Altar Call -- Opelika-Auburn News
Sunday, April 9, 2006
We
already have Ten Commandments. God gave them to us and they need no improvement
from me. They simply need to be followed so that we can live the way God wants
us to live.
I want to
share some additional ideas that can help us live well. I prefer to call them
suggestions or principles that can improve the quality of our lives. These are
principles I have learned in the school of hard knocks. Since that is the way
most of us learn how to live, you may be already using these principles in your
own life.
One, life
should be lived in chapters. My forester son Tim tells me that the rings in a
tree tell us the story of that tree. Each ring is a chapter of sorts. We can
see what years there may have been a drought.
In reading a book I often look ahead
to find out the length of the chapter I am reading. In life we all have times
of transition, pain, and change. We cannot always choose the circumstances of
our lives, but we can choose to put down a period and conclude some experience.
We can put an end to one thing and begin something new. We may have a chapter
of discouragement, but we can decide that it is over and begin a new chapter of
celebration.
Two, give up trying to be
perfect. Progress, not perfection, should be our goal. Get off your own back.
The demand for perfection is a burden you can give up for Lent and forever. Aim
to make a little progress each day, and be at peace about your imperfections.
Trying to be a "perfectionist" is unhealthy. It ruins life for
yourself, your family, and your friends.
Three, celebrate your mistakes.
You will make mistakes; we all do. But when you make one, especially a big one,
consider it so excellent that you want to remember not to make it again. You
celebrate it by injecting a little humor into your guilt. Then you can laugh at
yourself and invite others to laugh with you. Such celebration helps you become
the victor instead of the victim.
Four, cut "if only" out
of your vocabulary. When we indulge in the use of "if onlys," we are
simply trying to dodge our responsibility for a problem. Try never again to
begin a sentence with "if only." Substitute the word, "because."
Here’s an example: "Because I am in charge of my life, I will not allow
this problem to throw me."
Five, don’t blame other people
for your problems. How you react to what other people do and say is more
important than what they do and say. You cannot control what other people do;
you can decide how you will respond to their behavior. Accept the fact that
sometimes you are your own biggest problem. Then give other people a break and
work on yourself.
Six, accept the reality that
nobody is perfect, including you. Accept the imperfections of others. Doing
this will help you not to blame them when things go wrong. Since other people are like you and me, they
will sometimes say things that are insensitive and stupid. Go ahead and forgive
them because that is what you want them to do for you when you are insensitive.
When others do not measure up to your
expectations, relax and remember that we live in an imperfect world. To survive
we have to offer one another the gift of understanding. It is perfectly alright to be wrong sometimes.
Seven, laugh a lot every day. Humor is so important that we should look for
it constantly. If you are having a really bad day, find something funny you can
share with others to get a good laugh. If nothing else works, go look at
yourself in the mirror. That works for me every time.
Eight, smile when people rain on your
parade – and move on. Life is too short to let jerks jerk you around. Jerks are
everywhere, ready to put a damper on anything you say. When they do, just smile
and move on with your life. Refuse to let them get your attention because what
gets your attention gets you.
Nine, if you fuss a lot, stop it.
Complaining gets you nowhere. It is a choice you can make so make it. Think
about this: nobody ever wakes up in the morning and says, "Boy, I sure
hope I run into somebody today who is complaining." Believe me, if you
fuss all the time people do not want to be around you. Do yourself a favor and
quit fussing. You will live longer and have more fun.
Ten, when the bottom falls out of
your life, pray for spring. Remember that winter doesn’t last forever. Bad
times, winter times, come to us all. But things have a way of changing, like
the seasons of the year. When it is wintertime in your life, hang on, for
spring will come! It has again this
year; it always will.
So there you have it -- ten basic
principles that can change your life. Keep God’s commandments. Then consider
these suggestions too. They help me. They may help you too. + + + +