that comes after pain,
The radiant greenness that comes after rain,
The deepened faith that follows after grief,
And the awakening to love again.
( R. A. Gallien )

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website --  https://wordpoints.com/principles-january-3/

"There are principles that govern human effectiveness — natural laws in the human dimension that are just as real, just as unchanging and unarguably 'there' as laws such as gravity are in the physical dimension" (Stephen R. Covey).

AS WE GROW IN WISDOM, WE COME TO SEE THE VALUE OF LIVING A PRINCIPLED LIFE. Indeed, the worth of the contribution we make as we travel through this world depends on the strength with which we adhere to principles. Positive contributions are not produced by moods and trends; they come from the guidance of wisdom proven to be valuable over many centuries of testing by trial-and-error.

Principles are the precepts of virtue and effectiveness in human conduct. Analogous to descriptions of cause and effect in the physical world, principles describe how things work in the moral realm. They’ve been recognized by the wise in all cultures throughout time, and their value has been borne out in the day-to-day experience of people around the globe. For example, “honesty” is a principle. “Kindness” is another. “Courage” is yet another. There are many such principles, but they are not mysterious or hard to find. Each of us carries the code within our conscience. Deep down, we know what is right — and we know what builds long-term effectiveness.

Principles are permanent. The laws of wise conduct don’t change as our styles and fashions do. Principles are inherent in the nature of reality. Civilizations may rise and fall, but there will never come a time when things like “thankfulness” and “unselfishness” have lost their value. In other words, the principles of human conduct are “durable”: they have endured, and will endure, for a very long time.

Principles are dependable. Because they are unchangeable, principles can be counted on. They are stable, trustworthy guides for our conduct, and awareness of that reliability should make us more courageous. “If one can be certain that his principles are right, he need not worry about the consequences” (Robert Elliott Speer). Although we can’t predict the future, if we base our conduct on principles, we can know that our actions are conducive to the best possible result.

As the world changes ever more rapidly, we need more trustworthy guidance than we can get from the popular culture or our daily news feed. Whatever place in our lives th0se things may have, they can’t do what principles can do: stabilize us in the storm.

"If the roots are deep, have no fear that the wind will uproot the tree" (Chinese Proverb).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/excellence-january-2/

"No one ever attains very eminent success by simply doing what is required of him; it is the amount and excellence of what is over and above the required that determines the greatness of ultimate distinction" (Charles Kendall Adams).

WE SHOW GRATITUDE FOR THE GIFT OF LIFE WHEN WE STRIVE FOR THE HIGHEST AND BEST WITHIN OURSELVES. Against the powerful pull of mediocrity, we must exert our best effort. “Good enough” is not good enough. When we give ourselves to those around us, we must give, by God’s grace, nothing less than our personal best.

The concept of “excelling” is a noble one. It’s unfortunate that we think of it so often in competitive terms, as if the thing we must surpass is someone else’s performance. In the highest sense, excellence isn’t measured by comparisons to others but by adherence to objective standards that are higher than any of us. Just as there is such a thing as beauty, there is such a thing as excellence, and when we make it one of our values, we help ourselves greatly.

Even when we consider excellence in comparative terms, we should compare ourselves to our own track record, not to that of some other person. What matters most is not how many of our peers we outperform, but how often we excel what we have previously done. The best lives are lived by those who are always looking to upgrade their personal character, not for competitive advantage but for the inherent value of greater excellence.

Since life is a growth process, we should see the pursuit of excellence as a continuous effort -- a work that keeps going throughout our lives, even in old age. There will be days when our efforts are disappointing, perhaps grievously (or even tragically) so. But those who truly wish to excel will not be defeated by disappointments along the way. As long as life lasts, there is some part of our story that remains to be written, and we should firmly decide to make the next chapter the best part we’ve written so far.

A commitment to excellence is possible for everyone, no matter how insignificant we may sometimes feel. Pursuit of the best is not just for the high and mighty; it is for every living soul. Indeed, we are never more noble than when we give our best effort to the simple duties that are the stuff of ordinary life.

"Great works do not always lie in our way, but every moment we may do little ones excellently, that is, with great love" (Francis de Sales).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com

View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/beginnings-january-1/

"The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it" (W. M. Lewis).

WITH THE DAWNING OF EVERY NEW DAY, WE’RE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE NEW BEGINNINGS. Although we often take it for granted, the clean slate offered to us each morning is one of the best aspects of our sojourn in this world. Why is it that we so rarely seize this advantage? Why do so many days pass in which nothing is improved and nothing new is begun?

Perhaps we don’t want to be like the dabblers, those unhappy folks who never follow through and constantly have to start their work all over again. What dishonors the dabbler, however, is not that he makes new beginnings; it’s just that he fails to do his best and finish his work. Starting over is necessary for him because he frequently gives up and quits trying. But if we made an honest effort yesterday, there’s no dishonor in making a fresh start today. And if yesterday we failed to do our best, then starting anew is even more beneficial. We should see today as a great possibility: it’s our chance, after all this time, to begin being the person we’ve always wanted to be.

It may seem ironic, but those who make the most progress in life are those who periodically go back to the beginning and work from a new perspective. Persistence is needed, obviously, but improvement is the main thing we need to be persistent about. Those who finish life well are those who see each new day as a clean slate, an opportunity to approach our work with fresh eyes and eager hands.

However, we shouldn’t embark on new beginnings solely for ourselves — we should view them as gifts to our loved ones. Indeed, few gifts honor those around us any more than giving ourselves to them each day as persons of renewed commitment, eager to explore new territory and build new habitations for the heart. There is in every one of us a better person than our acquaintances have known us to be in the past. Today — this very day — we can begin to be that better person. We can make a fresh start that will do our families and friends much good.

"Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute! What you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Only engage, and then the mind grows heated. Begin, and then the work will be completed" (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe).

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com