We are all sinners; we make mistakes everyday. But we know that we can learn from these mistakes, and continue to drive to be the best we can, each new day God gives to us. I have a friend who I greatly admire, because of one particular trait he has. I strive daily to imitate this characteristic. The trait is he never says anything bad about anyone. No matter what, he always has something good to say about anyone brought up in a conversation. If he cannot say anything good, he doesn’t say anything at all. I have known him for years now, and I have never ever hear him say anything bad about anyone. EVER!
To me this ability to only speak well of others is just amazing. Friends, family, children – they all drive you crazy at some time. You have to tell someone how the ones you love are making your life miserable. But as this friend has demonstrated to me time and time again, a better way is to only discuss the good points out loud and leave the rest unsaid. The following poem expresses this point better than I can.
Wouldn’t this world be better, if folks whom we meet would say,
“I know something good about you,” and treat you just that way?
Wouldn’t it be splendid, if each handshake, good and true,
Carried with it this assurance: “I know something good about you.”
Wouldn’t life be happier, if the good that’s in us all,
Were the only thing about us that people could recall.
Wouldn’t our days be sweeter, if we praised the good we see?
For there is a lot of goodness in the worst of you and me.
Wouldn’t it be fine to practice this way of thinking too;
You know something good about me; I know something good about you.
(Walter Knight)
Let us continue to search ourselves, so we can prepare for the coming of Jesus, for as Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.” Amen
Suzanne Ellis
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the coffee....
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else-the small stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. "
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal."
"Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."
Contributed by someone in our church who received it by email.