“Because of the inflammation, I’m acutely aware of my right shoulder.”

A thought by Brant Hansen (2015-04-14) from his book, Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better (p. 183). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

So you may ask, how does that thought make a difference in my day today? My elbow doesn't hurt. And I’m glad you asked.

Brant says, “Timothy Keller uses the idea of favoring an inflamed joint to make a great point: this is precisely how the human ego works. It ‘hurts’ when it’s inflamed. Sure, it’s always there— everyone’s got an ego— but when it’s oversized, it’s constantly being injured or threatened. When it’s ‘all about me,’ I’m constantly aware of myself, bracing myself for ego injury.”

See, it’s a good thought. Brant goes on, “If you’re constantly being hurt, offended, or angered, you should honestly evaluate your inflamed ego. When you’re humble, you’re not constantly thinking, How do I look? or Am I a success? or What do they think of me? It’s just not on your radar screen. When self-interested thoughts do cross your mind, you’re able to recognize them for what they are, in most cases: downright silly.”

I like this, Brant says, “I noticed something about my grandma when she was in her eighties. She was very sweet and intelligent, and even had a job in addition to doing all the typical grandma stuff. She seemed younger than her years. But what I noticed was that, simply put, when it came to people’s opinions of her, Grandma just didn’t care. It wasn’t rudeness, and she was still servant-hearted. So far as I could tell, she was just completely unconcerned with whether people thought she was ‘successful’ in life. She’d always been brilliant with flowers, and she still planted them everywhere, but no one who knew her thought it was to impress anyone. She delighted in growing things.”

He wrote this when she turned ninety, “Wreatha Peters turned ninety last week, and you may have noticed, ninety-year-olds don’t really give a rip about their approval ratings. Ninety-year-olds aren’t fashionable, and it’s not because they can’t get to the mall. They just plain don’t care. And— let’s face it— when you don’t care what other people think, you don’t tend to go to the mall.”

I love it. That’s what I want to be when I get old. By the way, I already am old.

So how does your ego feel today?

Comments

"Jesus comes in the midst of the torrent."

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, You Are Never Alone (p. 60). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) We all have storms in our lives, don't we? Max says, "No one gets through life scot-free. At one point or another the sky will darken, the winds will rage, and we will find ourselves in a modern-day version of the Galilean gusher." John 6:16–18 (NIV) says, "When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough." Max goes on, "The hearts of the followers began to sink as their boat was certain to do. Their skin was soaked, throats hoarse, eyes wide. They searched the sky for a break in the clouds. They gripped the boat for fear of the waves. They screamed their prayers for help. But they heard nothing. "If only Jesu

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life. It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed. Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life. Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you. You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good. Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because God is good He will use e

“What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Rick posed this question at the end of his chapter, You Are Not an Accident. In this chapter he deals with the fact that God created you the way you are with a purpose. In other words you are not an accident. I am also reading the Apostle John’s view of Jesus and what He said and did while He was here on earth. In the beginning of Chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man. And the disciples who were with Him asked Him a good question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? ” Have you ever asked the same thing about something in you that you don’t like? Like that characteristic is a curse or something. Society has set a standard that is not a standard of God. Remember, He created you and you are not an accident. Jesus did answer the question about the blind

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog