The 3 Most Difficult Things for Human Beings to Master- Videos
It has been said that the three most difficult things for any person to do are.......well we won't go there yet.
But let's just say that as difficult as what's in the video below is to accomplish, it didn't make the top three:
And as wicked cool as the dude in the video below is, his skills don't even register on the difficulty scale of the human feats we're talking about:
This looks a little tougher, but still not one of the three most difficult tasks for a person to master.
Ok, enough teasing! As difficult to master as the above human achievements are, their difficulty pales in comparison with the following 3 Human Accomplishments:
1. To Give Love in Response to Hate
2. Standing up for those who are not present.
3. Admitting when you have made a mistake or when you need to change.
Think of how you apply (or don't apply) these core behaviors in your life:
- Do you respond with kindness when someone won't let you merge lanes in traffic?
- Do you defend a friend or loved one when someone dogs them in their absence?
- Do you live in a state of constant self-assessment; willing to make any adjustments to bring your intentions in alignment with God's?
If you can answer "Yes" to any of those questions then congratulations, you've done something more difficult than breaking the world bench press record, beat-boxing on a national level, and balancing the weight of your entire body on the tip of your index finger!
The most amazing aspect of this is that the power to accomplish any of these three tasks lies within every single person on this planet. You do not have to have superior genetics to respond with love, you do not have to have super human strength to stand up for your friends, and you do not have to be an enlightened spiritual guru to make the necessary changes in your life.
The ability to master any of these three tasks is as simple as making a decision; a decision to do it. God has endowed each of us with a free will; the ability to chose for ourselves what we are to do in this life. It is in the mastering of this will, in the mastering of ourselves, that we can give all we really have to offer God. I'm sure He appreciates good beat-boxing like anyone else, but something tells me He'd rather we focus on smiling at the guy who just cut us off in traffic.
What say ye? Comments welcome as always:)
5 Inspiring Thoughts to Brighten Your Day: Courtesy of Mother Teresa
Looks like she's having a pretty good day.....huh?
1. “Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.”
Today, let’s keep an eye out for some low hanging “fruit”. Go out of your way to hold the door for someone. Let someone ahead of you in traffic. Give an intentional smile to someone who needs it. Let’s seek someone to serve. Let’s sow seeds of love….let’s do it today.
2. “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”
Let’s give part of ourselves away today….the things we most treasure. Freely give all credit for an accomplishment to others. Freely accept all blame for a situation. Take all possible discomforts upon yourself to increase the happiness of those around you. Be the last to begin eating, be the first up to do the dishes. Give a back message while your back is killing you. Sacrifice yourself for others in every possible way today…..see what happens.
3. “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”
Christ taught the principle of the 99 and the 1. Every soul is precious in the sight of God. The worst thing we can do today is feel that we can’t make a difference. Let’s set a goal right now to touch at least one person in a positive way today. I promise you that it will happen, and the effects will be profound.
4. “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
Nothing will keep you further from happiness today then judging others. It literally sucks the life and energy from you as well as those around you. Remove this negative energy from yourself today, and fill the void with compassion and a genuine desire to serve others. Seek out those you are most inclined to stand in judgment of and make their happiness your priority. Pray for help, and then make it happen. You’ll be amazed at the results. Don’t wait for tomorrow…..do it today!
5. “Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.”
Matthew 25 is the mantra of my life: “What you have done unto the least of these my bretheren you have done it unto me.”, Christ taught. Take this teaching literally. Sense the love and appreciation you have for Jesus Christ and project it onto others. This is a life changing paradigm because it changes the lens through which you see the entire world. Every person in every situation is Christ. Imagine smiling at Him, letting Him in front of you in line at the grocery store, giving Him money, or a job, or even a hug. I have written of my own personal experiences living this principle and simply can’t say enough about the happiness and peace that it has brought into my life.
I have gratitude for the life of Mother Teresa; for her words, and for her inspiring life which was the embodiment of selfless service. Let’s all be inspired to make a difference today. A line from one of my kid’s favorite movies just came to mind, “yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift….that’s why it’s called the ‘present’”. Let’s make today count!
Comments are welcome and appreciated as always. God Bless!
Memoirs of a Christian Entrepreneur: How I met Jesus in Fort Worth Texas.
Sometimes opportunities arise when you least expect it!
Here’s yet another post in my series “Memoirs of a Christian Entrepreneur”. This was an awesome experience I had in Texas while attending a three day swimming pool construction course.
Many of you have heard this experience before, but it was one of my first posts so it got no love, plus I wanted to re-post it as part of this series anyway. I wrote the following story the night it happened. It will always remain an experience that’s near to my heart.
It was about 9:00 pm and I was walking down Houston Ave in downtown Fort Worth, Texas desperately seeking a hot meal. It had been a hectic day of travel that included a full blown sprint to catch a flight, lost luggage, “misplaced” hotel reservations, and no food. It was cold, I was tired, and my quest for an authentic Tex-Mex meal was looking bleak, so I compromised and settled for some Applebee’s wanna-be.
By this time I had reached caveman status so I grabbed a seat and ordered way too much food. While anxiously awaiting the arrival of my meal I tried to distract myself by reflecting on the purpose of my trip. I had traveled to Texas to attend a three-day course to be further trained in the arts of high-end residential swimming pool construction…...and I was pumped. An opportunity to learn, meet new people, and…never mind here comes my food.
My meal finally hit the table and I was ready to dig in when some dirty guy taps on the window, points to his wide open mouth and lips the word “homeless”. So I kind of look down at my food for a split second and think, ‘this is awkward’, but instantly look up again to gaze at the man.
But when I did it wasn’t the same person. In my eyes his appearance had completely transformed. You see, in that split second I looked down, I remembered something I had read in the Bible that changed the way I saw the world as well as everyone around me. It is one of Jesus’ teachings found in Matthew chapter 25.
He taught “what you have done to the least of these your brethren you have done unto me”. When I looked out of the window the second time the person I saw was Him…..literally. So, let’s pause to ask ourselves an honest question: If Jesus tapped on your window and asked you for help how would you respond? Probably exactly as I did. I got up, went outside and talked to Him. After we exchanged a few words I gave Him some money (I mean come on, it was Jesus, the least I could do was give Him ten bucks!). At that point his eyes welled up with tears and he said “I just want to give you a hug”. Then we embraced. So not only did I meet Jesus in Fort Worth, but He gave me a hug as well!
This was an experience I will always treasure. It has little to do with giving to the homeless and everything to do with the little opportunities we have on a daily basis to serve others. It’s been rare occasions like this, when I completely forget my own selfish desires and see Jesus’ face in those I serve, that I find anything close to real joy which is the kind of happiness that endures. All other types of pseudo-happiness eventually wither and leave us empty and alone. But this requires a change of focus, a paradigm shift. It’s extremely difficult. Only the best people in history have even come close to it, only One has ever done it perfectly. Serving others is not about the why, the where, or the how….it is about the Who.
How could this paradigm affect Your Business?
As Christians and especially as Christian business owners we constantly find ourselves presented with opportunities to bless others and bring glory to God. I have no idea how many of these opportunities I’ve squandered in the past, but I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had this one. It has helped shape the way I see others (when I have my head screwed on straight). “The least of these” can literally be anyone in our lives....and in our businesses.
What if we saw the face of Jesus every time we looked out at our customers, employees, and other associates? How would that change the way we do business? How would it change the way the world does business? It may seem absolutely ludicrous to have this mentality in today’s dog-eat-dog climate, but I can testify that when applied it will brings peace and joy to doing business and to life.
What experiences have you had serving others in your life or in your business?
How I met Jesus in Fort Worth, Texas!
by: Jason Hughes www.figliving.com
It was about 9:00 pm and I was walking down Houston Ave in downtown Fort Worth, Texas desperately seeking a hot meal. It had been a hectic day of travel that included a full blown sprint to catch a flight, lost luggage, “misplaced” hotel reservations, and no food. It was cold, I was tired, and my quest for an authentic Tex-Mex meal was looking bleak, so I compromised and settled for some Applebee’s wanna-be. By this time I had reached caveman status so I grabbed a seat and ordered way too much food. While anxiously awaiting the arrival of my meal I tried to distract myself by reflecting on the purpose of my trip. I had traveled to Texas to attend a three-day course to be further trained in the arts of high-end residential swimming pool construction…...and I was pumped. An opportunity to learn, meet new people, and…never mind here comes my food. My meal finally hit the table and I was ready to dig in when some dirty guy taps on the window, points to his wide open mouth and lips the word “homeless”. So I kind of look down at my food for a split second and think, ‘this is awkward’, but instantly look up again to gaze at the man. But when I did it wasn’t the same person. In my eyes his appearance had completely transformed. You see, in that split second I looked down, I remembered something I had read in the Bible that changed the way I saw the world as well as everyone around me. It is one of Jesus’ teachings found in Matthew chapter 25. He taught “what you have done to the least of these your brethren you have done unto me”. When I looked out of the window the second time the person I saw was Him…..literally. So, let’s pause to ask ourselves an honest question: If Jesus tapped on your window and asked you for help how would you respond? Probably exactly as I did. I got up, went outside and talked to Him. After we exchanged a few words and I gave Him some money (I mean come on, it was Jesus, the least I could do was give Him ten bucks!). At that point his eyes welled up with tears and he said “I just want to give you a hug”. Then we embraced. Not only did I meet Jesus in Fort Worth, but He gave me a hug as well! This was an experience I will always treasure. It has little to do with giving to the homeless and everything to do with the little opportunities we have on a daily basis to serve others. Based on my experience, it is only on the rare occasion I forget myself and seek to help others that I find anything close to real joy, the kind of happiness that endures. All other types of pseudo-happiness eventually wither, leaving only a feeling of utter emptiness. This requires a change of focus, a paradigm shift. It’s extremely difficult. Only the best people in history have even come close to it, only One has ever done it perfectly. Service is not about the why, the where, or the how….it is about the Who.
Please share a faith building experience you've had in the comments section below. Thanks!
Northern Neck Food Bank distributes Food and Love!
On the second Saturday of each month the White Stone Church of the Nazerene in the Northern Neck of Virginia opens its doors to those who stand in need: food for those with empty cabinets, love for those with empty hearts, and an opportunity to serve for those who need to fill an emptiness inside of themselves. This is a wonderful experience for all involved. From the second you walk through the door it's obvious that the objective is to do more than simply provide for the temporal needs of the patrons. Everyone is warmly greeted and the morning is started off with a spirit filled prayer which is followed by a hot breakfast. Patrons then have their orders filled and taken to their vehicles. From start to finish each patron is made to feel valued and loved. Smiling faces abound and the Spirit of the Lord abides as this wonderful service takes place. I have had the opportunity to work with Lance Barton and the team of dedicated volunteers on several occasions; each time knowing that I was the one blessed by the experience. Last time we brought five young men from our church with us and they were all blown away. Each one stood before the congregation the next day and shared their experiences. All of the boys were moved and several became emotional as they shared what an impact serving others had on them. I would encourage anyone who could possibly spare a couple hours on a Saturday morning to participate. What better thing can we do with our time than serve others?
