It Ain't Worth It ...

The other day I was having a stressful time at work. I had several deadlines and an equal number of "fires" that kept interrupting my progress. In the middle of all of this my wife called me as she was being pulled over by a cop for an expired registration no one knew anything about. I wracked my brain but couldn't figure out why the registration had slipped. We got a ticket and I vowed to my wife I'd take care of it right away.

Fortunately (I guess) I work near to the DMV and so I stopped the presses in the office and headed there. Surprise, surprise, the place was jam-packed. By the time I made it through the throng and realized that I couldn't pay with a credit card, left the line, returned, got spun around by the lady with the less-than-warm attitude, I could feel this huge knot creep up in my back to the point of affecting my breathing.

Thankfully, I recognized it the moment that I felt it: Stress! That silent killer. I literally had to battle my own thoughts to find peace and calm. I took my mind off the office, traffic tickets, cops and the even the DMV. I switched the channel in my head to something pleasant and took up a fluff magazine to pass the time away.

I had a few chuckles and soon the knot was gone. Within a short period of time, I had the registration (the two-year package this time) and I was also gone. I returned to my office, completed my deadlines and life went on. The moral of the story: It ain't worth it. Don't let stress put you in the hospital or in the grave. It is a proven killer. When you feel it overtaking you, don't ignore it; just acknowledge the feelings and then do your best to change the channel. I'm not saying this will stop all stress, but it will work wonders if you try it.

Blessings, Wayne

Give and it will be given unto you ...

Jesus said to "give and it will be given unto you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Luke 6:38. This Scripture became real to me the other day.

I had breakfast with a friend of mine who related the following story:

He had a next door neighbor who was elderly and in ill health. Over the years, he would help her out with repairs, help around the house and anything she needed. She would always insist on paying him and he would always refuse, being glad to just be there for someone in need. Recently, the neighbor's health took a turn for the worse and she summoned my friend to her side. She thanked him for all the times that he'd helped her without taking anything in return. Then she handed him an envelope.

In that envelope was a tidy sum of cash and (almost literally) the keys to a new home - an issue my friend and his wife had been praying about for years. This is an absolute true story. It is an amazing and refreshing reminder to me that you simply can't out-give God. My friends, I encourage you to give freely and generously, expecting nothing in return. In due season, you will reap your reward.

I wish everyone a blessed Easter Day, remembering the greatest gift of all. God bless, Wayne

Numero Uno

Isn't it funny how God's desire is that His people would be one, but our desire is to be NUMBER ONE. In a moving prayer, Jesus said that He would not pray for His followers alone, "but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that all may be one ..." Contrast that to a couple of His disciples who approached Him one day and said, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."

It seems these disciples were more interested in serving themselves than in serving others. Sounds familiar? Jesus gives a classic retort: "Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

This may sound counter-intuitive but the key to true greatness and lasting happiness is service. The cure to the everyday blues is taking your eyes off "Numero Uno" and finding a way to serve others, even in the small ways - running an errand, offering encouragement, a listening ear. You will find that it's impossible to be depressed when you're actively helping someone else. So, who can you encourage today? Stop and quietly think about that.